Open Magazine

You don't call, you don't write....

I know, I know, it's been too long. Six months in fact. It's embarrassing and there's no excuse for it. Sorry.
I should have written before now, but it's just been so busy. I never stopped thinking about you, of course. And I always meant to write, just, well, you know how things are.
Anyway, enough of the crap friend analogy. I have been very remiss at keeping up this here blog. Not going to try and squeeze in what's been going on in the last six months here. Lets start afresh. Wipe the slate clean.
Open is good. I'm knackered. I've been spending rather too much time on facebook, but I kid myself that it's for work rather than just being nosey. And I am a bit of a sticky beak.
That's clearly where my sweet little daughter gets it from.
And now I've got more of a handle on the whole working mother thing. I work when the little lady is asleep, when she's at nursery for nine hours a week and when my very lovely mum helps out. Which is a lot and far and away beyond the call of duty.
But, now, the guilt thing has gone. And I say phooey to all who judge mothers who work full time, work a bit or decide not to work at all.
It's important for me, anyway, for my little girl to see that her mum lives her passion and doesn't shut up and bend to pressure or convention when, actually, that's just about fear.
So to celebrate my new-found mental freedoms I actually went out, had alcoholic drinks and danced. It was strangely liberating to wake up with a hangover.

I can't make head nor tail of it

My head is filled up with the following: marketing the website, writing up an interview with Pari, who owns the largest collection of Biba stuff in the world; buying my daughter ( who is known as The Lady ) a pink bed; going to two press views next week and wondering whether it's appropriate to take The Lady with me ( or ask my mum to look after her, or swap her nursery round, or just not go to the press views ) wondering what to make of Big Brother and if I can be bothered to find something deep and meaningful in it.

But, I guess that BB is a reflection of our times. Get rich and famous by doing sod all. And now, it's got to the point where to become well known the wannabes aren't even prepared to do time in the Big Brother house. Shabnam wants to leave ( after five days, mind ) but is concerned that she'll still get her 'deals.' Hmmm. So you go into the house for less than a week shout rather a lot and wear the same horrid pink dress and still you want a 'deal' to become ... er, what exactly?

I don't know. maybe I'm getting old. Actually, thank God and everything holy that BB wasn't around when I was 21. Because I would have applied for it for sure. And if I'd got in, I would have been emotional, annoying and probably shagged some tawdry bloke under a rustling duvet. And then where would I have been???

It's not all creative writing at the plastic piano

Open Magazine is moving along apace. It's such a learning experience for me as, with a newspaper and magazine background, I'm having to learn about the world wide web double quick. Technology and the internet community is changing on an almost daily basis, which is what makes it exciting but also, can be massively confusing. Which techy 'expert' do you believe? Which product is the best, will this CMS be better off the shelf or bespoke, who knows what about SEO, are they giving me the whole story or is it really easy and they're just stringing me along..... Etcetera ad infinitum. So much for doing lots of interesting writing and ground breaking interviews. Still, that is all to come.... Have a couple of fantastic new writers lined up. It's great to be building on the team I have already.
The other thing I've noticed is that there are so many creative and inspired people around with some great ideas for their own ventures and businesses. It seems that there's a real backlash against being spoon-fed information with a side order of boring corporate ideas and a smattering of tired 'celebs'. Instead, there's a hunger for innovation and freshness. Which is what Open is all about, of course.

Starting a Magazine

Open Magazine has been in my head for over ten years now and it's weird, scary and uplifting finally taking the plunge and doing it. Of course, a lot has happened in that time in my own life, so that reflects on how Open is now. When I was a jobbing actress I wanted a magazine that was pretty to look at, engaging and a good networking forum. And now that idea has evolved into something covering all the arts that is accessible, stylish and relevant.
Sometimes I wonder if I must be bonkers putting this together when I've got a two- year- old to look after, but then again, it's her that gave me the inspiration to finally do it. I left my staff journalist job to be with her full time, and I thought that if I'm going to do something for myself, then it'll be what I really love. Something that I've thought about in all those spaces in between getting on with life ( not many these days, it has to be said.) The persistent niggle that won't go away I guess. And the other thing I thought was, " if not now, when?"
The world of arts and culture can often seem quite worthy and fusty, full of people who know loads about obscure writers or the finer points of Classicism. Or, folk who are totally the other way and a bit too cool for school , and make lots of sneery remarks if you don't know every member of Good Charlotte's birthday ( and their starsign.)
So.... I hope to make the arts fun, which may sound daft and like I don't get it but I've found that it's almost never the artists themselves that reckon only a certain select few should be allowed to see/hear/read what they're up to. And then pontificate about it.
Also, I include popular culture because it isn't the chavvy cousin of high art that's tolerated with an indulgent smile, but actually an intrinsic part of how we live. And it crosses over more and more with theatre, dance, art etc. Now I'm sounding all worthy.
I have a thousand things to do for Open this week : upload more content, go to a press view, sort out an interview, sort out the next fashion shoot. The last is what always takes the longest, but, funnily, once that's done it actually inspires me for all the other sections.
Will , somewhere along the way, try and get a haircut as am resembling Worzel Gummidge.