Micaela Arnett

I started early, long before I understood the professional world that existed beyond a school newsroom. My first experience with journalism came through my high school newspaper at Somerville High School's Wave Breaker, where I discovered the power of telling a story well. I always knew I wanted to go into journalism, and I never changed my major, which I think is significant because people often change their majors for good reason when you're 18. That early clarity led me to pursue a PR degree at USC's journalism school. My career didn't follow a straight line though. I worked with the Columbia Film Society's Nickelodeon Magazine, where I saw my name in print for the first time, then moved into outside sales for a wholesale gift and apparel company, which taught me a lot about the sales and marketing side of business. When I moved back to Charleston, I reached out to Charleston Home and Design Magazine and was hired as an editorial assistant. I moved up pretty quickly over four and a half years through editor, senior editor, and managing editor. Becoming managing editor happened at a unique time when my previous managing editor moved to Nashville, and honestly, I was scared and didn't think I could do it, but I did it, and I managed about 18 issues. I'm proud that I was able to balance managing a creative team while also contributing creatively myself. My freelance work ramped up in 2022 when I started working with Hyphen Social, a London-based agency, writing e-commerce content and listicles on home decor and women's lifestyle. I also ghostwrote 'Stories Behind the Stances' for Chris Singleton, which was my first try at political writing and touches on diversity, equity, inclusion, and other topics that media historically hasn't set a light on. Some classic books like 'Elements of Style' and 'On Writing Well' that I was assigned in journalism school at USC are still on my shelf today, and having that consistent standard while honing in on your voice has been most important. But there's no greater teacher than hands-on experience, just jumping in, asking questions, and listening.

I've been fortunate to work with remarkable women who helped guide my path. Carrie Grabent from the Columbia Film Society was my first mentor. I interned with her and then it was my first job out of college. I was so sad to leave her when I entered the sales realm, but she was so supportive. I remember calling her like two years after I was in sales and saying I wanted something more, and she suggested that I write, which led me to reaching out to Charleston Home and Design. More recently, Charleston Home and Design's newest CEO, Courtney Kutzman, has had a huge impact. While I haven't known her for as long as I worked at the magazine, the impact she's had on the company and on me personally and professionally, especially the things she's taught me about balancing the two, has been super important.

Write every day, even if it's just two sentences. You'll be shocked at what you'll have to work with at the end of a week or a month or a year, whatever it is you want to write about. That's the key. If you want to write professionally and work in media, while it is super creative and exciting most of the time, it is still a job. There are going to be assignments that don't make you super excited, you know, you're kind of indifferent about whatever it is. There's still value in bringing a craft as a writer or an editor even if you don't resonate with it. It's important to still have it be representative of you in some way.

One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is balancing the demands of leadership and editorial production while also making space for my own creative goals, especially during the transition to full-time freelancing. At the same time, there are exciting opportunities to use media visibility and professional platforms to build a personal brand and expand freelance writing and consulting work.

Writing remains at the center of everything I do. Whether it's journalism, marketing content, poetry, or long-form storytelling like the book I ghostwrote, the discipline is the same: show up and write regularly. I learned from classic books like 'Elements of Style' and 'On Writing Well' that I was assigned in journalism school at USC, and I still have them on my shelf today. Having a consistent standard while honing in on your voice is most important, and there's no greater teacher than hands-on experience, just jumping in, asking questions, and listening. I value writing about topics that matter, like diversity, equity, inclusion, women, and minorities, things that I feel like media historically hasn't set a light on. Outside of editorial work, I'm passionate about community and collaboration. I'm a member of the Interior Design Society of Charleston and a founding member of Grapevine Giving, a donations-based networking platform where members pledge quarterly donations and vote together on organizations to support. It's a reminder that influence isn't just professional, it's also about impact.