Rose Blake enjoys a bit of variety. When she's not supporting the New Zealand Festival team in Wellington she is either teaching singing, from classical to pop, or playing a range of music, from folk to electronic.

In the latest 'NOT my day job' series on The Big Idea, highlighting creatives in New Zealand with multiple jobs, Rose says she is inspired by the people in both her work and creative life.

"I feel very lucky to be surrounded by a great group of musicians who are constantly creating and working on their craft. It pushes me to challenge myself and to keep writing music. To top it all off I get to come to work, where everyone is working to bring creative and inspiring artists to NZ too!"

Qualifications: BMus Hons

Tell us about your day job. 

I’ve been back working at the NZ Festival since October 2015, and it’s my second Festival. I love working for and supporting a team that is incredibly passionate about the arts. Everyone involved is working towards the common goal of bringing both national and international companies to Wellington to celebrate the thriving creative culture in NZ. There are so many different elements involved and it’s amazing to see it all come together.

Tell us about your creative work when you’re NOT doing your day job? 

I’m a singing teacher and musician. I work with people of all different ages and skill levels to help them reach their goals in music. Whether they are in classical singing and technique through to pop music. It’s extremely rewarding to work with such a diverse range of people and see them discover their voice and musicality. 
 
How do you manage juggling both? 

It can be hard at times but the wonderful thing about teaching is its flexibility. At one stage I was working five days at the Festival, teaching singing in the evenings and working at a music school on Saturdays. During that period I felt very motivated but was also wary of burning out, so I made sure to cut things back after a month or so!

Tell us about your creative background? 

I started singing from a very young age and very quickly fell in to classical singing. I eventually ended up at the New Zealand School of Music studying classical singing. It was a very challenging and rewarding degree that has definitely given me a great set of skills as a musician and singer. After that I ended up taking a left turn and joined a number of folk bands and even learnt to play the banjo! In saying that classical singing is still a great passion of mine and I continue to be involved in the NBR Opera Chorus.

What has inspired you? Who or what keeps you going? 

The people around me are a huge inspiration, both from my work life and my creative life. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by a great group of musicians who are constantly creating and working on their craft. It pushes me to challenge myself and to keep writing music. To top it all off I get to come to work, where everyone is working to bring creative and inspiring artists to NZ too!

Would you like your creative work to be full-time (why/why not)? 

That’s a tough one. I think as a musician you are often doing a number of jobs and different projects to survive/pay your rent – of course I would love to be a touring musician! But I think as long as there is enough space and time in my life to be creative and perform music then I’m happy.

What would help you achieve this? 

Winning lotto.

If you had the chance to start your creative career or path again, what would you do differently? 

I think the only thing I would do differently is to trust my instincts more and not worry about making the 'right choice'. You have to do what feels right for you.

What advice would you give to someone pursuing a similar creative career or pathway? 

Once again, I think it is important to surround yourself with good people and trust the decisions you make. Dive in, create and perform. Focus on enjoying the process, not about what other people think!

Tell us about your recent or upcoming creative projects. 

This year I have quite a few releases; my band Pales is set to release an album in the next few months, another band I play in called Ida Lune (three female singers) will be releasing their debut album and I will also be releasing an EP of my own electronic music under the name Blaek – both Pales and Blaek will also be performing at the Newtown Festival in March!

What’s your big idea for 2016? 

‘Instinct’ – after writing this I’ve now realised it’s my big idea! It’s that part of you that senses creatively what feels right. Use it!