Hi there, I’m Désiré ;-}
A writer powered by strong coffee and unicorn magic.
Welcome to my little corner of chaos, where I publish most of my thoughts, articles, sketches, photography, book reviews and even manuscript snippets.
When I’m not working on client commissions [blogs and books] for TILT Creative, I’m usually found emptying my soul into the backend of this engine, armed with a large coffee mug while classical crossover pieces resonate softly from my headphones.
I enjoy taking complex technical ideas, from a diverse assortment of industries, and creatively express them in a more interesting, engaging and human medium. I’ve made asbestos and accounting both sound sexy, so that’s something! TILT Creative Agency, my professional outlet, specialises in content creation and managed solutions for companies and personal brands.
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Snippets
Featured Pieces
(in random order)
Perfectionism is the secret to unlocking genius
When we talk about the Greats, these people of magnificent prowess in the highest ranks of their respective fields, we think about them being born into their roles, as though
30 brings an existential crisis
Time is not unlimited. It’s the most precious resource on the planet, and it’s so precious that once it’s lost, it is lost forever. Unfortunately for me, I am very
Story from a successful startup founder…
About three years ago, I wrote Advice from a Failed Startup Founder. Back then, life was very different for me, and I was determined to paint another picture for you:
The latest musings
The Pain of Hypermobility
Beyond the party tricks of being able to bend in ways that your peers cannot, hypermobility sucks for most people. By the time I was 13, I had already dislocated my left knee and experienced lock jaw. I was always in pain, only to be fobbed off and told it was growing pain because my joints hurt. What can you
The Ultimate juggling act
I have always bitten off more than I can chew; that’s a chronic habit from my childhood that I never really outgrew. It’s one of the main reasons that I’m hopelessly overworked and feeling burnt is because I’m often spread too thin by new ideas. But, this makes up such a core part of me and often works in my
March to the beat of your own drum
Another year, another running thought about how much I haven’t written and how much I’m a failure at my own passion. I spend so much time fulfilling everyone else’s needs that I tend to forget my own, and then when I realise that I have pushed my own goals to the side, along comes the self-depreciative imposter syndrome, talking about
Juggling personal writing with paid writing
Writers of all levels know this - it’s the hardest thing to do, especially when you have other commitments that need to be done. After a long day with a commute, the last thing you want to do is write that manuscript that you’ve been meaning to do for the last three years. It’s overwhelming, knackering and your brain hurts.
Ladies, it’s time to be kinder to each other
Women already have the shitty end of the stick. We’re already stigmatised as the lesser gender, and have to face gender pay gaps, constant discrimination and unwanted sexual attention throughout their lives. But there is a much more sinister element at play, one that’s not talked about much, and it’s the way women talk to each other and about each
Are you tracking your progress?
Unlike every data driven article, this will not be about tracking your social media metrics or your website traffic. This is about tracking your progress and productivity in general. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about productivity and myself, but I was only able to learn this from collecting data and looking at what has worked for me and
Why this generation is “different, lazy and overly sensitive”
With every generation, there are key changes in how we live and do things and we have seen this time and time again in the past. Remember when people said Elvis and his music was provocative and satanic? Yeah, I don’t remember either because I was a 90’s baby but people actually said that. I wonder what those people would
To marry or not to marry; WHY is this a question?!
We live in a society where life has an expected order: go to school, college, university, get a job, start a career, meet someone, get a car, get married, buy a house, start a family, upgrade your car, go on annual holidays, send your kids to university, and work until you’re exhausted and can’t enjoy your retirement. This sounds a
Surviving loneliness in a relationship
There comes a time in any relationship where you start to feel like things just aren’t progressing as they should be. It’s natural. When you think about typical partnerships, you have two people who are growing and evolving at different speeds and in a variety of ways, who both share experiences but have individual experiences that impact them in different
My software line up for the past year
I’m a massive software junkie. I love every part of the testing and writing process, and I do love trying new tech. I’m known to run beta software versions on my daily drivers because I like being part of the process but I also believe that having non-tech power users can help developers understand how their software is being used
I reject the hustle lifestyle
If you know me, then you know that I’m mostly laid back, very organised and anal about time. But I’m not one of those rush-rush anal about time people, I’m more the laid back perfectionist type, the one who likes to make sure that I’ve overbooked a little extra so that I can enjoy the process, not just rush through
Being an Alpha Woman in a patriarchal society
Whether we like it or not, society is still patriarchal. I love my partner and have nothing but respect for him, but he’s still patriarchal; as is my own family, and many of my friends and work colleagues. I look around, and while women can vote, drive cars and start a business, men still think it’s “cute” when a woman
Cancel culture needs to be cancelled
I should be writing a blog post for work, but today I’m just too worked up to focus on that. This has been brewing in my mind for so long and it’s about time we start talking about this: cancel culture needs to be cancelled. I’m going to use an example to frame my overall point about cancel culture. The
Social media “engagement” is a lie
I’m a marketer, but I personally do not engage on social media in the typical way that all of my peers, professional and personal, do. It’s a personal preference and it works for me. I’ll put my hand up and say that I don’t personally engage on social media because it’s just downright exhausting. I spend eight to ten hours
The weather is bipolar in the UK
The weather. The second most talked about topic in the UK, only just trailing behind football. The reason why it’s number 2 in the conversation charts is because of it’s pure unpredictability. Gone are the days when I can actually plan for an outdoor house party or BBQ. In the UK, we have to have two plans for everything, one
Major writing key for success: Schedules and accountability
Boy oh boy am I in the writing accountability dog house. This is quite possibly one of the worst parts of writing for me and to be completely transparent, while I know the concept well and write about it quite fluidly, I am absolute trash at holding myself accountable for non-client work. I’m absolutely fine with client work and it’s