NOT my day job
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The Big Idea 'NOT My Day Job' series is celebrating people doing strange and wonderful things to stimulate their creative work. Share your story!
The Big Idea 'NOT My Day Job' series is celebrating people doing strange and wonderful things to stimulate their creative work. Share your story!
Here's some highlights of people we've talked to who are juggling multiple jobs and careers.
We know there are many more in our freelance creative economy and want to hear from you! Please contact us.
In 2014 we heard from a comedian and criminologist, a playwright and economist, a dancer and HR advisor, a theatre director and court worker, a dancer and real estate agent, and a musical theatre producer and molecular biologist.
Tell us about your day job and your creative work when you're NOT doing your day job?
Court/Theatre - Adam Goodall
Day Job: I'm a Research Counsel at the Dunedin District Court, which basically involves doing research for the local judiciary and court service. I've been there for a year after being drawn to the law by my interest in criminal justice and social reform. I am emphatically not a lawyer.
Creative Work: I write and direct theatre in Wellington and Dunedin. I'm a founding member of the Wellington theatre company Making Friends Collective, along with Johnny Crawford, Andrew Clarke, Tony Black and Flinn Gendall, and I produce plays under my own name as well.
Dentist/Comedian - Sam Smith
Day Job: I graduated from Dental School in 2009 and have worked in private practices in Wellington and Auckland since then. I’m a general dental practitioner, meaning I do all different types of dentistry; lots of fillings and root canals and crowns and check-ups – everything apart from orthodontics.
Creative Work: I moved up to Auckland at the end of 2013 to write for Jono and Ben at Ten which I love. I also write for 7 Days and Best Bits. I do stand-up comedy. I was a national finalist in the Raw competition in 2011, and won Best Newcomer Wellington in 2013 for my first solo show Samantics.
Criminologist/Comedian - Matt Stellingwerf
Day Job: I am a criminologist, a branch of sociology that studies the nature, extent, causes, controls, and prevention of crime at both the individual and society level. Currently, given my creative commitments, I work as a freelance writer who specialises in criminological chapters, papers and proofing. I originally chose it at university as a cool sounding major, and then fell in love with it as a subject.
Creative Work: I am a stand-up comedian and writer. I write for television and travel around the country performing at a variety of venues and events. From Beer Festivals, rural RSAs and strip-clubs, to Fringe Festivals and theatres!
Molecular biologist/Musical theatre - Robin Kelly
Day Job: I work at Caldera Health – a molecular diagnostics company working towards a better diagnostic test for prostate cancer. I’ve only been there for a couple of months – it captures my passion for creative, meticulous science, plus it has the potential to really help people, which is important to me!
Creative Work: I'm pretty full on the rest of the time in either theatre production or music – sometimes both, as in the case of Earnest at the moment. I love watching everything falling in to place from the production side of things, it’s incredibly satisfying, and being able to play music for a job is always a joy.
Economist/Playwrite - Gareth Davies
Day Job: Executive director of Vinstar since 1994. Vinstar is an Auckland-based economic advisory consultancy that has completed 162 assignments in 32 countries, mainly in Asia and the Pacific. The work Vinstar undertakes is funded by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the New Zealand Government and the Australian Government.
Creative Work: Playwright. I have written five plays, a number of which have been performed at the Hay Festival in the UK. Another was written to celebrate the 74th birthday of Richard Booth the King of Hay. My fifth play, Everest Untold, is due to be performed at the end of September.Working with words - In my day job I am called upon to write proposals to win work, in direct competition with large transnational companies. Given ours is a relatively small company (what we refer to in our marketing material as "boutique"), we have to work doubly hard on our words to win the business.
HR Advisor/Dancer - Parvathy Krishna
Day Job: I’ve been on Fonterra’s Graduate programme for nearly two years now. As a graduate advisor, I support managers through operational HR activities that arise during an employee’s life cycle (e.g Recruitment, Performance Management, Capability, Remuneration, Talent, Misconduct). It’s the culture, the people and the opportunity for growth that has fuelled a real passion for my job.
Creative Work: I work with different dance groups to choreograph and perform in a variety of dance events. My involvement with multiple dance groups has allowed me to experiment with different spectrums of creating a dance piece – classical versus contemporary, dance versus drama, lyrical versus instrumental. Currently, I’m working on a classical duet depicting Shakespeare’s Taming of The Shrew.
Real Estate/Dancer - Lawrence Liew
Day Job: I am a licensed salesperson – which is generally referred to as a real estate agent! My full time job entails selling and buying properties for my clients particularly in the Eastern bays in Auckland. I have been doing it since March 2014 after I quit my accountancy job at the Serious Fraud Office. The reason for a career change is because the real estate industry fascinates me.
Creative Work: My creative work is related to dance - specialising in a dance style known as popping. I also have strong interest in other dances ranges from House dance to Salsa. My dance work is mainly focus on building the street dance scene here in Auckland and we have successfully achieved constant growth in number of dancers especially for the popping community here in Auckland.
How do you manage juggling both?
HR Advisor/Dancer Parvathy Krishna
Insane time-management and daily doses of caffeine! That, and a sheer passion and drive for dancing that prompts me to dive into some very time-consuming dance projects. I’ve been lucky enough to have some strong foundations by way of a supportive family who help me maintain balance, perspective and energy that is much needed during dance season.
Tell us about your creative background.
I had been doing singing and music and drama at school for as long as I could remember, and then I got into comedy at high school through the Class Comedians programme. I went to Otago University where I started performing in the Capping Show which basically took over my life in Dunedin.
What has inspired you? Who or what keeps you going?
Economist/Playwrite Gareth Davies
I'm inspired by the fact that there are so many stories that I feel need to be told. I'm also inspired by my wife who is my biggest supporter. What keeps me going is the challenge of writing a good play and then finding and working with a great cast and director. It's not too dissimilar to what keeps me going in my day job.
Would you like your creative work to be full-time?
Real estate agent/Dancer - Lawrence Liew
No. I strongly believe that in street dance scene, you don’t need to be a full time dancer to reach world class level. Personally what’s stopping me from doing creative work full time really is the income it generates. The underground dance industry is just too cruel when it comes to rewarding us in terms of money.
What would help you achieve this?
Criminologist/Comedian Matt Stellingwerf
Hopefully a successful run of my first solo show in the NZ International Comedy Festival this year would help! Beyond that, my specific goals don't necessarily involve TV and corporate work, more that I continue to grow and evolve as a performer. I want those to be rewards, not the reason I get up in the morning (occasionally afternoon).
What advice would you give to someone pursuing a similar creative career or pathway?
Molecular biologist/musical theatre Robin Kelly
While you’ve got the energy, say yes to absolutely everything, and really relish the experiences that that brings about. Then learn to say ‘no’. That’s the hardest lesson to learn sometimes, but it will be the most important word if you want to keep your passion alive and make good art.
What’s your big idea for 2015?
To write, to direct, to not stop making stuff. I would tell you more, but there's some surprises in there I don't want to spoil for everyone.