Hello. What’s that? It’s the end of the year? Well then it simply must be time for a largely tongue-in-cheek write-up of everything that’s happened in the past 12 month, before Santa comes in and steals the spotlight like the glory hog he is.

2023 has been simply the best year of my professional career so far. But enough about that! If the responses to last year’s post are anything to go by, you’re not here for the good stuff, you’re here for the gossip and not so subtle digs about certain agencies in the industry. I hear you and I understand the brief. Fear not, it will come, but there will be lots of good bits too because if you can’t celebrate your success on your own blog, where can you?

January

The year started as most do with the month of January. It was officially one year since I’d told the world (or LinkedIn) that I fancied having a crack at some freelance bits, and what had started out as a bit of a side gig was fast overtaking the rest of my life. I got to write lots of lovely copy this month, including the website for the wonderful Taaryn and some very exciting branding work for Seatfrog, the future of train travel. Don’t just take my word for it… actually do, otherwise I’ve been shite at my job.

February

In Feb we got our hallway replastered. I’d like you to imagine the disruption that caused as you read the rest of this section, just so you appreciate how good it was that I managed to achieve anything at all with my desk right next to the wall being drilled into. I actually wrote a lot of PR copy this month, which isn’t something I do much of after a truly soul-crushing experience at a previous agency, but these guys were cool and got me writing about loads of interesting subjects. We also went to Whitby for my/my mother-in-law’s birthday, where we saw a child nearly get completely wiped out by a wave. How we laughed.

March

March was a month of little bits. Lots of little jobs came my way - a blog here, an email there, a couple of lines somewhere else - and at the time I thought this would just be a one-off. I imagined a freelancing future full of big juicy bookings, but actually, all these little jobs add up. It also keeps my mind fresh, hopping from one brand to another, so every day is a new wordy adventure. I liked March - it was a sign of things to come, a window into a whole new world. ALSO we got our new car this month, an electric one, the future of automobiles, I felt morally superior to everyone else on the road, until it snowed and I realised I didn’t know how to drive an automatic on ice.

I think this is our road, but it’s hard to tell.

April

Have you ever been to a Michelin starred restaurant? I have. In your face. We got a voucher for a place in Birmingham that served THE BEST Indian food, and even though it was clear everyone else there could actually afford it with their own money, we sat there and ate it all like we belonged. I did some work too, but none of it was as fun as that food.

May

I ate at no Michelin starred restaurants in May and it was sad. I did go to an excellent Creative Mornings though, which is something I’ve been helping run for the past two years. Every time I get to meet other creatives and hear their stories, I’m reminded how lucky I am know such talent. I also get free coffee. One of those two things is the reason why I do it.

June

June was cool ‘cos we went to ACTUAL ITALY. Now it turns out spending two weeks of the month sunning it up in a pool is really quite bad for short term business gains, but great for long-term happiness! When I wasn’t eating pizza I was busy writing about wine for the wonderful guys at Foundry, as well as picking up regular briefs for one of my long-term clients KHWS. If you ever get a job at Currys and have to undertake some Samsung training, that’s me. I did that.

July

I signed a big fuck-off NDA in July, so I can’t tell you about the really exciting job I got this month. I can’t even hint at it, or drop really obvious clues as to its identity, but just know that it was very cool and they have a legal team big enough to end me if I mess up.

When you get these kinds of jobs land in your inbox, it reaffirms a lot doesn’t it? Shame I can’t use them as a case study for the next five years, but it makes a lovely section of the portfolio in my head.

I write all my copy on a giant chalkboard for authenticity.

August

I got myself a new Mac in August as a little treat to myself. I also needed one, so it wasn’t so much a treat as it was an absolute necessity that would allow me to carry on earning a living. It always feels lavish to spend that much money on yourself, but I saw it as an investment in my future. And like I said, I needed it. I don’t actually write all my copy on a chalkboard, that was just a little joke for you to enjoy.

Work-wise it was a busy month that gave me lots of excuses to play with said new Mac, which was reassuring. Imagine if I’d spent all that money and then the work dried up. Haha. That would have been funny. Ha. No but seriously, don’t leave me.

The Mac came with a free cat which was cool.

September

Sourdough, busses and the town of Woking were the three key words of this month. Why? Because I wrote copy for a sourdough business, a local bus service (that my wife used to use when she was a kid, wow!) and the town of Woking. It stretched me creatively, which I like, and took my wife on a trip down memory lane. It’s useful when you’re married to the former target audience for a brief, ‘cos you can ask them questions that the brief would never normally answer. Questions like, “Why?” and “What?” I’d highly recommend it as a way of working if the opportunity ever comes up.

This is a picture taken of Lincoln City beating Sheffield United. This has nothing to do with work, but I thought I should remind you all it happened.

October

Three good things happened in October, and I will list those three things for you now:

An old client got back in touch and asked me to work for them again. Yay!
A new client saw my very serious LinkedIn content and decided I was the perfect fit for them.. Yay!
Someone recommended me to another new client who signed me for an exciting project. Yay!

What can you learn from this month? Yes, you. You might be in a learning mood and I already know it because it happened to me. Well, you can learn that keeping in contact with clients is a good idea, even if they don’t send you any work for a while. You never know when you might be needed, and keeping yourselves in their minds is a top freelancing tip. And you can learn that being active on the hellhole that is LinkedIn can occasionally be good for business, so long as you stay true to your #brandidentity.

November

Anyone know how we got here? Me neither. Time flies when you’re writing copy, and November came round with such force I almost spilt my tea on my slippers. The month itself was rammed with fun work, including writing a website for a garden centre managed by someone I went to primary school with. What are the odds? Now I don’t remember much of primary school, in part due to two severe knocks to the head I suffered a while back, but I do remember going on school trips to this garden centre and thinking, “One day it’d be cool to write these guys’ website, whatever a website is.” Funny how life comes in circles.

I also picked up a very cool new client, worked with no fewer than three former colleagues, did lots of tone of voice work and achieved a new personal best deadlift. I AM THE POWER.

I grew this pumpkin. It tasted like nothing.

December

This is now and I am present. December’s got off to a solid start, and I’ve only eaten six mince pies so far which is pretty good going. It’s a good month to look back at a year well done, where I continued to believe in my way of doing things and reaped the rewards for sticking to my guns. What guns are they? The ones gained by achieving my personal best deadlift of course.

To all my clients who’ve made this possible, I thank you. To those that have yet to become my clients, I urge you to reconsider that crazy decision.

But what about the not so subtle digs about other agencies?

Well, sorry, there are none. That was a clever trick to get you to read the rest of this blog. If you’re reading this you fell for it, haha. Got you! All the agencies I’ve worked with this year have been absolute babes. I’m finding as a freelancer that all the things I didn’t like about agency life - micromanagement, bad briefs, all agency meetings (bleurgh) don’t impact me anymore. I feel free. Maybe too free. Maybe I need restraining. Only time will tell! Merry Christmas.

Appear in next year's review

2023 - One hell of a year in review