Bold Moves
// Lets Talk about Change
Hello everyone, happy Tuesday - Alix King here, Matt’s ‘sister from another Mister’.
Firstly, this change.
I’m so incredibly honoured to take over The Clique this week – I’ve been an MK follower from the very beginning, I’m always sending Matt private messages telling him how much I’ve loved it, and how much of a great writer he is…
…Which is a great segue into my newsletter/article this week! I’m a freelance copywriter and journalist, but I haven’t always been. I am YES indeed a writer (I used to say, “I’m JUST a writer”, like it wasn’t a true job) but not always thesame kind of writer, or in the same position/industry/subjects.
You could say I’ve been about a bit…
(easy, this is going speedily downhill) What I MEAN is, I’ve always had intrigue and fascination for writing/writers. I have had my journey of discovery into the world of a writer, investigating where writing could take me and even changing my career along the way…
I thought this was normal. Dipping in and out of careers. Apparently not.
My nearest and dearest (okay, my mum) said it/I was BRAVE (I always thought it was just haphazard) but now I have a new-found love and respect for people who have the bravery, and let’s face it, sheer AUDACITY to say, “FUCK IT I’m not happy I’m changing direction!”
// Lets Go Back A Bit
I was only ever REALLY good at English at school. The rest I was a middle-of-the-roader, but I had a real love for words. My mum had to ask for harder books in primary school, I could teach my older brother how to read road signs and I would correct the teacher on the spelling tests (I swear this happened once. I was right, they said I was wrong!)
I studied ‘English with Stylistics and Journalism’ at Uni.
“What is the subject of stylistics?” I hear you say. Well, It’s the study of the distinctive styles found in particular literary genres and in the works of individual writers – and yes, I ditched it after the first term and studied full journalism. Emily Bronte ain’t for me.
I wanted to be a magazine journalist. I prefer editorial pieces, and writing with a witty, conversational style was always my thing. (Hopefully this piece is just that!)
Anyway, I LOVED it. It cemented my passion for journalism and by my last year at Uni I was ready to do more. I was lucky to be offered work experience with the BIGGEST lads’ mag at the time, FHM - (hopefully those of you over the age of 40 will remember it!) Pop star ladies in their bikinis on the cover, High Street Honeys, Pornalikes, Helga the Swedish porn star agony aunt…. proper highbrow journalism. Ha.
They offered me a freelance job after Uni. I thought about it for about 1 millisecond. Learned loads, did loads (some of it I signed an NDA) and then got snapped up by Loaded magazine. Having the time of my life in London in the early 2000s was an understatement.
So of course, I decided to change my career (What the absolute F***, Alix?)
I know, I know – curveball. But I could almost see a crystal ball into my future, and it was messy, where I was just having fun, not learning and definitely not progressing. I’m quite sensible…sometimes.
So I left the bright lights of the big city to come back down to Bournemouth to study for a law degree.
I know what you’re thinking – couldn’t get much different! Well, that’s where I disagree. I’m an academic at heart, I love to learn – and it’s reading, studying, retaining information, writing and editing. All while referring to past cases. Not that different to journalism at all. Just not as funny.
// Don't be left thinking..
I can’t say that I’m particularly brave. I can’t even say that I had a well-thought-out plan. I just knew that I had always been fascinated with law, I didn’t get good enough grades at school to study it first time round, and now I could. I was only 25, single, and had the backing of my parents, and the use of my old bedroom. Phew.
That’s my first ‘tip’. If you’re going to make a change, make sure you have support and backing of those close to you. I know now that my parents (ex-hippy, very laid back) were super cool. I’m extremely lucky that they believed in me and had my back, whatever I chose to do.
Which was pretty mixed and crazy. You could say I wanted it all. Variation, fun, knowledge and eye-opening experiences.
I moved back to London. I worked in some very cool jobs mixing law and writing. I worked hard. I learned. I got involved in everything and anything and had fun. I had the opportunity to work abroad and took it. I made new connections, lost some friends along the way, got offered the opportunity of my career and learned some life lessons.
It was all going so well. But there’s always a BUT. A hurdle, a curveball or a move off-piste.
Mine was a very serious moped accident. I was in an induced coma abroad and had to fight for my life. But I survived, came back to Dorset, rehabilitated and after a (long) recovery, took a deep breath and started again. Headfirst into life down another career path, copywriting in marketing agencies.
But it wasn’t out of the ordinary for me to ‘start again’. I’d done it before, and I had an amazing network around me (which has only grown). I was 31 and although it wasn’t my first career path, I embraced it. It was exciting and I didn’t look back.
No regrets.
// Fortune Favours the Brave
Change, in my humble opinion, is healthy. And the more I realised I was different to most, the more I found myself studying those who were similar to me, had made the leap elsewhere, for reasons beyond their control - and also those who just said F%*K it, let’s do it. Including the indomitable Matt King.
My top career-changers:
Michelle Obama
This lady’s got some sass. And brains too. Graduated from Harvard Law School, worked for a Chicago law firm (where she met her well-known husband). She left after a few years, as she found her initial career as a corporate lawyer unfulfilling and felt a strong desire to pursue more meaningful work in public service. She said, in her memoir: "I hated being a lawyer. I wasn't suited to the work. I felt empty doing it, even if I was plenty good at it".
Her ’but’? Michelle’s big push were the deaths of her father and a close friend reminded her that life was short, prompting what she calls "the first real swerve of my life". Michelle pursued community and non-profit work, supporting her husband's political career and focusing on public service roles until becoming First Lady.
Read her biography here: https://bit.ly/3L80wwq
Vera Wang
Figure skater to world-renowned designer. What a creative mind. And following her dream.
Brian Cox
Not the actor; the physicist. In the 1980s and ’90s, before he pursued a science career full time, Professor Cox was in a couple of bands, playing keyboards for Dare and D:Ream. The latter went on to have a 1994 number one hit with the anthemic ‘Things Can Only Get Better’. He later joked during a radio interview that the song is factually incorrect, as the second law of thermodynamics says the universe "always tends to disorder - so we were never right.”
Alex James
From Blur to cheesemaker. If you know me well, you’ll know I love cheese. Say no more.
And just a personal pick:
One of my best friends, Daniel Lloyd. He trained to be a pro-cyclist from a teenager and reached the top when he cycled in the Tour De France, for the Cervelo Test Team. Pro sport is a fickle game, and when he ‘retired’ at 31 from something he’d worked so hard to get to, he had nothing else in the pipeline, or plan in the locker.
He was approached by the broadcasters behind GCN (Global Cycling Network), a cycling-related YouTube channel, launched in the UK in 2013. He is the lead presenter (lead!) for GCN’s news and race preview shows, often alongside former IG-Sigma teammate Simon Richardson, an ex-professional mountain bike champion.
Now you might be thinking, “yeah, whatever, he’s an ex-pro cyclist, so?” But not EVERYONE can speak well, know their subject, interview others, all while looking good on camera.
Now Dan is naturally witty (I’m not just saying this in case he reads it!) but that didn’t mean he was good at the start. He worked BLOODY hard at honing this new skill, and by self-admission, he will say that he was awful to start with and can’t watch his early episodes.
With grit and determination, listening, learning, studying and practicing (a lot!) he is now very successful and I’m super proud of him when he crops up on the TV (around the Tour De France time of year).
P.s: Some ex-sports stars who failed at presenting – Linford Christie, Steve Wright, David Icke…
// Don't Look Back
I want to round up with this:
If you have itchy feet, not happy with your job, thinking about starting something new or just dipping your toe in the water of another skill, it may seem a daunting move. But remember you have people who will support you (even if they are not that obvious to begin with) there is LOADS of help out there (online courses, careers advisors, YouTube tutorials) and even if you make the decision to turn back and return to what you were originally doing, think how BRAVE you are for trying. And remember Sue would be super proud of you (that’s my mum).
And one last thought – Colonel Sanders (KFC): Began franchising his fried chicken recipe at 62 after many different jobs. If he can do it, so can you.
I’d love to chat! Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alixkingcopywriter/
