Years ago—before everything lived online, before blogs and writing were shaped by algorithms—I worked for the Irish fashion and interiors magazine IMAGE, when it was still under the helm of Jane and Sarah McDonnell.
I was part of the advertising team, working closely with brand copy, campaigns, and the steady flow of material that keeps a magazine moving. It was fast-paced, detail-driven work, and it gave me a real understanding of how much happens behind the scenes to bring each issue together.
It remains one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.
My role sat firmly within advertising, but I was always drawn to what was happening just beyond it. The editorial floor had its own rhythm—pages in progress, edits layered over edits, Post-it notes scattered across desks, ideas constantly being shaped and reshaped.
I watched the process unfold from the sidelines at first, quietly taking it in. Learning how something moved from concept to page—through first draft, second draft, third—sometimes fifteenth—until it was ready for print.
There was a kind of magic in that.
Eventually, I was given the opportunity to put together a photo feature.
On the surface, it sounds simple. But writing around imagery—especially when weaving in product names, prices, and suggestions—requires balance. It has to feel fluid and cohesive, even when the material itself is quite dry.
Mine came back to me more times than I can count.
Always marked in green pen—never red, which felt like a small mercy—and covered in notes that were direct, to say the least. “Not strong enough.” “I just don’t think you have it.”
At the time, it felt relentless.
Now, I see it differently.
That experience taught me more than any easy success could have. It taught me how to take feedback without retreating from it. How to return to something again and again, refining rather than resisting. How to hold onto an idea, but also be willing to reshape it.
And, perhaps most importantly, it showed me that I wanted to be closer to the writing itself—to the shaping of words, not just the structure around them.
That realisation is what led me to pursue a postgraduate degree in communications and journalism.
At the time, I didn’t have the language for it. I just knew I wanted to keep going.
Now I understand it more clearly. It takes grit to stay with something in the face of negative feedback. That’s where resilience is built and patience is fostered. It’s also where you begin to improve.
And sometimes, it simply takes picking up the pen again—green marks and all.