In and out of work, I'm always looking for new ways to sharpen my copywriting skills. So, I set myself a new challenge. Armed with nothing but an eye for detail and a metaphorical highlighter, I took the [brochure](https://marlowetheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/The-Marlowe_Season-brochure-Summer-23_Digital.pdf) for The Marlowe Summer 2023 Season from a 56-page epic to a snappy 700-word press release. 

To put it in perspective for those who haven't heard of it, the Marlowe is a 96-year-old venue and arts charity in Canterbury that showcases eclectic theatre, art, and culture. An all-around iconic hub for inspiring artistry.

Imagine pages and pages of mime, drama, opera, community projects and general theatre gold. Every project in the brochure was crying out for a spot in the limelight. So I played the ruthless editor, cut through the noise, and collaged the best gems into a more digestible narrative that will have readers starting What's App groups for theatre nights at the Marlowe.

```cv
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```

I came away from this exercise a slightly better editor. And it was worth it. I became better at sorting through hours of text and distilling it into an accessible form, while doing justice to each show and the theatre. The final product may well capture the essence of original programme, and it's equally fit for journalists and Marlowe fans.

[Read the press release](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSoh4V8WXcTRHDpEmg6znua54WRioUQthZ5STWSkyjPklS3FiNLwD8U7wTQ3NQZ_nqR0AKNTraZJ8rc/pub)

The Marlowe: A Copywriting Challenge

Type “struggling with my inner demons” in Google, and you’ll be presented with a plethora of online programs on how to feed your demons and books on reaching your enlightened self by facing your inner beast. Today more than ever, living in isolation and apart from our loved ones due to restrictions imposed by COVID-19, we have been forced to become friends with things we’d rather avoid. Technology, flatmates, solitude, supermarket cues, video chats, I-ate-too-much feelings, and boredom are all very natural reactions to living through a crisis. Something fascinating has recently been happening in a lot of media coverage. News outlets are referring to these, let’s call them unruly thoughts, as inner demons. Some state these demons “will always be bigger and scarier than the external reality” (11); others, like writer and historian Yuval Noah Harari, say they are “more afraid of the inner demons of humanity, hatred and greed and ignorance” (7) than else.

As Jone Hopper describes it (2), isolation can be “a moment of pause that invites us to finally focus on ourselves”. We have more time than we ever needed to look for answers where none seem to exist. Like a beach ball that we’ve been pushing underwater for too long, our inner self has come flying up out of the water and hit us square in the face. So do we push it down again and hope for the best, or do we analyse it?

Reflection and introspection are crucial to the art-making process (4). Isolation has presented a rich subject for artists throughout history (14). Making art can be thought of as the capacity to express the daimonic, which often presents itself in times of emergency in a constructive rather than destructive (5). Nowadays, creatives are the ones expected, more than anyone else, to be able to quickly adapt their ways of working to continue making art. But is it even possible to be creative during such a time?

Serving our demons rather than resisting them contradicts the traditional approach of fighting against whatever attacks us (1). However, it turns out to be an effective way to awaken your inner demons and transfer their energy toward you. Still and all, why do we allude to satanic forces covertly teasing us from inside to explain unruly thoughts and behaviours that, as Leon Seltzer describes, “all of us are prone to” (12)? Today, an inner demon is a figurative term for a belief, a set of ideas about life based on criticism, self-doubt, and negative thinking patterns. Struggling with inner demons is to be at war with your mind.

Deep down, if we were to attempt to decipher the mysteries surrounding inner demons, looking at religion, spirituality, occultism, and belief in the supernatural would play a vital role in helping us understand. Many of the followers of self-identified prophet Aleister Crowley believe there are “ways of seeing that can be attained by meditation and ritual” (8). Considering inner demons makes an attractive explanation for many present-day issues and positions them as “part of an epic, indeed cosmic, struggle going back to the beginning of time” (8).

Cross-referencing mythology, pop culture, the supernatural, digital self-hood, and neo-medievalism, the works presented in this ZIP exhibition explore fears, desires, and obstacles artists face within themselves in times of crisis and isolation. Just like social isolation has cramped many of us inside the private spaces of our homes, the download of the exhibition file allows the user’s encounter with the works to play out within the intimate stage of the desktop. As usual for all ONE Project exhibitions, the focus is on one “object” of art. In this case, this is the ZIP file containing contributions that range from video art, animation, audiovisual art, painting, and texts. Particular focus is on works that are rooted in the personal-political. Situating these works in the incongruous context of an archive file demonstrates a strange disconnect as the artists' responses to lusts—inner demons, as it were—are first shrunk and then expanded to reveal themselves in the hands of the user.

—

**Bibliography**

 1. Allione, Lama Tsultrim. 2020. “How To Feed Your Demons”. Lion’s Roar. \[https://www.lionsroar.com/how-to-practice-feeding-your-demons/\](https://www.lionsroar.com/how-to-practice-feeding-your-demons/).

 2. Artsper Magazine. 2020. “Three Artist’s Visualizations Of Lockdown”. Artsper Magazine. \[https://blog.artsper.com/en/lifestyle/artists-visualisations-of-lockdown/\](https://blog.artsper.com/en/lifestyle/artists-visualisations-of-lockdown/).

 3. Davies, Lucy. 2020. “Artist Tips For Beginners: Learn To Make Art In Lockdown”. The Telegraph. \[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/artists/learn-make-art-self-isolation-lockdown-tips-artists-beginners/\](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/artists/learn-make-art-self-isolation-lockdown-tips-artists-beginners/).

 4. Dessent, Blaire. 2015. “Martin Lord’s Intricate Drawings Picture Inner Demons And Introspective Thoughts”. Artsy \[https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-martin-lord-s-intricate-drawings-picture-inner-demons-and-introspective-thoughts\](https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-martin-lord-s-intricate-drawings-picture-inner-demons-and-introspective-thoughts).

 5. Diamond, Stephen A. 2020. The Psychology of Creativity: Redeeming Our Inner Demons Douglas E Interview.

 6. Greiner, Becky. 2020. “Mindfulness Techniques For Managing Coronavirus Anxiety At Home And Work”. Optum - Live And Work Well. \[https://www.liveandworkwell.com/content/dam/laww/documents/spotlights/Coronavirus\\\_Anxiety.PDF\](https://www.liveandworkwell.com/content/dam/laww/documents/spotlights/Coronavirus\_Anxiety.PDF).

 7. Harari, Yuval Noah. 2020. Every crisis is also an opportunity. The UNESCO Courier Interview.

 8. Kaveney, Roz. 2010. “What Are Demons, Really? - Roz Kaveney”. The Guardian. \[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/jun/29/religion-exorcism-christianity-occultism\](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/jun/29/religion-exorcism-christianity-occultism).

 9. Laing, Olivia. 2020. “Feeling Overwhelmed? How Art Can Help In An Emergency By Olivia Laing”. The Guardian. \[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/21/feeling-overwhelmed-how-art-can-help-in-an-emergency-by-olivia-laing\](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/21/feeling-overwhelmed-how-art-can-help-in-an-emergency-by-olivia-laing).

10. Roth, Merav. 2020. “Psychoanalysing The Coronavirus: This Is What Happens To Our Mind Under A Mortal Threat - Opinion”. Haaretz.Com. \[https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-this-is-what-happens-to-your-mind-during-the-coronavirus-crisis-1.8699813\](https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-this-is-what-happens-to-your-mind-during-the-coronavirus-crisis-1.8699813).

11. Seltzer, Leon F. 2015. “Enough About “Inner Demons” Already!”. Psychology Today. \[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/201506/enough-about-inner-demons-already\](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/201506/enough-about-inner-demons-already).

12. Tara Mandala. 2020. "Feeding Your Demons Online Program". Tara Mandala. \[https://www.taramandala.org/programs/feeding-your-demons/training-tracks-and-paths-for-certification/feeding-your-demons-online-program/#what\](https://www.taramandala.org/programs/feeding-your-demons/training-tracks-and-paths-for-certification/feeding-your-demons-online-program/#what).

13. “The Artworks That Perfectly Capture Isolation”. 2020. ELEPHANT. \[https://elephant.art/artworks-perfectly-capture-isolation-23032020/\](https://elephant.art/artworks-perfectly-capture-isolation-23032020/).

14. Tyson, Keith. 2020. Artist tips for beginners: Learn to make art in lockdown Lucy Davies Interview

On inner desires and art-making in times of confinement

Between Summer 2022 and Autumn 2023, I co-led Blueberry's brand marketing activity and oversaw marketing operations alongside senior colleagues. We unified brand messaging, revamped campaigns, streamlined workflows, and propelled content engagement.

### Core Activity

Where do I start? I spent most of my time assessing and optimising existing workflows, planning future activity or organising events. I was also responsible for designing social media content, copywriting, creating reels, and running email marketing campaigns. Less often, but still fun, was taking care of general website maintenance, performing market analysis, and leading brainstorming sessions, and creating training material.

### Key Results

* Raised engagement rate by over 500%.

* Increased impressions by over 200%.

* Produced over 400 pieces of social media content optimised for Instagram, IG Stories, Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter.

* Contributed weekly to team strategy and brainstorming sessions.

* Optimised marketing operations and reduced annual costs by a third.

```cv
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```

Brand Marketing and Operations

```cv
gallery
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```

In tandem with the Film & TV, PR and Comms teams at the University of Greenwich, I wrote engaging PR articles, news stories and social media content that strengthened the Film & TV (FT Programmes) brand and fostered a sense of community among students.

Bringing the FTV Instagram channel back to life after years of inactivity was extremely rewarding. I developed a dedicated strategy which laid the foundations for the thriving community of followers the channel has now attracted. The results? On Instagram alone, impressions grew by 10% month on month. We aimed for consistency and it was great to witness such a steady progression.

Overall, my contrinutions helped reposition the Greenwich FTV brand within the wider film education sector, while encouraging current students and giving their achievements - and those of their tutors - the spotlight they deserve.

* [University of Greenwich film student wins nationwide recognition for short film](https://www.gre.ac.uk/articles/public-relations/university-of-greenwich-film-student-wins-nationwide-recognition-for-short-film).

* [Film and TV student commercial wins award during the pandemic.](https://www.gre.ac.uk/articles/public-relations/filmtv-commercial-wins-award)

* [A winning partnership between Greenwich and AMPS](https://www.instagram.com/filmuog/guide/amps-awards/17923699714877186/).

* [Queerness in Cinema (Twitter Thread)](https://twitter.com/GREdesignSchool/status/1361300222773755907?s=20)

* [@filmuog on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/filmuog/)