“Inappropriate advice for creatives”  by Caitlin Moran

18 minutes of solid gold advice – lively, refreshing and real wisdom in there.  Must-reads for any new media graduates thirsting to get into interesting work.  (For any careers teachers reading this – do consider playing this video to a class).

Here’s a few nuggets to get a taste:

* Be lovely to everyone – you’re much more likely to be employed, because people like to be around lovely people when they work

* If you communicate the things which you are righteously angry about in anger, people will not hear what you are saying… all they will do is hear the emotion and they will respond emotionally back at you. Write from a relaxed and humorous point of view if you possibly can

* If you have a difficult phonecall to make e.g. to an accountant, or to ask for work experience…. put a bag of maltesers by the phone and eat one every 10 seconds – you will begin to associate difficult conversations with chocolates and pleasure – and you will become a more outgoing person as a consequence

* if you work in the media, don’t act like you have to be fascinating and spectacular all the time – it’s exhausting

* ”Nine times out of ten you’re NOT having a nervous breakdown, you just need a cup of tea and a biscuit – it’s very easy to confuse the two, especially about 2.30 on a difficult day”

* When things are going badly in your career – particularly at the beginning – life divides into two categories: things that are amazing at the time and things which are bad things at the time but will later make amazing anecdotes

* almost all the best created things are down to a combination of time and love. If you ever wonder why things aren’t working – look at someone who’s working hard and think “I will work twice as hard as them” – that is when you start seeing results. When you work twice as hard and when you do it with love, that will make it glow.