What’s in a name!?

I have worked under the ‘Lifestyle Magazines’ umbrella for 15 years now, but just recently, something about this brand name, just wasn’t sitting right.

It wasn’t just because ‘magazines’ per se have long since ceased production (although the minor detail of 50% of my company name being irrelevant at best - misleading at worst - was obviously a factor.)

On top of this, the advent of digital media (and the arrival of two children), had seen to it that my self-appointed role of ‘Editor’ and Publisher’ within this company, had quite naturally (and even more surreptitiously) shape-shifted into a miscellany of ‘Blogger, ‘Content Creator’ and ‘Copywriter.’

All things considered, it was only a matter of time, before ‘Lifestyle Magazines’ took the leap from ‘publishing house’… to personal creative brand, with carolinematthews.co.uk serving as a perfunctory nod to the virtues of professional pivots (the nature of which became ‘a thing’ in lockdown).

Ultimately, the rebrand was about reframing Lifestyle Magazines for the digital era, and turning the identity, skills and experience enmeshed within it, into a platform for future creativity and collaborations.

From business blogs, to branded content and celebrity interviews, this new website is first and foremost, a portfolio of past work and achievements, designed to showcase my professional writing and creative services.

On a side note, however, it is also a fitting testament to the power of reclaiming your ‘I’, in this ’big-I-am’ workplace culture where ‘we’ still seems to reign supreme!

In my biggest admission since ‘I don’t make magazines anymore!’, here’s another truth bomb…

I work alone.

There is no ‘team’ here, or ‘we’ to cushion the vulnerability that comes with putting creative work out into cyberspace, for all to see, judge and troll!

The prospect is as validating as it is daunting, but if there is one take-home from this long-overdue decision to finally show up as myself, it’s that owning your words - and your worth - are one and the same!

www.carolinematthews.co.uk