Designer (Mark 1)

I first came into the design industry through fashion. I owned a fashion designing company called Lemon Tree, although I later changed the name to White Swans for some reason. I had a pink plastic telephone, ran the business from my bedroom and all my customers were either my mother or my Auntie Kathleen. Mind you, I was only eleven years old at the time.

Teacher

Although I secretly harboured a desire to be a fashion designer, my real career was already mapped out for me as I'd known from the age of seven that I wanted to be a teacher. Unfortunately, on just about my first day in the job, I realised I'd made a terrible mistake. I stayed in education far longer than I probably should have done and only left when ill health forced me to look for a new career that I could do from home. Because I was good at English, had a vivid imagination and always loved writing, I decided to become a freelance journalist.

Writer

Considering that I'd never had a day's journalism training in my life or been a "staffer" first, I went on to write for some quite prestigious newspapers and magazines including The Guardian andThe Times.  However, like most journalists, although I'd also had short stories and poetry published, I really wanted to write books. I assumed that with my track record, I would easily get an agent and a book deal. How wrong I was! And then when my mother (who had always been the great champion of my writing) died suddenly, I experienced the worst case of "writer's block" that I'd ever had. Every time I tried to write, I'd just burst into tears.

Crafter

When it became clear that the writer's block was not going to go away any time soon, I had to look round for what I could do instead of writing and that's when I discovered the crafting industry. I'd crafted in one form or another since childhood (Remember those Blue Peter makes?!) but hadn't really done anything much for years. I was particularly thrilled to discover digital crafting as this opened up a whole new, wonderful world to me as suddenly I had all this incredible artwork to create with. I started making scrapbook pages and then moved onto cards and stationery items.

Designer (Mark 2)

I then discovered, much to my amazement, that I had a talent for designing. (Are you getting a sense of things coming full circle here?) So, even though I was in my late fifties and most of my contemporaries were starting to think about when they might be able to retire, I decided to become a designer instead. And then after a while, and maybe because the pressure was off, I started writing again.

So here I am, embarking on a completely new creative life as a Designer and a Writer. I'm excited, exhilarated, optimistic and anxious but most of all relieved. As someone a lot wiser than me once said, "Wish for it, hope for it, dream of it, but by all means do it."

And now I am!

 

5 Things You Might Like To Know About Me

 

  • I used to play the double bass.
  • I see the days of the week and months of the year in different shapes and colours. (It's called synesthesia.)
  • I changed my entire name by deed poll when I became a freelance journalist.
  • My favourite food is peanut butter and cheese.
  • My grandmother's closest friend was lady's maid to the sister of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, the one who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb. You can find out more at:  https://ladyburghclereandethel.com