Inside My Noggin
Step inside my weird little world and find out what goes on in the idea factory (that’s my brain, by the way). I’d like to thank a daily caffeine overload, chronic overthinking, twisted humor, and a runaway imagination for the following programming.
I haven’t stopped yapping since approximately 1991,
and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I love exploring the world around me and making sense of it through my words. I find so much inspiration in people’s peccadilloes and charming little foibles. I’ve learned lessons from the most unlikely characters and through some incredibly trying circumstances. These natural inclinations have made me the storyteller I am today, and I can’t wait to continue helping individuals and brands bring their narratives to life.
I’ve been at this for a hot second.
I was never one of those kids who didn’t know what they wanted to be when they grew up. I didn’t even want to take our high school’s career aptitude test because it seemed like a waste of time. Language has always been my superpower and people who have a way with words (whether singing, shouting, or writing them down) are that of legends.
This picture is from a library class when I was 10 years old. My grandfather jotted down whatever lengthy presentation I was boring my class with, and apparently I had just learned a few new words and wanted to show them off (solemn — good one Maggie). I am obsessed with communication and how we use it to transfer meaning to one another. If I could sing it all, I would, but God forgot to give me a good set of pipes. That’s why since the age of seven I’ve carried a notebook and pen with me everywhere I go (when I remember to).
Some doodles and little daydreams.✨🌌🪐💭
Here’s how I’d tell you what I’m all about.
My name is Maggie, and I’m a lover of words first and a communications professional second. Throughout the past ten years of building my career, I’ve had the unique opportunity to understand what words can do (and how they are received) through every lens possible. I’ve held roles as a reporter, a communications director, a public relations/marketing manager, a copyeditor, and a copywriter.
My eclectic career path has given me an unintentional but potent advantage in crafting compelling content. I’ve made stops at several locations, unsure where to end up, but I kept trudging forward. I’ve never had a real destination in mind, but I can’t say I’m disappointed I haven’t followed a map — I was learning, not getting lost. Sometimes, even when you aren’t sure where you’re headed, you gather the answers like breadcrumbs.
I’ve taken on several titles on my trek thus far, so I am flummoxed when someone asks me “what I do for a living.” No one wants to put themselves in a box, and we’re evolving every day, so I find it more fitting to call myself a professional storyteller.
My pull toward the art of rhetoric began at an early age. I had an obsession with recording my classroom’s current events in my diary. I asked for blank books for Christmas to scribble out my tales and place them alongside the greats on our bookshelf. I couldn’t help but tell real-life stories through the lens of my own human experience.
My love of words and curiosity of people never left me, and I looked to others who had the same inclinations. At the age of ten, my hero was Harriet the Spy. In my early adulthood, I worshipped Cameron Crowe. For the past decade, Tom Wolfe has reigned supreme. Composition notebooks took up too much space under my bed. Vintage Rolling Stone magazines lived inside my dorm room’s closet. The “New Journalism” writing style was (and is) endlessly flowing through my fingertips. The champion of each era gave me something to cherish and strive for.
Fortunately, I quickly realized that this craving to create could become my career, and I haven’t looked back since. Asking questions and uncovering truth has been a lifelong pursuit, and turning my findings into art and media has been my purpose. I feel most alive when connecting with others; watching people celebrate their triumphs, learn from their failures, and laugh at their foibles has given me much to write about.
I thrive on fostering meaningful dialogues between organizations and their audiences. Every moving piece of content has one thing in common: it touches our humanity. With a constant influx of information being digested at an alarming rate, it’s easy to choke on the falsehoods, overindulge on the nonsense, or starve to avoid being overwhelmed. I want to work with a team that can cut through the noise. I crave to write words that are authentic, true, and important. I dream of joining an organization of digital disruptors (who are also do-gooders).
Long story short, meaningful content can only come from a writer who means what they say. Striking the balance between art and science, idealism and logic is where truth can be found. Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance embodied the pursuit better than I ever could. Remarkably ahead of its time, the work calls us to seek quality — to explore the divine dance of the subjective (classical) and objective (romantic) to find some common ground. The co-existence of these disciplines allows a story’s heart to beat and, thus, create lasting change. We need both to make others listen: the unadulterated facts and the untouchable soul. As Pirsig said, “The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
I look forward to helping others improve the world by using my heart, head, and hands to create something that will benefit humanity, even if it is one person at a time. Together, I want to write moving copy, build altruistic brands, and manage strong social communities. When they’re used correctly, words are one of the most powerful ways to work outward toward something much bigger than ourselves.
MJM 