Rosie Johnstone | How It All Began
On Monday 23rd March 2020, Boris Johnson ordered us into a national lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19. As Head of Marketing for a leading London hospitality business, the severity was not lost on me. We had spent the past week shutting down our four live music and cocktail bars, communicating to our customers that we were closing for the foreseeable future.
A huge moment in history, that’s for sure. But also a huge moment for me. I didn’t know it at the time, but the next 11 weeks would bring some of the most mentally challenging days of my life to date.
The first point of call was to cancel our Spanish wedding we had planned at the end of June. A decision that temporarily floored me emotionally.
Next on my list was to get set on a daily schedule. My colleagues and I had all been put on furlough, so every day I had to motivate myself to get out of bed at a sensible time to do absolutely nothing. I found the whole thing incredibly frustrating and emotionally draining, so I set up my daily goals: up at 7am, exercise first thing, two cleanings tasks per day, 30 minutes learning Spanish, listen to one new album….I can’t tell you how much that helped. Structure is so important to keep sane!
When my mind had settled with my new routine, I finally found a sense of calm and clarity. I could feel myself readjusting, and I started to re-evaluate parts of my life that I’d never had the time to properly sit and think about.
I knew that my commuting-to-London days were over. The thought of going back to that life filled me with anxiety. I felt myself needing freedom, something that runs through my family’s blood. Not just a physical freedom, but mentally too - the need for space and time to get creative, feel inspired, and drive my self-motivation to continually learn and be challenged.
And so my freelance life was born. It wasn’t a light bulb moment - it took time to craft my skills into a ‘package’. I’ve always had a passion for the hospitality and events industry - from my first job as a waitress through to the marketing projects I’ve done over the years. So I decided that’s what I want to do…help like-minded people and businesses with things they don’t have the skills, or simply the time, to do.
So without further adieu…..let’s do this.
R.J.x