Today we’d like to introduce you to Renata Certo-Ware.
Renata, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started as a freelance writer and stylist after traveling and moving around a lot in the years following college. I wasn’t ready to get into a corporate. 9-5 lifestyle and always worked well independently and managed to stay (relatively) organized. When I first moved to Boston as an adult (going to college at BU doesn’t count as “adult” life I have to admit) I emailed literally every editor, stylist, and fashion-adjacent person I could find, including the entire blogger community. Eventually, one of the editors responded, asking if I’d cover – for free – an event going on just outside the city for the magazine’s website. I jumped on the opportunity, and thus began a great relationship with the editor, the magazine, and a couple other magazines and papers in town. I was able to translate that into writing for some national publications by sending my portfolio and name-dropping the local magazines where my work was published in-print and online, and I also got to try my hand at styling, which I was able to do thanks to having a relationship with editors, photographers, stores, salons and modeling agencies that I built through writing. Now, I run my personal blog, Untouchable, and I work in marketing. I make sure my job description is built around writing, so I manage the website and write marketing copy, radio ads, and social media copy for the company I work for, a brewery.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle has been uncertainty – as a freelancer, you never know what the future holds, beyond a month or two out. There were a few lulls that really freaked me out, so I’ve learned to always have a Plan B and Plan C to make ends meet. Always keep something on the back burner. On the flip side of that, don’t keep too many balls in the air – you’re going to end up letting someone down, be it a client, family, friends, or your partner. I’ve had to walk away from a job or two that was giving me more anxiety and stress than it was bringing me joy, and those were some of the toughest but best decisions I’ve made.
Untouchable – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I write, I blog, and most recently, I launched a skincare company called This that is yet another arm of my writing/lifestyle/marketing brand. I specialize in writing, though, and I’m so proud of the work I’ve published that I people really respond to and love. Not everything I’ve written is an opus, but when I hit the nail on the head, people really respond to it and that fills me with joy! My next step project is a book, which will draw on my degree in Anthropology as well as my writing experience.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think every time I see my work in print is the pinnacle of pride for me. Highlights include having a story published in The Boston Globe, plus pieces in Improper Bostonian, covers I styled for Stuff, and a pretty big spread in After Nyne, a British art magazine. Oh, and the time the CEO of Net-A-Porter sent me a message on Linked-In telling me he liked my Op-Ed in Business of Fashion. I took a screenshot and still have it!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.untouchableblog.com
- Email: renata@untouchableblog.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/untouchableblog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUntouchableBlog/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/UntouchableBlog
Image Credit:
Photo of model in orange coat/floral dress –>
PHOTOGRAPHER: Gina Manning / STYLIST: Renata Certo Ware / ART DIRECTOR: Louisa Mardirossian / CAMERA ASSISTANT: Mike Pecci / GAFFER: Anthony Jarvis / HAIR + MAKE-UP: Bre Welch / MODEL: Janna Ahmetjanova, Maggie Inc. / PA: Mimi Vecchione / STYLIST PA: Karen Morales / LOCATION: The Kensington (http://kensingtonboston.com)
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