While working from home can relieve some stressful demands, it can also lead to a collapse in professional and personal contexts. Five creatives talk to Madeleine Crutchley about how they make the at-home grind work for them.
The distinction between work life and home life is an increasingly blurred line.
Whether it’s tending to a work email during unpaid hours or the sometimes-cringeworthy development of a personal ‘brand’ across LinkedIn, this digital connection can cause professional and personal worlds to collapse in context.
These hybrid working conditions can help accommodate busy schedules, accessibility needs and caretaking responsibilities. However, the demands of an at-home work life can be tricky to navigate. If you’re perched at a desk in your bedroom, with a Microsoft Team bell ringing in your head, where can you go to switch off?
Below, creatives from a range of disciplines reveal their methods for structuring their work-from-home days and explore how they prioritise rest in a demanding economic climate.
Chyna Lily
Founder of Auckland-based Chills jewellery.
Each day in my work-from-home life ... is different for me. I have recently taken on a few other part-time jobs to fuel my art practice, such as documentation for Lemonbone art leasing and gallery sitting for Suite Gallery.
If I am lucky enough to have a full day to work on Chills, I typically start my day with admin – communicating with clients, processing online orders, ordering materials, and running between jewellery workshops. I make all of Chills’ pieces at my family workshop in Ponsonby, where they have been for over 30 years crafting and repairing adornments. But of course, as a small business owner, my work never stops wherever I am. So – whether I’m [at the studio] or working from home – I’m typically discussing a custom order with a client, planning a new campaign with photographers or stylists or brainstorming new pieces that I would love to wear and make.
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Advertise with NZME.In my work-from-home space and routine, it is essential that ... my morning routine stays the same to balance the chaos of never-ending jobs. Distance from my desk is another essential. I break up my day by visiting my gem supplier, materials supplier or meeting with collaborators for upcoming projects.
I enjoy working at home as ... I’m lucky in that my space gets light all day with a great view but I get out of the house as much as possible, to keep the mindset of “don’t work where you sleep”.
To prioritise rest and take time away from work ... I’ve got into doing boxing training with Peach Boxing, it has been so rewarding to be a part of a community that is so different from my work – I prioritise these classes and go consistently on my days off. I also love to read and photograph everyday life using film.
Abbey Merson
A painter and artist based in Hastings.
I started working from home six years ago, after ... I quit my ‘real job’ to follow my passion for painting and to give IVF one last chance, without the stresses of a 9 to 5. I started out renting a studio space in town but eventually converted half our garage into a studio so I could work from home as a new mum. It’s much more manageable. Working from home keeps my week flexible for anything that may pop up.
In a typical work day ... once school drop-off is done, I pop a load in the washing machine, turn on the dishwasher and head to the studio. I play music and take a few moments to get into the groove. I’ll be in the studio all morning, painting, packing and sending orders to galleries. I’ll stop for a lunch break early afternoon and if it’s a lovely day enjoy it in the backyard, with the flowers and bees. I love my hammock – my favourite place to come up with new ideas and take stock of what’s next, before getting back to more painting.
Then, I’ll pick up our daughter from school and then we’re back to the garden. Some afternoons when I’ve got a lot on or a deadline to meet, she’ll join me in the studio and we’ll paint together. After she’s in bed at night, I’ll usually find myself back in the studio, just staring at my creations, planning what’s next, and creating until I’m ready for bed.
Though I’m terrible at prioritising rest and time off ... I know it’s essential to my creativity. I tend to work with the flow of my energy. If I’m feeling flat, I won’t head to the studio that day until I’m ready. I’ll spend more time with family and loved ones, and finish other things that need to be done. I love and feel so lucky that I can work from home and have created a space that gives me everything I need to feel free.
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Frances Shoemack
Founder of Abel fragrance, a Wellington and Amsterdam-based natural perfume company.
For my work-from-home routine ... I typically try to do two days a week from home and tend to choose the days with early starts and late finishes to give the day a little more breathing space in between (because of our EU base, my days often start with calls at 7am and end with 10pm). With the mornings and evenings punctuated by meetings, I try to keep working work-from-home days largely meeting-free to allow space for more strategic and deep-thinking work – something that can be hard to focus on in a busy office.
I don’t have a set working-from-home space in the house ... so when the family are home in the mornings and evenings I tend to move my workspace into our spare room. Then, during the day, [I set up] by the fire in the living room, which is my favourite place to work, especially at this time of year. We have a Limber mini desk at home (and the full-size ones at Abel), so I can work from the floor or stand at the kitchen table. Otherwise, [I need] a bottomless French press of coffee, gallons of water, and my laptop and phone.
I enjoy working from this space especially because ... we have a 16-week-old Vizsla puppy so he’s a wonderful distraction for cuddles and ensuring I get outside every few hours! This has been a super nice adjustment. Prior to Sherlock being part of the family I would have said sometimes the days disappear without having hardly looked up! We live on the south coast, so there’s no excuse for not getting out into the Wellington wind to blow out the cobwebs. If I need to make phone calls on these days I’ll try to do it while out walking too.
Struggle-wise, as counterintuitive as it can sound, I think you can miss the commute! My work is a 20-minute bike or 10-minute drive away so it’s never a major, but the break between work and personal life can be a really meaningful divide. It’s something I’m wary of when working from home – there’s even less space between work and personal life than usual!
To prioritise rest and time off ... we put in a sauna at home a year or so ago. That’s my absolute favourite reset and self-care. There’s not much that an hour of sauna and cold ocean plunge with my husband can’t solve.
Sofia Santos
Poet and ceramicist behind Auckland-based pottery store Sofyah Ceramics.
I find that working from home ... is honestly a blessing. I’ve been able to turn some of my garage space into a small ceramic studio, which allows me to be flexible in how I show up to my making. I think artists struggle with the rigidity of a 9 to 5 because art isn’t rigid. The creative flow doesn’t often come eight hours a day, five days a week and so I prefer to try not to set that unrealistic expectation of being a certain type of productive.
This is to say that every day is different. Some days, I sit at the wheel for hours straight. Some days, I’m not even there for an hour. A lot of days I’m not in there at all. I live with seven of my friends in Campbells Bay and I love being able to squeeze in beach walks, yoga and surf sessions when possible. This is how I protect my making. It is precious to me and I don’t want to ruin it with burnout.
It is essential that I ... journal in the morning. I have a busy mind and this helps me to not get too emotional or existential about my practice. I need my speaker as music always has to be playing. I use sticky notes in an attempt to get the chaos to work in my favour, not against. I’ve just recently started doing this and I love it – there are sticky notes everywhere in my studio.
To prioritise rest and time off ... I surf a lot. Although this might be considered an intense form of exercise for some, it is my deepest most restorative form of reset. I grew up in the water so that’s where I go to be home. On top of that, I work part-time hours teaching classes at a pottery centre and I find that this takes a lot of financial stress and pressure off my making; because any artist’s sales won’t be consistent every week or month.
Gabbie De Baron
Graphic designer (by day), freelance writer and Gabebe’s jewellery designer (by night).
In my work-from-home routine ... I’m a morning person. I try to get up around 5 or 6am. Then, after vitamins and food, I do my first branch of to-dos. This varies depending on the day, but I usually start with tasks from my day job, then I answer emails and shower for a reset.
Then, I grind it out until 11 or noon, and then I try to spend time with my Lolas [grandmothers] during the day since this is the time that suits them. After I come home, I do chores, answer emails, write my to-dos for the next day. I also try to change my environment. Some days I work at home or work at a cafe nearby. I also try to incorporate going to the gym or doing a walk at around 6pm, so I don’t feel too anxious at night.
My essentials for working from home include ... coffee, definitely. I have this amazing handmade mug my best mate gave to me from the Philippines and it makes me so happy drinking piping hot coffee out of it. I also NEED soft lighting. I have a few vintage lamps that provide that Art Deco feel. I need to believe my life is cinema for me to stay motivated. It’s been working so far.
In working from home... I enjoy not being around too many people, honestly. I’m a yapper. Also, I spent so many years working hospitality jobs, it’s nice to not have to be fake-nice. The struggle is that working from home can get boring if I don’t change my environment, which is why I try to go to nearby cafes or work in one of my Lola’s houses. A bonus from the latter is that they make me lunch and coffee.
Though I try to balance work and rest ... I don’t (hahahaha). The problem is I say yes to most things. I do work while I am on holiday. But it’s what helps me function. I love being a creative. I rarely struggle with a creative block, which I’m so thankful for. I enjoy crocheting and making long-form YouTube vlogs – I really love making.
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