When I was 11 years old, I won a national writing contest titled "Why am I a Real Esprit Kid?"
I won because of one reason: I had figured out what the clothing company wanted to hear by studying their advertising campaigns. Esprit was disrupting advertising in the 1980's by using real people as models. Their customers were not afraid to be themselves -- they took risks with their clothing and in their lives. I was only 11, so the only risk I'd ever taken was the one I was currently involved in: hiding in my room writing about clothes when I should have been doing my homework.
My essay caught the company's attention, and I won. Lots and lots of free clothes came to the house.
That was 1982. My bangs were high and so were my hopes. I wanted to be a professional writer someday so I could continue telling stories and scoring free skirts. Shortly out of college I was a fashion reporter for California Apparel News, and then worked in Los Angeles as a travel editor, proofreader, copy editor, he said/she said columnist, script writer, product copy writer and ghostwriter. In 25 years, there hasn't been a day that I haven't written something.
That's because writing isn't work to me. It's my way of life.
Today, I put my fingertips to laptop and write for some of the best brands and brightest personalities around the globe. My writing can be found under my own name at Solo Parent Magazine, on the Health Net blogs, FitnessGoals and Red Tricycle . . . and in many more places -- CNN, HGTV and Huffington Post -- under other people's names.
Enough about me. Let me hear about you.
I won because of one reason: I had figured out what the clothing company wanted to hear by studying their advertising campaigns. Esprit was disrupting advertising in the 1980's by using real people as models. Their customers were not afraid to be themselves -- they took risks with their clothing and in their lives. I was only 11, so the only risk I'd ever taken was the one I was currently involved in: hiding in my room writing about clothes when I should have been doing my homework.
My essay caught the company's attention, and I won. Lots and lots of free clothes came to the house.
That was 1982. My bangs were high and so were my hopes. I wanted to be a professional writer someday so I could continue telling stories and scoring free skirts. Shortly out of college I was a fashion reporter for California Apparel News, and then worked in Los Angeles as a travel editor, proofreader, copy editor, he said/she said columnist, script writer, product copy writer and ghostwriter. In 25 years, there hasn't been a day that I haven't written something.
That's because writing isn't work to me. It's my way of life.
Today, I put my fingertips to laptop and write for some of the best brands and brightest personalities around the globe. My writing can be found under my own name at Solo Parent Magazine, on the Health Net blogs, FitnessGoals and Red Tricycle . . . and in many more places -- CNN, HGTV and Huffington Post -- under other people's names.
Enough about me. Let me hear about you.
