I have spent the majority of my working life at October Books, a community-funded and run bookshop. We aim to make a space in Southampton for not only book lovers but for anyone who has a passion for community development. My role in the bookshop is customer-facing, as well as being the buyer of all the products we sell that aren’t books, cards, organic and vegan food as well as supporting local artists and creators in selling their products. I am hands-on and committed to ensuring we have a wide variety of quality products in our shop. I work with volunteers in teaching them how to use our systems, managing their time at the bookshop, and more. I run our open mic night which runs monthly, where I host. it brings together all the things I love, talking, engaging with the community, writing and reading poetry. I read and write poetry in my spare time as well as attending other open mic nights in the city! As a creative, it is important to have that be a part of my job and I've worked hard to make sure it always is.As well as working at October Books for the last six years both as a volunteer and later in a paid role, I have worked in John Lewis where I was for just under three years. It was a fast-paced retail environment with high expectations of its partners, a role I took on wholeheartedly and my customer service from my years there never faltered. I learned a lot in my time working, such as leading and managing partners on the floor while simultaneously managing the expectations and most importantly the experience of our customers, an incredibly hard task to do especially during periods like Christmas, a learning experience that was invaluable to me in terms of who I am today and how I operate in my work.