LEAVING IN A PANDEMIC

In her final blog, Noa identifies her top moments as a #KeenMarine, including but not limited to learning brand colours by heart, carrying raw mackerel around in her backpack, and gaining the nickname of ‘Albatross’.

Two months of working from home, copious Zoom coffees, and a virtual leaving do: (although lovely in its own way) I think it’s safe to say this is not how I imagined I’d be leaving Mindfully Wired. But after 16 months working closely with an amazing team and on a huge variety of interesting projects, it was never going to be easy to say goodbye – pandemic or not.

Before the crisis reached the UK, MWC was anything but ‘locked down’. We could be found doing everything from jumping onto Cornish boats and chatting with fishermen on the quayside to cooking up seafood dishes in the kitchen, enjoying the productive buzz of our Bristol HQ, or having endless fun at our quiz/board game/cocktail socials. (Even under lockdown we’ve been smashing the virtual quizzes – much to the dismay of our virtual rivals).

With so much going on – so many unforgettable memories made alongside such a supportive and inspiring team – I’d never be able to do justice to my time here in just one blog.

But here goes!

HIGHLIGHT #1 – THE SCHOOL OF FISH

I’ve also learnt about the intricacies of this unique industry from stakeholders themselves. Talking to fishermen directly and other members of the supply chain has shown me how fishing affects and is affected by climate, politics, and culture, and the huge role it has played in all of these even since I started my role.

As my first job, I feel pretty lucky to have learnt and developed alongside such an accomplished and knowledgeable group of people – both within and outside our team.

Creativity bursts from the seams of Mindfully Wired. If the standard approach is black and white, then we produce a kaleidoscope of beautiful, thoughtful words entwined with detailed graphics and gorgeous illustrations – alongside intricate stories crafted into films or podcasts.

One of my favourite writing tasks here has been weaving human stories into the supply chain copy for Seafood Cornwall. It involved interviewing a number of fishermen and fishmongers who spoke so entrancingly about their lives, that a large part of the role required resisting the temptation of a major career change for a life at sea.

Contributing to the storyboarding and scripts for some of our films showed me the magic in language that inspires and effects positive change. Ironically, words can’t describe the thrill of seeing your writing come to life on the big screen as they did with the Journey to the Sea series.

MWC is a place of energy and imagination, where ideas can be thought up in a day and delivered within a week – and to fantastic results. It’s a place where you collaborate together and with other, inspiring creatives like illustrators and filmmakers to make beautiful, impactful things.

HIGHLIGHT #3 – THE #KEENMARINE DREAM TEAM

The growing number of colleagues only contributed to our collective personality and skill set, enhancing the atmosphere of energy, support, and collaboration, and bringing a happy, mindful buzz to our office.

Managing our blogs gave me the opportunity to connect with individual team members on a regular basis: each a rich interaction fueled by my own curiosity in my colleagues’ professional passions and their subsequent pride in having their work showcased online.

And you know what they say – work hard, play hard. Ever since there were enough of us to play Catan, we’ve tried and failed to keep the noise down in any space we occupy.

Take a collective love of games and throw in a healthy dose of competitive playing, some sunny road trips to Cornwall, a dash of fish puns from some particularly sharp #KeenMarines, and a ton of lovely team treats from our Director, and there you have it: the Mindfully Wired team recipe.

Whether it’s a hivemind in the office or a board game session in a Bristolian pub, I’m afraid there’s no taking the Keen out of the Marine – and why would you want to?

HIGHLIGHT #4 – SO LONG & THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH!

Whether it’s soft hake, rich spider crab, or sizzling buttery sole meunière, the flavours of fresh Cornish produce and the huge variety of species on offer are little known secrets.

And so too are the faces behind these ocean delights. Each of their stories is one of hard work, tradition, and responsibility: the desire to protect it all for generations to come. After all, what’s in being a fisherman if there are no fish to catch?

Cooking seafood at home is incredibly rewarding and easier than you might think, and it’s so important – now more than ever – to try new things to keep it sustainable, buy local and support the supply chain as directly as possible.

HIGHLIGHT #5 – BIRD… BRAINED?

Oh go on then! My colleagues wouldn’t believe I’d written this blog myself if I didn’t get an albatross in there.

You may wonder what this stunning set of seabirds is doing in a blog about pandemics and fish, but there’s a reason they’ve become the object of my obsession.

I’ve had the privilege of leading on what is undeniably our most adorable project: #AlbatrossStories. Creating stories around pictures of newly hatched chicks is a pretty dreamy role, especially when coupled with the satisfaction in seeing a tangible result on a conservation project in the form of an ever-growing online community of supporters.

This is the science-art blend at its best: ultra-creative and collaborative #scicomm (think videos, animations, and albatross art from all over the world), presenting at our first Twitter conference, coining neologisms (social media documentary = #socumentary), and more. I was thrilled to work with such wonderful clients – not to mention the excitement of getting to visit the RSPB headquarters!

A huge thank you to everyone at Mindfully Wired and our clients for making all of the above happen and more – you’re a truly special bunch and I’m looking forward to seeing you all in person again.

And with that, I’ll (thanks to corona, literally) sign off: time for next steps and preparation for my Masters. But if this job has taught me anything – and it certainly has – once you’re in the fishing world, there’s no getting out. Sea you again!

We’re so grateful to have had Noa in the team for the past 16 months. If you’ve worked with Noa, or if you have any particular favourite projects that she’s helped bring to life, let us know in the comments.