Hello and welcome to my online portfolio page.

 

My name is Madeleine Balcombe. I am a 22 year old trainee journalist, studying MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University.

 

I graduated from a three year BA degree in Journalism, Media and English Literature in July 2023. I have a passion for lifestyle journalism, and hope to pursue a career in this field.

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In 2018, I decided that I wanted to start writing a blog to document my life as I took the leap from my teenage years into adulthood. I was sixteen at the time, I published 3 posts, and within a month the blog was dead. This was partly due to the fact that I had no idea what I was doing, but mostly because I was reluctant to share my content because of what other people might think of me.

 

At the start of 2020, at the age of eighteen, I found myself on an impromptu gap year before starting university. I spent some time in Australia on a trip which undoubtedly changed my outlook on life. It taught me that I should stop letting my fears of being judged by others hold me back from doing what I want to do. So, when lockdown began in March 2020, I decided it was time to give the blog another go.

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Now, three years have passed since I created the 'Living My Best Life' blog, and I'm so glad that I decided to start writing and publishing my own pieces. Spending time creating a blog led me to quickly realise my love for writing, editing and creating online content. 

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Since the creation of this website in 2020, my passion for journalism has grown. I have created, edited and published my own digital magazine, attended workshops with well-respected names in the industry, and continued to have my work published in a number of publications, both online and in print.

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My interest in journalism continues to grow everyday, and I hope that this is only the start of my endeavours within this industry.