This week was my first time working in an unfamiliar office for nearly 13 years. It was so strange to be the new boy, wandering in and seeing a bunch of people I don’t know, trying to work out the existing social dynamics, trying to feel out the vibe of the place. (Is this seat free? Who drinks tea and who drinks coffee? When and where do people go for lunch??) It made me realise that I do quite like the feel and energy of an office, and that my work on Orso so far has involved a little too much remote working.

I’m working with an Italian booze brand this week and it’s the perfect intersection of two of my favourite things (that is, booze and Italy). Supremely enjoyable.

It’s nearly 15 years since the idea of an academic year had any relevance to me, and yet September always feels a more potent turning point in the year than January does. When the air gets a little crisper and the days a little shorter, when people return from holidays, it feels inescapably like it’s time to knuckle down and focus, and to plan for the year ahead.

I’ve been working with an agency on a creative pitch this week. Unlike many people in the creative industry, I haven’t spent much of my career pitching; the last place I worked refused to pitch, with a fairly reasonable justification. But a paid pitch with reasonable clients is actually a nice process, and there’s something about the compressed timeframe that feels like it forces you to get somewhere useful more quickly. Although a bad approach to pitching distorts the industry and drives down value, it’s like everything else: there are good pitches and bad pitches, and a black-and-white approach costs you as well as benefiting you.