introduce yourself
My name is Matilda Egere-Cooper – I’m originally from the US, but have lived in the UK for 16 years. I guess that makes me an Anglo-American, which, in my line of work, definitely has its perks! For the last eight years, I’ve developed a career as a music journalist and it’s been pretty cool. I’ve interviewed lots of people including artists I personally appreciate like Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys, and I’ve written for a few publications from The Voice to i-D to the Independent, who I still write for now. A few years ago I decided to add teaching to my bow because I believe young people today have a lot of potential, which unfortunately mainstream education is failing to nurture, so I work with a number of organizations on journalism courses aimed at young people, and I love it! Teaching isn’t a terrible path – yes, kids can be rude, but a verbal back slap never hurt anybody, trust me! I’m certain they’ll thank me one day.
My blog started off as a spot to highlight my freelance work, but over the years, it’s been a constant document of my life, my rants (I’m pretty opinionated), and most recently, my love of photography, which is another area of my career I’m keen to pursue. My hope is that Waltzing Matilda will inspire others to follow their dreams and creativity – whether it’s writing, art or whatever. Aside from the teaching and freelancing, I’m currently working on a few photography projects, include the 365 project. I document an aspect of life ever day for a year, and I suspect it’ll be one of those adventures where by Day 183, I’ll probably be running the streets with Asbos or consorting with trannies in Soho, but that’s good – I’m expecting the unexpected.
fav lyric from a song
“Tell you one lesson I learned, if you wanna reach something in life, you aint gonna get it unless, you make a little bit of sacrifice”
– Sacrifice, The Roots
who and what inspires you?
God (I’m a born-again Christian), positive people, my friends, quality music, and those who’ve overcome adversity and have lived to tell the tale. I salute you!
icons past & present
Maya Angelou, Michelle Obama, photographer Mary Ellen Mark, pre-new millennium Lauryn Hill, Joyce Meyer.
the nublack philosophy/mantra according to Matilda Egre-Cooper
“Never settle for nothing.”
Check me out