For the past month or so, I’ve been working with the musician and presenter Cerys Matthews (in fact, the new website and e-commerce store that I’ve built for her has just gone live here www.cerysmatthews.co.uk)
And what has been amazing about working with someone like Cerys is realising just how incredibly talented and hardworking she is. Who knew for instance, that Cerys music is used for a Ballet Cymru entire ballet and that Cerys plays on stage with the dancers? Who knew she’s the author of not one but three children’s books? Not me!
That she recently turned down singing for Prince Charles because she was too busy…… the list goes on and on! Meanwhile, she’s been composing for the national theatre – whilst on the school run – and organising her own music festival. She’s a wonder-ball (is that even a word?) of talent!
But what has been most interesting to me about the process of working with people like Cerys is wondering and trying to work out where, why and how they have come into my life.
After selling Talk to the Press, the online news agency business that I started in 2008 last year, I was left with time, money and headspace to stop and take pause. And I decided I would that whatever was to happen in the future, I would try to make sure that I created the life I wanted rather than just letting life happen to me. That’s not to say I hadn’t enjoyed Talk to the Press, but given the choice of any business in the world to create and run, I probably wouldn’t have chosen that one. It just sort of happened to me…….
As a business owner, I’d always read a ton of business books, whether practical ‘how to’ books or the memoirs of successful people, and I noticed they all reference the same ‘power’. Like, literally, ALL of them say the same thing.
Whether you call it the law of attraction, thinking positive, the universe or even God, it is about consciously creating your own life. And so with the natural break point in my life that came with selling Talk to the Press, I decided moving forward I would do the same thing.
Part of my conscious creation of my own life was declaring that I really wanted to focus on working with talented or high-profile individuals. Why? Because on a personal level, I want to keep feeling inspired to do more and to meet people who ARE doing so much more already (the business books all suggest to its better to be a cold drop in a warm pond that a warm drop in a cold pond!).
Working with such people also works for me because, with my background in media, news, digital and online, I really know how to help this particular group when it comes to their profile, messaging, businesses and personal brand.
And suddenly, just like that, I am surrounded by them! I’m working with incredibly talented people who should be well known but aren’t (yet!), high-profile people like Cerys who are so talented and well-known but still need publicity, talented people who are high-profile in their niche and want to raise their profiles further. I’m working with tv presenters, singers, models, rising instagram stars, experts in their field and a few lovely ladies who are genuinely so talented at what they do it blows my mind.
I haven’t yet worked out how it is all happening (it’s not like I know the answers to any of this!), but I can see that what the books say is true and that it is possible to consciously create one’s life. Long may it continue!
So, back to Cerys’ website. You can see it here. It’s about directing her fans towards things that instantly give value to her, ie album sales, book sales, tickets…… I’m now working with Cerys for the long term too on her publicity. Hurrah!