Liv - It's Nice That/Rough Trade

Liv Siddall worked as an intern for It's Nice That from 2011-2015, discussing different pieces of creativity. This was perfect for her as she realised that she was most passionate about discussing other people's work. This allowed her to see the behind the scenes of how creatives work and make connections within the industry.

Rough Trade found her on Linked In (proving it can be a useful tool) and asked her to be an editor for their music magazine. Rough trade began in 1976 and she was asked to produce a 64 page magazine reflecting the shop, bands and people that it symbolises.

She began by imaging what the magazine would be like if it was a person, she didn't want to do a typical, moody magazine. She looked at punk zines and bubble type and eventually she brought in Bruce Usher to help her design. The shop was graffited, grimy, angry, covered in stickets etc and this needed to be represented in the magazine.

She was scavenging for free fonts, local photographers and bands to submit interviews. She made a rule that there should always be someone smiling on each page and no face on the front. This was to ensure that it wasn't copying the generic style of music magazine that most are familiar with. She got Jonathan Richmond to be the comic's agony aunt! The magazine had to be proof read by at least 4 pairs of eyes before it could be published.

 Her main piece of advice was that if you run out of budget - DIY it!! It's better to focus on what you're into rather than what hasn't been done. There's also a tire theory she follows which suggests that if you see someone trying to fix their car, you're more likely to help, rather than if they're calling for help. I found this interesting. If you're constantly asking people for help, you're a lot less likely to end up with an original result.