The Writers Block: Journalists Shaping The Creative Industries

Words by Nathan Tuft

Journalism as an art form can be seldom overlooked, with focus sometimes shifted to the visual aspects of articles and projects. New Wave Magazine looks to showcase and highlight the people behind the words - exploring their creative journeys, barriers and proudest moments. Its time to go back to the Writers Block…

Laviea Thomas - @_lavieathomas

How did you first get into writing and were there any other writers/journalists that you looked up to?

I first got into writing during sixth form, where I began writing amateur pieces for my portfolio in 2014. In my early days of writing I was (and still am) very much inspired by the incredible work of writers Tara Joshi, Aneesa Ahmed and Kemi Alemoru.

What do you like to write about and how do you find inspiration?

I love writing artist interviews and opinion pieces on culture. I mostly find my inspiration from what is going on within the music scene and culturally at the time. I take a lot of interest in writing pieces on women in music and the Black community which mostly comes from my own experience.

What is the hardest part about being a journalist/writer?

Pitching. It can be really disheartening to have your work rejected or worse, ignored. But it’s all a part of the process. Despite this, it doesn't make the process any easier. You have to always be prepared for whatever outcome that comes your way, and to look past it and not let it affect your progress. If your last pitch got rejected, you can’t dwell on it, you have to keep the dice rolling at all times, even though it’s so much easier said than done.

What has been your proudest moment in terms of your journalism?

I think there have been quite a few, since I’ve been writing for print and digital platforms since 2017. But my ultimate proudest and most recent moment would be last year when I reviewed Download Festival for their official site. Having covered the festival for 5 years running and interviewing a variety of bands along the way, being able to work for Festival Republic and see my words on their official site was a huge achievement for me that I’ll never live down.

Who would you like to work with in terms of your writing?

There are many rock-based publications I’d love to work with such as: Kerrang! Revolver, Alt Press and NME.

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Christine Ochefu - @noir_christine

How did you first get into writing and was there any other writers/journalists that you looked up to?

It's a bit convoluted to explain but I didn't really have a formal route into the industry. I was working in a completely different line of work, the higher education sector. But I was always good at/ enjoyed writing, so pitched things out here and there and ended up being called on by editors more and more. This is how I ended up moving into music writing more specifically; once you do something once (and do it well), people just keep asking you. Somewhere within the early stages of that I'd had my first editing role at Black Ballad, an organisation run by Tobi Oredein. I always cite her as someone who taught me important measures around advocating for yourself as an independent worker/freelancer and adequate compensation.

What do you like to write about and how do you find inspiration?

I guess I enjoy and have covered arts and culture across the board, so I like to write about everything under that umbrella really. But what I'm mainly known for are music profiles and interviews. I'm a multi-genre specialist but I have a particular soft spot for Black electronic artistry, so both catalogue/legacy artists and newer releases.

In terms of inspiration, I guess in my area inspiration is partially handed to you? Some people will find this controversial but I think the question of inspiration in journalism is a bit tired nowadays. Working freelance, the rate of success between developing ideas/finding inspiration and actually getting those ideas commissioned and published can be quite low, so I find it necessary to slim down the former as much as I can see as there might be a low chance of getting it over the line. Considering the way content works nowadays and how low rates tend to be, sometimes writers are compelled to write about more ideas than they can execute well. I want to avoid the pressure of having to treat my work like a content mill, as I think there's only so many ideas you can conceptualise and churn out before you get tired. So for that reason I don't actually pitch very often; the music release cycle means I can often work on anniversaries, major dates or new music that's coming out. And of course... I will always sing the praises of those in PR for taking some of this job off my hands.

What is the hardest part about being a journalist/writer?

Lots of things. There is the obvious elephant in the room in terms of recent media closures. Which shouldn't be considered a new thing by any means if you look at the decline of this industry over the past few decades. It's for that reason I wouldn't advise people, depending on what area you're covering as there are some exceptions, to exclusively use journalism as a source of income... again this is perhaps counterintuitive to this article, but it's also the reason I would probably not exclusively call myself a journalist anymore. It's an industry that has rapidly changed, because where people source their news, entertainment, and content has too. It just is what it is.

My area of writing is music industry adjacent, so I've also had the unfortunate issue of experiencing sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour during work. Multiple cases in my experience, which is generally just very tiresome and unfair (also a hell of a lot of admin). Also as a freelancer there's the assumption that to have a glowing career part of this rests on large efforts to maintain good relationships as a writer toward the editors/publications you work with. That is partially true, but the issue is that the opposite is rarely ever upheld. This job cannot be done (or rather done well) without our insight and labour, but people in senior positions often act as if it can. I always do my best to push back against poor working agreements and disrespect, but I'm aware one writer with boundaries can easily be switched out for another who will stomach bad treatment (though I understand people have their reasons). I try and emphasise that for writers in the position to be able to, we need to organise against these things collectively, though that doesn't always happen.

What has been your proudest moment in terms of your journalism?

It's hard to say. I have a lot of highlights; one was a piece I wrote in 2021, this was for Dweller Electronics on The Other People Place's Lifestyles of The Laptop Café album on its 20th anniversary, which is one of my favourite albums of all time. I hadn't expected us to be able to land Abu Qadim Haqq for that (Drexciya's illustrator for those unaware), and it was incredible speaking with him. I was also told Gerald Donald might have read that one now, so very full circle for everyone involved.

One thing I've always been commended for is getting people to say things they've never said in interviews before, which kind of feels like my personal speciality at this point. So essentially theraphising artists that are not known for talking; I'm thinking of YG, Tion Wayne, who were both very forthcoming when I spoke to them. Also conversation with people who are globally famous that I definitely wouldn't have spoken to otherwise; Pinkpantheress, Rema, Koffee, Nas are some names that come to mind. Wizkid was also particularly impressive.

Who would you like to work with in terms of your writing?

I don't usually think in terms of collaborators. I think I've ticked off a lot of my writing milestones already; writing for SSENSE had been a goal of mine for a long time, particularly because the writing there is extremely advanced, well-written and well and thoughtfully edited, which is admittedly quite rare to find nowadays. W Mag is the same, I was quite lucky to work with them very early in my career. Dweller Electronics are also an impeccable publication to write for, their editorial team have so much flexibility over themes and shaping of what they put out, and those at the helm are absolute experts in their fields. So I'd be more than happy for any of them to reach out.

In terms of things already in the pipeline there'll be some speaking and hosting, screenplays, books, film and TV work, some of which my agent has me working on already. Going forward? I guess more brand work, fashion, arts and travel verticals, areas I am particularly expanding into this year (PRs reading this, I will shamelessly ask that you please send the respective invites my way). Publications I read a lot would be nice, so New York Times, The Cut, Vogue, 032c, Perfect Magazine, and a lot of the independent arts and culture mags that are really stylish and have that kind of minimal, considered output. And someone should definitely give me a column soon.

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Dhruva Balram - @dhruvacurly

How did you first get into writing and was their any other writers/journalists that you looked up to?

I have loved writing since I was child, attempting to write novellas and fiction as early as 14. When I was 17, I decided I wanted to be a journalist and started writing reported pieces for publications, usually in their sports section. Those initial years working across the sports department gave me invaluable knowledge and after answering a Craigslist ad at 20, I started writing about music and culture. I’ve never looked back since. Growing up, I had always looked up to and (continue to) be inspired by writers like Zadie Smith, Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, Ian McEwan, P.G Wodehouse and Kazuo Ishiguro.

What do you like to write about and how do you find inspiration?

My work has evolved over the years. It now sits comfortably within the intersection of culture and politics as I tend to interweave the two in profiles and features I write. Inspiration is found through my friends, family and community, in paying attention to the work being done around me and wanting to spotlight others.

What is the hardest part about being a journalist/writer?

Probably getting paid fairly for the amount of work you do. A lot of publications pay per word or a flat fee, but that’s considerably unfair seeing as there can be days, weeks or even months of research that goes into writing a 1,200 word piece.

What has been your proudest moment in terms of your journalism?

A series of essays for Media Diversified on anti-blackness in the South Asian community. It was one of the first things I wrote when I moved to London and opened the door to a lot of other publications while giving me the confidence to go on and lecture at Goldsmith’s as well as write for many other publications I deemed unattainable to have my byline in.

Who would you like to work with in terms of your writing?

As always, there are a lot of publications I would love to see my byline in, but I’ve come to terms with the idea that it’ll happen when it does. I’m just happy to have been published in the amount of places I have been already.

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Sunayah Arshad- @sunayah._

How did you first get into writing and was their any other writers/journalists that you looked up to?

Writing actually came quite late for me. I worked in beauty PR for a couple of years after uni and was often told that I was naturally good at writing press releases and copy for brands. After realising that PR wasn't for me, I managed to get a job at Hearst Magazines where I occasionally wrote for print and digital across titles like Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health etc. Hearst taught me a lot about the structure of a publishing company, how magazines operate and journalism in general.

In my spare time, I was working on AZEEMA magazine helping to write and edit pieces on culture, beauty, music etc. My love for journalism grew as I began to focus more on subjects that I really care about, so I eventually quit Hearst to go freelance and dedicate more time to AZEEMA. I wouldn't necessarily say that there were particular writers that I looked up to, but definitely other platforms and magazines.

What do you like to write about and how do you find inspiration?

I usually touch on topics including arts and culture, representation, music, beauty and fashion. I love doing interviews too and connecting with creatives or artists that are doing really cool work or are generally bringing something a little different to the industry. I try to approach interviews from a different angle though so I'm not covering the same thing that 50 other platforms already have. It's important to me that people take something valuable away from my work so I prefer writing in-depth pieces that are informative in some way.

Generally, I think a lot of my inspiration lies in my own background, my heritage and culture, surroundings and interests. I love learning and researching though, and find so much inspiration online. Twitter is my fave for researching peoples opinions on things, Reddit too. TikTok is my current obsession. I keep telling people this but I've learnt SO much through TikTok, like crazy conspiracy theories, crime cases, cultural history and traditions, DIY hacks etc. I could spend hours on it.

What is the hardest part about being a journalist/writer?

Coming up with titles!!! But no seriously, for me it's finding the time to write. I don't know how some people do it so quickly cause I always get writer's block and it usually takes me a while to get into the flow. Freelance journalists also aren't paid a lot. I'm lucky that I have other things going on cause I think I'd really struggle if it was my sole job.

What has been your proudest moment in terms of your journalism?

I have two: AZEEMA Issue 4 - I wrote a piece about my family and the South Asian community in Britain which was really special and personal to me. I also interviewed the artist Tsunaina for one of the cover stories. I love her so this was a big deal to me. I also worked with Notion magazine last year as Freelance Editor + Producer of issue 92 where I got to work on multiple pieces and features throughout the entire mag. It was a lot of work but so much fun.

Who would you like to work with in terms of your writing?

There's a couple of mags that I'd like to write for in the future - The Face, Vogue, i-D to name a few. I also have a huge list of people I'd love to interview one day!

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