Sunday, 11 November 2018

MY JOURNEY IN FASHION SO FAR - Wiggling your way in with Brands and Companies

All images by: Kerry Curl https://www.kerrycurl.com/ 


Be Warned, It's going to be a long one.. Ready?


The last couple of months have been crazy to say the very least. If you follow my absent self on Instagram (oops), you're probably aware that I have been a little bit here - there - everywhere, since graduating the beginning of July 18. 

Before I get into this blog post, I want everybody to know that WHATEVER you chose to do, WHENEVER you chose to do it, you are amazing & don't ever feel pressured by others to work at a different pace from how you set out to do things in life 

So.. For people who may not be aware.. I have just finished off what seems a life time of studies in Fashion related subjects. I first set out my education in fashion back in 2013 when I went to City College to do an Extended Diploma Level 3 in Fashion & Textiles Design before heading to University where I graduated this July with a degree in Fashion Promotion and Communication. Let me tell you, education isn't always fun, but its definitely rewarding when you study something you genuinely enjoy!


"Something I was always aware of throughout my studies at University was.."


Something I was always aware of throughout my studies at university was, how important it is to gain real life experience in the fashion industry. Not only does this teach you which area's you enjoy more than others but also gives you the opportunity to build on yourself and network with others. With the fashion industry being particularly renowned for it's cut throat personality, it can make the industry look particularly scary and intimidating.. I, just like a lot of other's didn't really know where to begin.


Setting myself the task of immersing myself SOMEHOW within the industry, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak to the fashion editor of the Guardian who lives some what close to my holiday house. Expressing my interests to her (which was particularly varied at the time), I could tell that, she was just as confused as what route to take as me. A couple of months past of knuckling down at uni, until I checked my inbox and much to my surprise had an email from the Guardian's personal stylist asking if I would be interested in joining their regular fashion shoot called 'All Ages'. Ecstatic by the thought of gaining some inside experience, I took her up on the offer almost immediately.



As university continued, so did my relationship with the Guardian and I would occasionally find myself helping out as an assistant stylist from time to time. What I learned at this exact moment was how randomly put together the fashion industry is - creatives from all different walk's of life and background's were sharing a similar vision in what to create at one given time.


"That is the great thing about gaining experience.. its completely different to what you initially lead yourself to  believe in.."

It's fair to say that, by the time I headed into my third and final year at University, I had a pretty strong idea of which area of the industry I was particularly keen in entering once graduating later that year. What I realised I was most interested in progressing in was Art Direction. Although I had thoroughly enjoyed my time helping style a handful of shoots - I realised it was definitely not for me. That is the great thing about gaining experience.. it's completely different to what you initially lead yourself to believe in whilst sitting in your bedroom or at university, until your actually there doing the real & physical thing'

Realising that it's all good and well SAYING to my tutors and myself that I want to be an Art Director, I needed to make sure I was making the right decision by getting myself some actual experience in a company of some sort.

So in a bid to wiggle my way in to a brand or company I adore - I set myself the task of contacting a handful of places in my spare time & grabbing any possible opportunity I could.


British Vogue

My first real work experience fell from interning in the Art Department at British Vogue during the summer month of July 2018. I can firmly say that It was everything I wished for and more! I will be writing a whole separate blog post on BV but for now - here's what I really want people to take away from my time there:



1) Never, EVER doubt yourself because the 'untouchable' is in fact touchable and if you have a burning passion for something - It will get you where you want to be if you put the effort in.



2)  Send follow up emails - especially if you don't hear back from a company you adore the first time. This is how I ended up securing experience with Vogue and it was definitely worth the wait. 



3) Trust your gut & intuition. Regardless of what people say - ALWAYS put yourself first and never succumb to fear or failure. It's only natural to fear things that you care about about but try your hardest to push this aside and focus on the bigger picture. 



4) Make the upmost out of every possible opportunity because you never know what you might encounter along the way. Being open minded is a must! Not everything is what you expect until you do the real thing - trust me!



5) Make an effort to be kind to everybody you meet as you never know what they might say or offer you. Kindness is key in this industry and it doesn't tend to go unrecognised if you are strong willed.



Gentleman's Journal


Shortly after interning at Vogue, I was fortunate enough to gain some experience at Gentleman's Journal - a luxury menswear lifestyle magazine in Fulham. Although it wasn't a publication I had admittedly read up an awful lot about before beginning my internship there, this actually really helped benefit me because..



1) I didn't go in with any preconceptions of what I would gain out of the experience so I used every possible opportunity to learn the best way I could.



2) The people that make up a company can really make or brake your time whilst gaining experience, so - making a real effort to get to know people, is super important for uncountable reasons.


3)  I was able to witness the way a company is built and what job I realistically need to begin with, in order to get myself to my end goal - as an art director.



The Communications Agency

Stepping away from publications, I also wanted to gain some experience in a different sector - such as a creative agency. For a month I interned as a social media and content creator at B The Communications Agency. I can definitely say that social media is not an area of interest job wise - (which people may find weird) as it's built entirely of off thing's I do in my spare time, but I'd prefer to keep it as a hobby rather than anything else. The thing's I learned during my time there was:



1) Research was/is key when being part of the social media team

2) My voice was heard and my input was appreciated (Which sadly isn't the case for other companies and brands I've worked for)


3) The teams seemed more integrated than other places i've interned at and I did not feel afraid to confront anybody in conversation.


4) Creativity was at the heart of the workers. Everybody had the opportunity to have their input, whether it was used or not - thats all that counts. 



Thats it from me for now but until next time - know that gaining experience in the industry before going head first in to a full time job is extremely beneficial. Thing's aren't always as they seem on paper & please do trust your intuition - its key! 

For any questions & queries you may have - please contact me either by email: info@livharrould.com or via my Instagram: @livharrould 


GOOD LUCK - L x












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Sunday, 7 October 2018

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BLOGGING INDUSTRY - Its time for some home truths


Hello everyone, Im Back!


Im back!! It's been the longest while to say the least. I don't really have any excuses for being so shockingly crap when it comes to committing myself to blogging, apart from apologising immensely for my lack of attention across all social media channels these last couple of years.

Probably around 3 years ago now, I said to myself I was going to commit a majority of my spare time alongside studying at university to blogging, which evidently HAS NOT happened. All I can say is that, in my shit attempt to keep active on Youtube and Instagram, my lack of enthusiasm and dedication definitely hasn't gone unrecognised by both myself and others, which is something I'm definitely disappointed in myself with.

Studying Fashion full time at university has been time consuming to say the very least. Not to put anybody down who studies a different subject to me at university but creative's will probably sympathise that coursework is the biggest bane of life - especially when you have endless amounts of empty sketchbook pages to fill 3 weeks before deadline.

Although it's been blood, sweat and tear's the last three years, I can proudly and happily say that I am an official graduate of year 2018 with a first class honours degree in Fashion Communication and Promotion!! 



So, lets be honest..

you're all probably wondering why I'm back, and in an attempt to fully understand myself, all I know is that, it feels both very right & bloody good. So, Although I've probably undergone the busiest 36 months of my life to date, I also feel that I've also learned the most out of my life so far .. so why not share it on here?

See, truth is.. the more time I've spent time away from blogging, the more I feel as though I've begun to fall out of love with the industry. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE aspect's of it, but my general love for it overall has faded. Now.. some may argue that its inevitable because I've studied it solidly for the last 3 years but I genuinely feel that it has ALOT to answer for, these last couple of years with my negative mind set and regular dark spells. 

So, in a bid to heal myself of all the negativity and resentment I feel towards it at the moment, I thought I'd share three thing's that I'm beginning to overcome with it.




 1. Stop comparing yourself to others.


 The larger the blogging industry seems to become, the more I feel as though I lose myself within it. Probably because I've somehow got into my head that success is built off like's and followers. Don't get me wrong, I'm still in ore of those with large followings or even those with smaller followings but with great ratios of likes to followers, but I'm finally beginning to realise that success is not either one of those things and is in fact - Enjoyment. 

In my head, to be successful at something, it's because you are probably really bloody passionate about something, and if you are particularly passionate about something, it's because you enjoy whatever it is you are doing. So in order to begin a road to successfully enjoying myself in the blogging community, I have to stop comparing myself and my current position to others and purely enjoy the content I create. It's now also, so clear for me to see that those who are truly enjoying it, are the ones that are completely utterly thriving at it!


2. You are worthy and most importantly are worth it.


Much like the l'oreal slogan 'because you're worth it', it could not be more bloody accurate even if it tried! The accessibility of blogging is incredible and everybody has the opportunity to share their own voice, so please know that you, just as much as anybody else, deserves their place in this industry. I have and still continue to beat myself up about if I'm deserving enough to call myself a 'blogger', which is absolutely beyond ridiculous if you think about it.

 To shed a little light on this blog post so far (if you're still with me of course) - I'm pleased to be witnessing a shift in who brands and companies are collaborating with at the moment. Brands such as Boohoo.com who were born as a result of social media and the internet are working with influencers with as 'little' followings as 1,000 people. This is EXTREMELY refreshing to witness as it proves that anybody can be valuable to a company and genuine content is being appreciated and recognised by fashion professionals. It shouldn't be about the following, but the content being created by individuals. So to tie this paragraph together, everybody deserves their spot in the blogging industry and regardless of your social followings, your passions will conquer ALL.. trust me!


3. What looks real isn't necessarily real


I will NOT be fooled by false realities anymore. Just because you are able to witness somebodies life through a screen on your phone DOES not mean you know anything about that person, so I want to end all judgement. People who pose happy could be depressed, people who are depressed, could pose happy, people who tweet a pic stating their the "luckiest girl in the world" because their boyfriend has treated them to a trip abroad does not mean they aren't experiencing arguments, difficult times or unsteady phases. I feel its become TOO easy to judge somebody based on their online presence. Everybody has a story to tell but the one we're shown through the internet isn't always a clear indication to who somebody is or what they are experiencing. So in an attempt to move myself forward in the industry - I want to be open minded to EVERYONE that I meet whether it be through the internet or in person.




So to bring this blog post to an end


I want to remind myself that blogging is a journey in its own right and there is no rush or time limit to enjoying it. Just like when people grow, our attitudes can change and we can view the world differently but I will always make sure I do one thing.. Take time out and reflect on my current situation and what I like/dislike about something and get to work on how I can flip a negative into a positive. Self reflection is KEY people!


Have a suggestion for a blog post? Get sharing down below!

Liv xx

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