4 busy fashion people on how they maintain a sustainable work-life balance
“I have a few self-indulgent non-negotiables each week.”
Achieving the elusive work-life balance seems completely out of reach for many. Maybe you’ve found yourself scoffing down microwavable oats at 8.59am one too many times. Or perhaps the number of hours you haven’t gotten out of your desk chair would make a physio pale.
Feeling equally fulfilled in both our careers and personal lives is a goal that’s increasingly difficult to achieve, especially when creative fields demand a level of energy and intimacy that can be exhausting. It’s why I’m all ears when it comes to techniques that aim to reestablish this balance.
Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.
Whether that’s getting a fitness fix, a supplement routine down pat (Swisse Beauty‘s Multivitamin Beauty Complex comes in a powder and tablet form for ease) or making time to be in nature, here’s how four Australian fashion people work towards a healthy work-life balance.
Jam Baylon, she/her, creative director and stylist
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What does your job entail?
My role is fairly hands-on and all over the place. Usually, it involves starting very early (like 7.30am or earlier depending on the call time) to prep and style talent, along with [heading up] creative direction and managing a creative crew.
It also involves pre-production [work] like sourcing apparel and props, location scouting and visiting [set] designers. Then there’s the post-shoot component like going through selects of images and returning hired props. It definitely keeps me on my feet and [I’m] constantly on the go. No one day is the same which I absolutely love.
How do you manage to keep a sustainable work-life balance?
I’m such an advocate for work-life balance. On top of my career, I’m also a mother to three girls. My energy is important. I definitely ensure I eat well and drink plenty of water. I also make sure I go to bed early so I can get at least get seven to eight hours of sleep.
I play soccer a few times a week and it really helps me mentally and physically. I still make the effort to make it to my games even when I’m exhausted from a shoot because, at the end of each game, I feel so much better. I also try to [practise] earthing a couple of times a week. For me, earthing is when I touch grass or sand with my bare feet for 10 to 30 minutes. You can be walking, pacing or just standing. It really helps with stress.
Most importantly, I also ensure I have downtime with friends and family. We can get so caught up with the hustle of our work and careers that we forget to just take a breather and chill.
Ash Davidson, she/her, founder of Pash Social
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What does your job entail?
I’m the founder and director of Pash Social, a social media agency specialising in content, creative and influencer campaigns for beauty and lifestyle brands.
How do you manage to keep a sustainable work-life balance?
The short answer [is] (and for full disclosure), I don’t! I work every day and most nights, which is equally as cringe as it is necessary for this phase of the business. But! I do have strategies in place to maintain some sense of sanity.
They include allowing myself and my team flexibility. Taking care of life admin and [time for] self-care can and should happen within work hours. I always allow myself time to work out – I highly recommend boxing and hot Pilates for switching off.
Also, therapy! Seeing a performance psychologist was a game-changer for me last year. This is fairly [cringe] but I try not to schedule too many (if any) social events during the week, but I always make time to drink wine with friends on weekends. Lastly, my emotional support dog. Enough said.
Lillian Scott, she/her, Depop seller and production assistant
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What does your job entail?
I work full-time as a production assistant and editor for Crybaby Productions. I also run @lillianscottt on Depop which has been a full-time gig for the last five years. I’m a busy girl!
How do you manage to keep a sustainable work-life balance?
As boring as it sounds, my own work-life balance is achieved through setting hard boundaries and committing to non-negotiables. Living with my partner [or] alone is my only option. I get hardcore social burnout and I wouldn’t function living in a shared space. I really need time on my own to ground myself and stay focused.
I navigate the craziness of my schedule with a full-time addiction to my calendar app. Everything is colour-coded and I won’t settle for anything less than a rainbow week. I make sure to block time every day for exercise and I walk (almost) everywhere (this can be hard when you’re constantly carting around Ikea bags full of clothes).
While the grind can get intense, nothing gives me greater pleasure than pulling off a spectacularly busy day. It helps to romanticise everything. Even the most menial tasks are magical when viewed through rose-coloured lenses.
Genevieve Phelan, she/her, publicist and writer
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What does your job entail?
I’m a communications consultant, which is just a fancy way of saying I offer publicity, copywriting and editorial work for lifestyle and fashion brands. I’ve run my own consultancy for just over a year now! I’m also actually the Lifestyle and Careers columnist at Fashion Journal, coincidentally.
How do you manage to keep a sustainable work-life balance?
It’s cool to say I actually maintain balance, for the most part, these days. I have a few self-indulgent non-negotiables each week, like Soul Cycle classes, caffeinated hot girl walks, tools down afternoons at the beach with my boyfriend and tenuous ‘work lunches’ on an early Friday arvo that flow into the after-work-drinks territory.
I’ve always resisted the eight-hour corporate workday, and that’s why I decided to go out on my own. My restlessness helps with keeping the balance! I play to my strengths in getting shit done during ‘hours of power’, meaning I can plough through a daily to-do list in a few productive bursts (usually early morning, post-movement and post-caffeine) and then have my generous break times or splice the emails with meetings. I remind myself frequently of the old cliché: it’s PR, not ER.
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