Lessons from the exemplar company that employed me when I had no experience and I was six months pregnant.

I chose the job and the company because I didn’t care about either. I was alone, six months pregnant and, I needed money. 20-years later, I still draw on the experiences at that company as the standard to which others should aspire.

In my late twenties and into my mid-thirties, I headed up the online offering for a major supermarket chain, Woolworths. I was a full-time employee and, it was my first ‘real’ grown-up job. Before that, I was a student and free-lancer — artist, designer, activist, general idealistic and pain in the ass.

I applied for the job when I was six months pregnant and, despite legislation that made it illegal to turn anyone down on that basis, I felt I wouldn’t get the job. But I did.

Three months later, on a Friday, I went into labour. After a long three-day effort, my son was born Monday morning. Ten days later, I returned to full-time work.

Up until that time, I’d earned my living as an artist. I didn’t know what I would want to do once I crossed the line to single mum; so I chose a job and a company that I could walk away from without too much grief on either side.
The company didn’t feel the same way; they promoted me straight away, and I moved into a role heading up the project office.

Being a successful writer, and doing well as an artist requires a very similar set of proficiencies in two distinct areas — time practising the craft, and marketing or distribution.

As an artist, these involve:

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