I prefer the simple things in life. Tea, a good book and a clean blog theme. The template I decided on for my blog is by a free-lance designer known as Mooi.

Mooi template preview

This theme caught my eye after searching through template after template of corporate-looking designs. What drew my attention was the ethereal quality the theme had whilst still maintaining a simplistic layout and colour palette. Personally I prefer a clean looking blog that's easy to navigate and this theme ticked all my boxes. However, there are some limitations to the theme which proved difficult to work around. 

Unfortunately, I was unable to alter the colours used by the designer which limited my overall colour palette. If I was able to change the background colour, I'd choose a blue-grey shade which would compliment the text colour but lessen the large quantity of grey. Further information on my colour choices are outlined in another post, here.

I do enjoy the design layout of this theme. It's easy to navigate and doesn't look cluttered. The solid background and empty spaces bordering around the text prove to be excellent  example of using white space (or in this case, grey space).    

Strengths and Weaknesses

(Image by Amadee Stenzel)

{If you haven't already seen my post about my dream career, have a look here.}

What are my strengths?

My biggest strengths are that I'm a very independent and detail-oriented person. I like working alone, I can complete tasks without assistance and pride myself on learning the skills I don't know through teaching myself. This is a strength because I don't require round-the-clock assistance and am comfortable working solo. Additionally, my attention to detail is a strength because I pride myself on creating the best work possible. If something isn't right then I take every step possible to fix it, regardless of if it's a favicon icon that's blurry or an unaligned text box. 

What areas am I a little weak in?

Nobody likes to admit their weaknesses but it's an important step in improving personal skills. My biggest weakness is time management. I've always struggled with allocating my time on each task and more often than not end up finishing the crucial steps at the last moment. It's a constant struggle but necessary when working in a field such as journalism where deadlines are unavoidable.  

What opportunities would prepare me for after graduation?

The most promising opportunity that would prepare me for entering the journalism industry are internships and work experience. Although I might not be able to immediately gain an internship at my dream magazine, any real world experience at a media outlet would be sufficient. Various news organisations based in Brisbane, such as the ABC, offer work experience programs which would allow me networking opportunities required to get a foot in the door that is the journalism industry. 

Another opportunity to assist in my future is blogging. Blogs such as this one act as an online portfolio that potential employers could access to gain insight into my capabilities and potential. By creating content for a blog not only am I able to learn valuable skills but also gain my own following which could be an attractive quality when it comes to sticking out from the competition. 

What are the biggest threats to achieving my goals?

The main threat to achieving my goals is the competitive journalism industry. The decline of print journalism would limit opportunities to work for more popular magazine publications due to competing for positions with other qualified journalists. In order to combat this threat, I would have to distinguish myself from the competition. One way I could do this is through utilising the tool of blogging, as mentioned above. 

Dream job

(Image by Amadee Stenzel)

I've never been one to have my mind set on anything. I change my outfit five minutes before I leave the house and bring at least two different lip colours everywhere. There's only been one thing I've never wavered on and that's what I want to do with my life. Ever since people started seriously asking me what I wanted to do with my life, I'd always answer with "journalism". 

Journalism just seemed like such an exciting industry to me. I loved the idea of being in a competitive environment that would force me out of my comfort zone on a daily basis. Admittedly it's a little daunting when I think about the dwindling job prospects of my future, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life.

Ideally I'd love to work at a women's lifestyle magazine. There's such an extensive range of content such from beauty and fashion to celebrities and food as well as an array of elements which go into producing each issue. Some of my favourite women's magazines include Frankie and Yen. 

What I love about these magazines is the unique style of them. They're not the typical glossy magazines with pictures of celebrity weight loss. They have substance and are more artistic and creative both visually and in content. In a way these publications have their own individual style. The origin of Frankie magazine is even described as a response to publisher Louise Bannister and creative director Lara Burke feeling "uninspired with what was being offered on news agency shelves". 

In terms of what type of content I'd want to produce for a publication such as Frankie or Yen, I'm still undecided. As I've only recently started my journalism career I'm still learning different skills and haven't yet found one particular field of production that's whole-heartedly caught my fancy. However, I do enjoy design and feature writing and look forward to furthering my skills in that area. 

{For further information on my career plans, have a look-see at my SWOT analysis}