My Ideal Work Experience

Seven weeks into the Catch 22 Experience has got me thinking who I'd love to write for.

I really enjoy Harper's Bazaar magazine which is a stunning monthly women's glossy magazine,  intelligent in content and style.

Harper's Bazaar UK cover girl Alex Chung

The editor is Lucy Yeomans who transformed Harper's Bazaar from Harpers & Queen into a leading young women's fashion magazine receiving praise and accolades. It's published by the National Magazine Company.

They also publish magazines for new brides and mums, womens and mens health, even beautiful magazines for the home such as Good Housekeeping and cool men's magazine Esquire. I would want to work for such magazines but my strengths would most likely lie in one of their many great women's magazines such as Company, Cosmopolitan, She, Best, Prima and Reveal. They give the opportunity to deal with a range of issues from lighthearted to serious, fashion, music and film and TV.

The National Magazine Company celebrated turning 100 this year and have just recruited Asos' customer insight chief Aida Muirhead for the role of research and insight director, I really liked the quote from their group circulation and marketing director Sharon Douglas:-

“This is a key appointment within the business and Aida brings a wealth of insight and research experience to our company. Her role will enable us to drive further our strategy which puts the customer at the very heart of everything we do. With Aida’s commercial digital insight, we will be able to increase the pace of change in this growing area.”

I would be proud to write for such publications.

Finding Dory in the Land Before Time [Bio part 1]

I decided to rename my blog 'Car Can't Catch Me' after a famous family tale.


When I was young I believed I could do anything - I was also really naughty, which unfortunately meant my parents sent me to nursery younger than they sent my older sister. I have a younger sister too, so I have my tantrums which my family call my 'middle child issues', but that's another blog and a half!

Homer's overlooked middle child

Back to the original story, my mum or little sister probably tell the story better:

You know the phrase "running before you can walk?" Well, I actually did, and the famous incident I think is on a trip to Madame Tussauds [I'm sure my sisters will correct me if I'm wrong, my memory is not perfect].

Hi, I'm Dory, what's your name?

Ok my lil sis actually corrected me...

My grandad had picked me up from nursery, he went to close the car door and I had already run across the road and into the shop where my parents worked, then he came in huffing and puffing telling me I could have been run over and I said to him in reply "car can't catch me!"

I'm sure I really believed it too, I remember feeling confident when I was younger, not scared of spiders or rules -  until somebody told me I can't do something, those thoughts never entered my head.

By the time I was 16 I loved English and was intrigued by the power of the media and wanted to be a part of that world. I had plans, and opportunities which excited me and at that time I was very sure I'd end up writing for Blues & Soul or Vibe Magazine or work for MTV.

Then things changed....

Song from those good old innocent days:

My Experience of Catch 22 so far

It's been 5 weeks since I joined the Catch 22 Academy in London's Bernie Grant Arts Centre and what a journey it's been, my life has completely changed!

Just 6 weeks ago I was working part time in my home-town of Bradford, cold calling people trying to get them to take advantage of the government grant for getting their homes insulated.

I was writing in my spare time and working in a school doing some pretty amazing art projects such as creating tape sculptures and Egyptian murals.

I applied for the course believing that I could achieve my ambitions if I put the effort in to what I really wanted in life. Within a week of my Catch 22 interview I came to London.

My first four days included attending the course and searching like crazy for a place to live. In fact the first Wednesday I came there was a tube strike which made my second day a challenge in just getting around! So I knew I had to find a place nearby - which I did on the Thursday but couldn't move in straight away, but at least I got that ticked off my list pretty quickly.

Catch 22 Magazine  gave me the tools to believe in myself. It can be scary to push yourself but you have to get round certain corners to progress and that started with me. This has been the best decision for me and even looking back, everything seems to make sense now.

Next I had to find a job; So the endless applications began...more on that next time.

Might be cliche but this song sums up my experience so far, I love Sam Tsui's covers: Sam Tsui "Don't Stop Believing"