1. What did you want to be when you were 16?
I always dreamt of being a writer – because I love reading! Although I imagined myself writing novels and stories rather than articles.
2. What do you do now?
I’m now the editor of LONDNR magazine, which I founded in 2015. It’s an arts, culture and lifestyle magazine that appears in digital and print. I’m also an author, and my last book was a fashion history title about Vogue magazine, titled GLOSSY: The Inside Story of Vogue… basically, I’m obsessed with the mag world!
3. What was your route into your current career?
To be honest it was an unconventional route. I studied languages, but I didn’t want to be a translator and I didn’t know what to do with my skills. I wanted to try being a writer, but I didn’t know anyone in the industry and didn’t know how to get started. Because no one would publish my work, in the end I thought, ‘If I start an online magazine, I can publish myself, build a portfolio, and maybe meet like-minded people.’
4. What do you like most about your work?
I love research. Ferreting those stories that nobody else has, following the trail of a rumour to see if it ends up being a gem I can write about, interviewing inspiring people and learning about them as I go - all of that. You’ve got to stay curious to be a journalist, because anything in the world around you could be your next scoop.
5. What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do?
It’s important to read as much as you can (and not only the things you like to read). This is because it’s important to have a good understanding of the world so you can make better arguments and write knowledgeably.
6. How would your friends describe you in 3 words?
I don’t know about my friends, but I’d describe myself as persistent, creative and a dreamer.
7. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Trying to earn a living. There’s no easy way to earn money through writing and this important fact is often ignored. We all need to be able to pay our rent and buy our food, but I really struggled in asking for money and understanding what might create more profit. I also often chose to do what was the most interesting project, rather than the most commercial. It wasn’t always a smart move!
8. What are you most proud of?
I’m proud of never giving up. It took me six years to get my first book deal, and it’s taken me eight years to get LONDNR to where it is today. There were so many points when it would have been much easier to walk away… and I really love myself for pushing through.
9. What’s been the strangest/funniest/most surprising thing to have happened whilst you were working?
When I was writing my book about Vogue I was interviewing a lot of older Vogue editors. There was this amazing editor who put Nelson Mandela on the cover in 1992 – and got fired for it. She’s in her 70s now and I couldn’t find her contact details through my usual channels, it was like she’d disappeared off the face of the Earth. In the end I sent a random message to an email I completely guessed… and I’d guessed it right! She got back to me in 10 minutes and invited me to drink wine on her estate in Portugal.
10. What do you know now, that you would tell your younger self?
Be patient! In this world of instant gratification, it’s hard to remember that things still take time. One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me was ‘your career is a marathon, not a sprint’. This came from a woman who’d got her dream job in her 40s. She’d had loads of amazing jobs but never found her place, she’d had bad jobs too, she’d had three kids, essentially, she’d been living life and her career was only one part of it. A part that worked out in the end.
Bonus! Who, dead or alive, would you love to interview and why?
I would love to interview Stalin. Because I just can’t imagine what sort of a person he must have been - obviously terrifying and cruel, but how would he come across in a conversation?