Working for herself gives Carla Russell work-life balance
- Carla Russell and baby Finn at her gallery
In early 2008 Carla Russell, who is event manager for the New Zealand Affordable Art Show, became pregnant. She decided, from the outset, to take steps to ensure that her busy job would work hand-in-hand with her parenting responsibilities, and that each area would complement the other.
“I’d had the idea of a wee gallery in the back of my mind for a while and last year we put in a proposal application with the council, and were successful. The gallery means we have a permanent space to support and sell the work of new and emerging artists who we feature in the show.
“It’s a perfect location as it’s close to where I live, and I get to bring Finn to work each day. Right now he’s a baby so it’s OK, but when he starts walking it might be a different story...a toddler-friendly gallery could be a much harder project to manage!”
Carla used to struggle with defining boundaries between work and home life, but she now stands much firmer.
“I used to find it hard not to take stuff home and this was because I found it hard to start things and then not finish them. Now if I don’t finish things, I just don’t finish them. I pick up again the next day, instead of trying to cram everything in. My baby is more important than my job, but my job is key for our survival. So it’s a vital balance to strike.”
