Creative Careers: Part I

“Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life” - Confucius

I was recently having a glass of wine (of course) with a friend I hadn’t seen for almost 7 years and we were discussing her line of work. What struck me was the passion she had for what she did, despite it not being a "traditional" career and her underlying fear that in the future this may not always be an easy career to pursue whilst trying to raise a family.

We put so much emphasis on the idea that the ideal career is something along the lines of teaching, nursing and accounting and the only way to be successful in any of these is to go to university and graduate. We often forget that we live in an age where the richest man on earth never finished high school; the greatest inventor had no engineering background and one of the most successful women in the world is a woman who wrote 7 fantasy novels about a wizard!

There are a plethora of opportunities out there and all it takes is a little imagination and a lot of hard work to turn a passion, hobby or simple interest into a job or better yet, a career! Over the next few weeks, I have decided to interview 3 young successful women each in jobs that are not necessarily “traditional” and within industries that are relatively difficult to get into.

So enjoy and be inspired!

Courtney Clare Gledhill, 20 years old

Company and Job Title
I am a Dancer/Sing/Model. I have various roles in many jobs. My main work is Dancing and Dance teacher.

What did you study and what work experience did you complete?
I moved to Victoria in 2012 to do a fulltime dance course at The Space Dance & Arts Centre, but I have trained my whole life in Dance.  I started singing at age 10 with Ray Risdon. I have continued my lessons with Sarah Crozier in Melbourne and I model with Cinema Models.

Run us through your typical day?
I get up around 9am, head to the gym and finish at around 10.30. Some days I have rehearsal for gigs, if not you will probably find me at dance class. I start work at 4pm teaching dance, usually finishing around 9pm. Home or dinner with friends, shower and bed.

It is very hard to have a typical day as I don’t have a set schedule, my timetable changes all the time just because of the industry I am in. But I would not have it any other way. I love being busy and being surrounded by people who share my passion.

What is the best thing about your job?
I love being able to do something that I have had the passion for since I was 2 years old. There are not many people out there that could say they have been training their whole lives to do what they want to do, but I can and I love that I still have the same passion for my job as I did 18 years ago.

What is the worst thing about your job?
I hardly ever get a break; my body goes through hell and its constantly sore.

What is the best advice you would give someone wanting to work within your industry?
Work hard, train hard and don't put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to genres, because one day you might be asked to perform a classical piece and then the next day you’re in a showgirl outfit giving it a high kick. 

Enjoy the time you have in class and take every opportunity even if its something you have no desire to do, you never know where it will lead to.

Go out and try new classes, if you’re on holiday in another state or country, go to a class. This industry is very competitive and continuous learning and networking is vital and finally...be Confident and HAVE FUN!!!

Yvonne Xx