A Day In The Life: Cat Hepburn
Cat Hepburn (32) is an award-winning scriptwriter and spoken word artist who has written for stage, screen and page. In addition to story-writing for television dramas and soaps for the BBC and Channel 4, her poetry has been featured on BBC6 Music, ITV and the Edinburgh Fringe. She has supported the likes of Dr John Cooper Clarke, Saul Williams and George The Poet, and is the co-founder of Sonnet Youth, one of Scotland’s leading poetry events producers. Cat currently has a feature film and a few shorts in development.
Cat’s latest book, Dating & Other Hobbies, is a collection of female-centred poetry and short stories and launches on April 22nd. Screaming with authenticity and using toe-curlingly relatable observations on millennial culture, Cat's unashamed writing treats the reader with the honesty of a wine guzzling bestie on a night out, making it both gut-wrenching and spit-your-tea-out funny.
Confessional, uncomfortable and hilarious all at once, from regrettable one night stands, to ghosting, to extramarital affairs, no stone is left unturned. Shining a light on the nuances of human connection and interaction in a world of digital dating and sexual exploration, Dating & Other Hobbies provides a truly unique celebration of early adulthood, and all the beautiful, sticky mess that comes with it.
We caught up with Cat to find out what a Day in the Life of a spoken word artist might look like...
I live... Between Glasgow in the winter, and Berlin (where my boyfriend lives) in the summer.
I set my alarm for… 9:30am, although if I have a looming writing deadline, my subconscious wakes me up way earlier than that with THE FEAR.
My morning routine is… I make myself an oat milk latte using a second-hand percolator with no handle and a swanky new milk frother; much like myself, my morning coffee is a mixture of high and low. Then I check my emails, my socials, and go over my to do list. I'll do some work at my desk for a bit, then most days do something fitness related, either via an online workout video or weather permitting, the great outdoors.
I got the job by… Originally I studied theatre studies and then did an MA in TV Fiction Writing. After that I got an agent, and then got into spoken word poetry and scriptwriting. I tried out a variety of jobs- stage manager, drama teacher, box office worker, before settling on The One - writing.
My typical day… Involves lots of different things, depending on what I have on the go. At the moment I'm promoting my new book Dating & Other Hobbies, working on a poetry commission, scriptwriting in a writers' room for the feature film I'm developing, making spoken word videos, and prepping and hosting the twice-monthly online show I co-produce for Sonnet Youth.
The most memorable working day... It's so hard to choose, but the best days are when I get a tonne of writing done, I love just being in the zone, and writing stories and scripts is my happy place!
Moment I feel most proud of… Writing, producing and starring in my 5 star solo show #GIRLHOOD at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. Pulling it all together was one of the toughest things I've ever done and I really pushed myself mentally and physically with it. One Saturday show, the audience was full of of my friends who were high on prosecco, and I felt so much love in the room, I burst into tears as soon as I came offstage.
Best part of the job… Collaborating with lots of different people, seeing my words come to life and helping others find their writing voice. I feel super grateful and lucky to do what I love every day and to make a living off my creativity. Who'd have thought that writing about one-night stands and ghosting would be an actual job?!
Worst part of the job… It can be stressful spinning lots of different plates, and being pulled in so many directions. I want to do my best, but sometimes I can spread myself a bit thin. I've been really mindful of that this year and take a Sunday off to relax, no matter what.
After work… I go for a short walk, cook dinner (always vegetarian, mostly healthy) and I watch TV, either a crime or music documentary, a drama, or if I've had a long day, something trashy. People's snobbery about telly confuses me, it's such a brilliant artform involving so many different creative processes, and it's my favourite way to switch off.
My bedtime routine… I have a bubble bath most nights, occasionally with a glass of wine. I listen to my favourite podcasts, put a sheet mask on and try to be in bed before midnight. I'm usually awake for hours after that, reading my kindle, jotting down ideas for poems or thinking about tomorrow's To Do list.
Fancy joining Cat for the virtual book launch of Dating & Other Hobbies? Email datingandotherhobbies@gmail.com for a zoom link and this Tuesday you could be a part of the evening along with comedian, Amelia Bayler.