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Are you determined to follow your passions, but aren’t sure how sustainable they are? We talk to a selection of nzgirls who are making their dreams a reality.
Their inspiring stories are proof that you don’t have to settle for a traditional 9 - 5 job if that’s just not what you want to do.
If you want more information on balancing your budget and other ways Westpac can help you on your way while you’re working to achieve your goals, make sure you click here. Hayley: The Performer Hayley has been performing ever since she could walk. She started dancing at three years old, “singing came with the dancing and then acting was just a way for me to get over my nerves on stage”.
Hayley has taught tap, ballet, musical theatre and singing. She was recently guest cast on the TV2 teen drama Karaoke High and is currently in an all female singing/dancing trio called Avidiva.
“We sing a bit of pop and a bit of rock and perform all around New Zealand. Next stop - overseas!” Hayley can’t imagine her life without performing and uses it as a way to relax and find balance in her life.
What inspires you? This is a tough one because there is a lot that inspires me to do what I do. It really inspires me when I see other people out there like me, giving it a go. There is so much talent in New Zealand and it's good to see it showcased.
What advice would you give to nzgirls with a similar passion to you? Go for it! The worst thing you could do when it comes to performing is hold back. There is always something out there.
Could you make a living out of your passion? Would you like to? Definitely, I like to think I'm half way there, but it's just a matter of keeping on and not letting anyone tell you that you can't. Gala: The Fashionista Gala is an expatriate nzgirl living in Melbourne. Her passion is her website – www.galadarling.com - where she writes about fashion, style and aesthetics.
“It's a bit of a rebellion against the upper echelons of "fashion” and has a strong emphasis on the development of one's personal style”. Gala cites watching her mother get dressed up to go out with her father as one of the initiating factors of her interest in fashion.
“I loved to be witness to the routine - the dresses, the make-up, the hairspray, the perfume." She has also wanted to be a writer since she was old enough to read and at the end of months of travelling decided to start her website as she didn't want to go back to working in an office. Now Gala spends almost all of her time running the site.
“I currently write about four magazine-length articles a day. Even when I'm not writing, I'm replying to e-mails, thinking of new story ideas or checking my site traffic! Thankfully, I love all of it, so I don't mind and it doesn't seem like 'work'.”
What inspires you? I am an avid magazine collector: foreign photo shoots are great for sparking off ideas. In terms of characters, I am a huge fan of Carrie Bradshaw (from Sex and The City) and Eloise (a character from a series of children's books). I like to dress like every day is a celebration, so I'm also stimulated by things like birthday cakes and balloons... and any creative use of colour totally gets me going as well.
What advice would you give to nzgirls with a similar passion to you? Try not to do everything yourself -- I have someone who works behind the scenes for me doing everything concerned with the back-end of my website and the majority of my marketing. If I was doing it all myself, I would be completely burned out by now. Best to concentrate on what you're good at, which for me is the creative side of things.
If you won the lotto would you still pursue your passion? Absolutely! No amount of money could buy me the happiness I get from working on my site. I know that sounds totally cheesy and embarrassing, but it's true. It's really great to know that something I'm doing helps people. Heather – The Craftster Heather moved to Wellington from Blenheim but was unimpressed with working life so found herself “bored, depressed and penniless”.
After finding a retro ‘how to’ book on crochet, attempts to learn ended in “a crazy mutated form of crochet”. She started making unique crocheted creations and wanted a place to sell them.
Along with her flatmate Catriona, she decided to create her own craft market. Craftwerk (then known as Bitchcraft) was born. More than a year on, she’s still going strong, organising her unique style of craft market with off shoots in Auckland and Christchurch and selling her crocheted creations under the brand Electr!cFoxes.
How much of your time do you devote to your passion? At times Craftwerk becomes like a full time job. In the lead up to an event, I can be working on decorations, promoting, organising bands, vendors etc. well into the night. Sometimes well into the morning, sometimes not actually going to bed for three days. Electr!cFoxes stuff I do in between other things when I have the time.
If you won the lotto would you still pursue your passion? Yes! Even more so. It would mean I’d have money to buy nice wool and things I can't afford. Goodbye nasty acrylic! I would also have the money to take Craftwerk overseas; world domination is pretty expensive.
Do your friends and family support your passion? Yep, my friends are what make Craftwerk happen. If they weren't looking after the stalls, helping decorate, calming me down when I'm freaking, listening to me bitch and giving me sugar then Craftwerk couldn’t happen. Emma – The Printmaker Emma is a printmaker, working in mixed media woodblocks. She fell in love with print making at Art School in Dunedin where, “there were great teachers, wonderful presses, shelves of printing inks, and an amazing workshop”.
Emma currently works full time and does freelance writing on the side but still finds time on the weekend to work on her prints out of a room in her house in Featherston, Wairarapa.
“Sometimes I get in a printing mood and spend hours doing it; other times I can leave it for weeks.”
What inspires you? Vintage, op-shops, flowers, patterns, wallpaper, the Featherston landscape, Janet Frame, old plates, anything handmade, Frankie and Inside Out magazines, and creative friends.
What advice would you give to nzgirls with a similar passion to you? The hardest part is to start. Once you start don't stop. After art school I didn't print for three years. Even if I don't print now for weeks I'm still thinking about it. A doodle in a book or on the back of a receipt counts as keeping at it. Also, be creative - I don't have a printing press - I use a rolling pin. Be proactive and believe in yourself but don't be so full of your own worth that you can't tell when something needs to be recycled.
Do your friends and family support your passion? Yes, and they always have. My parents and grandparents probably have the largest Emma McCleary collections in New Zealand! I also now have lots of buyers that purchase my prints through my dealer galleries. However, I would still say my family make up the biggest part of my small fan base.
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Hayley: The Performer
Gala: The Fashionista
Heather – The Craftster
Emma – The Printmaker