A Thousand Words

The great thing about creatives is that we have skills that can be swapped. It's how art directors and copywriters have worked for years. Write me this and I'll sketch you that.

In fact it's how I've secured a few nice canvases in recent years by bartering creative skills with designers and artists. In the case of this stunning Autumn Leaves oil painting, I traded gig tickets rather than writing, but I wanted to blog it because of its beauty.

I want to remind us all that when you employ the services of a truly good graphic designer, or a commercial writer, you're tapping into an incredible talent and depth of creative vision. Plus a way of thinking that rarely gets noticed in today's web fueled digital marketplace.

Come on. Ask more. Give more. And recognise talent.

Catalogue creative goes wild!

With over 15 years as a freelance copywriter, I've met hundreds of creative types in the mail order business. Lots of the very best are still my clients (and friends) to this day. It's a tough industry - crazy deadlines, demanding briefs and long, long hours. So that's why it's always spirit-lifting to hear of the one that got away. My lovely, talented friend Bev, through being as clever with property as she is with catalogue design, has earned a well earned career break with her husband. Here they are having fun in the snow. Jealous? Moi? Actually no. Just really happy for someone who has genuinely earned it.

A bit like all of us diehard catalogue creatives though, I suspect she'll be back and seeking a new challenge before the year is out. It'll be a very lucky company, client or agency, that secures her talents. I'm already registering interest for her whilst she's away!

A copywriter's way with knobs

Having found the fabulous cabinet knobs mentioned below at Willow and Stone I have been inspired to create other pieces of furniture painted in Farrow & Ball's London Stone. The subtle and chic colour shows the cream off a treat. This bathroom cupboard was made by Silverbrook of Lincolnshire, another of my businesses specialising in property improvement and maintenance. Tongue and groove work is topped with a piece of reclaimed Elm from my partner's tree surgery business, inset with a Savoy basin from Bathstore.com. I'm hoping to create a website for Silverbrook of Lincolnshire soon to reach a wider market and showcase some of our Farrow & Ball painted furniture and accessories online. Watch this space!

Home shopping with knobs on

Strong, accurate and clever SEO copywriting is the secret of driving customers who want to buy to your website. I love it when I search for something on Google and it's the copy on the site that delivers the result I want. In this case it was knobs. Potentially tricky I'm sure you'll agree! But I was delighted to discover the wonderful emporium of Willow & Stone, full of fabulous details for the period home and garden. Thanks to clear, concise title tags and a very detailed navigation I could locate exactly what I needed - antique style cream ceramic door knobs in a choice of 3 sizes. And the best bit of all - I ordered the wrong size, had to swap and every email was met with sensational, personal service to back up a great e-commerce site. Best practice in every way.