Former pupil Rachael inspires pupils to pursue creative careers

1 Dec 2022 12:18 PM

Freelance Jewellery Journalist, Rachael Taylor, Class of ‘02 returned to Schoolhill to explore creative pathways with Junior and Senior pupils, presenting the creative arts as a serious career option.

With recent publications telling the story of leading brands such as Cartier and Tiffany, Rachael shared: “The creative industries contribute more than £115 billion to the UK economy alone, and the long list of former Robert Gordon’s College pupils who have carved out highly successful careers in these fields is testament to the fact that it will no doubt be an exciting future career path many of today's pupils will take.

“It is fantastic to see the efforts that Robert Gordon’s is making to support these students, and to inspire and prepare them through exposure to the types of jobs available in the creative industries. Throughout all the assemblies, classroom sessions, panel discussions and one-to-one conversations, the enthusiasm from the pupils was evident.

“I also really enjoyed meeting with other former pupils and hearing about their careers in the creative industries. Hopefully by sharing our own experiences, we have given some of the current RGC pupils the confidence to pursue more unconventional - but totally viable - career paths.”

Travelling to Copenhagen Commitment, in London after her school visit, she added, “Reflecting on my time at Robert Gordon’s College, I also enjoyed visiting the halls of my old school and taking part in the first ever Creative Minds Festival at RGC alongside some seriously talented former pupils. Robert Gordon’s College took a chance on me as an 11 year old by giving me a full scholarship to attend. It is great to be able to give something back to the school that gave me so many opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

This year, Rachael has published two books, The Story Behind the Style: Cartier and The Story Behind the Style: Tiffany & Co. She is a regular contributor to a wealth of titles across the globe, including The Financial Times, The Telegraph, the Independent, Condé Nast publications, and business magazines Retail Jeweller and Rapaport. She also works with brands on copywriting, consulting and events.

After leaving Robert Gordon’s College, Rachael studied Publishing with Journalism at Robert Gordon’s University and was the editor of the university magazine. Graduating in 2006 she moved to London to follow her passion for writing. Her first role was with publisher Emap on business magazine Retail Week followed by Retail Jeweller. In 2010, Rachael was approached by publisher ITP to launch Professional Jeweller magazine. She launched a second title for ITP titled WatchPro in 2012, and was editorial director of the UK office until 2014 when she decided to pursue a freelance career.

Between 2018 and 2021, Rachael founded and ran The Jewellery Cut, a platform that supported and gave exposure to independent fine jewellery designers through an editorial website, popular social media following and live events, including a bi-annual jewellery showcase during London Fashion Week. The Jewellery Cut was named as one of the top six jewellery Instagram accounts to follow by The New York Times, was selected to be part of the Mayor of London’s business growth scheme London & Partners, and was shortlisted for awards at both the UK Jewellery Awards and the NAJ Awards.

Respected for her in-depth knowledge of the jewellery world, Rachael continues to write for a multitude of publications, and is a judge for many competitions, including the prestigious UK Jewellery Awards and The Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards. The latter of which, she was asked to host in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and has this year been named as the Awards’ first female ambassador in the history of the Council, which was founded in 1908.

Creativity is at the heart of a Robert Gordon’s College education. The curricular and co-curricular learning available in art, music, drama and technical theatre activities develops confidence and wellbeing. Discover how Robert Gordon’s Junior School offers the very best start to a child’s education. Come along and meet our teachers on Monday 5th December at 7.00pm.