How would you describe what you do? And specifically what you do at McCann Manchester?
Everything I do at McCann is social first – from writing tweets to big campaigns. One day I’ll be writing captions for the Aldi SpecialBuys account, and the next I’ll be creating concepts with the team for a product launch campaign. There are, of course, some more reoccurring jobs like creating some “Business As Usual” Twitter posts, but even then, every product is different!

My top three “Is this really my job?” moments were: live-tweeting along to the whole two months of Love Island, inviting the BoohooMan Twitter account on a date to Nando’s and getting featured on Archbishop of Banterbury’s Instagram and getting over 200k likes.

What’s the weirdest thing on your desk right now?
I’m currently sitting on a giant beanbag in my living room wearing a pizza-patterned Snuggie from Primark – oh god, am I the weird thing at my desk?

What recent project at McCann are you most proud of?
I’m very proud of the things I’ve done for the Aldi Twitter account. There’s something really satisfying about seeing hundreds – sometimes thousands – of people actively liking your work. It’s even nicer when they reply saying how much they love Aldi admin. I do a little happy dance every time and sometimes screenshot it for my self-esteem.

What kind of skills are needed to do your role? And would you say you need any specific training to do what you do?
I love writing and I love advertising, so that’s always a good place to start. I didn’t have any copywriting experience before this, though – only managing Instagram accounts for my previous company and my dog, but you learn a lot from just being in the environment.

I’ve had my Twitter for over 10 years, so when it comes to writing copy for it, I knew how to hit the right tone with the audiences on there. And it’s the same with Instagram and Facebook. This doesn’t mean I’m not always trying to learn more about my craft – I’ve surrounded myself on social media with good eggs who write amazing things; I’m always trying to read more books, fiction or non-fiction; and I never turn down a good webinar.

If you could pick one meme to describe what you do, what would it be and why?
[Below] I think this one speaks for itself.

How did you land the job?
I was lucky enough to take part in a course and competition called School of Thought, where I had the opportunity to spend 12 weeks responding to briefs and visiting agencies – virtually – around Manchester. It gave me so many contacts and a whole heap of scamps to show them all too.

Eventually, when McCann were hiring, they put out a call to a group of us and I answered. I answered a mock brief with a meme and showed them screenshots of my dog’s Instagram, and here we are.

What was your journey like when you were first starting out? Did you find your feet quickly?
I may have done a degree, but aside from that I’ve not exactly followed the “normal path”. I moved home after uni and worked for a manufacturing company in their marketing department. After a year of searching, I finally got my first industry break as a team assistant using all the skills I’d learnt, and then eventually got here using all those skills. So no, feet were not found quickly or easily and sometimes felt like they were a long way off.

Can you tell us about your experience as a visually impaired creative working in the industry?
In terms of being a visually impaired creative, it’s been quite tough. I can’t necessarily do the grinding and 24/7 working or my eyes just stop playing ball. That being said, McCann is the first workplace I’ve told about my eyes, and I told them from the get-go. Partially because I felt it was finally time I got the support I needed and also because if I was going on a shoot, they needed to know if I was likely to knock over a tripod.

I’m quite excited to use my platform as a disabled creative now and be the voice in industry that I needed to hear all those years ago. Accessibility is one of my biggest passions and now I’m in a place where I can hopefully make some change.

If you could pick three things that you’ve found useful or inspiring to your work or career, what would they be and why?
Oooh, this is a tricky one, because’s there’s so much more than three things!

Twitter in general is definitely number one; #AdTwitter is a great place full of amazingly supportive and talented creatives who post a lot of helpful stuff, and always seem to reply to your tweets when you need them most. Dave Dye’s blog is another great place where I learnt a lot; he covers all kinds of topics and departments and speaks to some great people. And the third thing has to be School of Thought, it inspired me and helped me make connections, pushing my ideas further than ever.

What would you say has been your biggest challenge along the way?
Probably myself. It can be really hard to motivate yourself when the dream seems so far away and working on your portfolio is the last thing you want to be doing. But little did I know there was a lot of good stuff in my day-to-day work, whether or not it was a “creative” position.

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
From a practical point of view, having a passive income with a platform like Thortful has been great, not only for my pocket but for my self-confidence, too. Getting a tenner a month pop up because someone’s bought one of your designs feels a bit like a “well done” pat on the back from the public.

Also, remind yourself that you can be creative even when you’re just working to pay the bills. Get what you can from everywhere and remember to make note of all the amazing things you’re doing along the way.

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
Boring answer: make sure you modify your CV for every job you’re applying to; they don’t care if you can “concept” if it’s an admin job. Less boring answer: Be a sponge, walk without headphones, get lost in Twitter and take note of what the world and the people around you are going through.

I used to think this meant watching every movie and listening to every song, but in reality, it just means picking up on things that other people might not. You never know what random insight will make a creative director go “Oh yeah, that’s nice”.

What advice would you give someone looking to get into a similar role?
It pains me to say it, it really does, but network. Get on Twitter and follow the people you want to work with; talk to them and add them on LinkedIn. Find out about courses or events and attend if you can.

My biggest piece of advice, though, is to be passionate. Love the industry and sector you’re in, and show that to people. You don’t have to know every press ad ever or be able to spot a BBH ad from a mile away. Being obsessed is how I got to where I am today.