Landscape Designer
Name: Coralie Stuart
Career stage: Mid-level - 5-10 years' experience
Working: On site
High School Subjects: VCE units 1/2/3/4 of business management, economics, physics, VCD, further maths, English literature, religion + society
Favourite: VCD, I enjoy the balance of visually creating something larger than myself and the problem solving involved that comes with the parameters of a brief
Further study: University
where and what: Double degree of communication design and business marketing at Swinburne
"A day in my life might include flying to the blue mountains for a photoshoot for Levi’s jeans campaign on sustainable fashion and climate change, where they’ll get me to design and install a demountable home"
the inside scoop…
What does a Landscape Designer actually do? My purpose is to create space (eg homes+entertainment space) that connects humans back in with the environment for their mental health and give reason to care about what happens to our planet.
What does a day in your life at work look like? I might finish a native based plant out for a kindergarten then fly to the blue mountains for a photoshoot for Levi’s jeans campaign on sustainable fashion and climate change where they’ll get me to design and install a demountable home with deck and memorial garden for a woman who lost her home in the bushfires. The campaign imagery is captured while doing something good while wearing something better for our environment. Then I’d find out there’s a networking event on promoting women in trade and I’ll go onto that.
What's the best part of your job? The fact that my career has helped me become really physically fit and healthy has also brought confidence as a byproduct. The satisfaction of stepping back at the end of the job and being able to see the difference made - not only for me, but to see others happy - is also great.
What made you realise construction could be for you? Marketing without an industry to be passionate about/ specialise in wasn’t fulfilling … I’m also a high energy person that struggles with anxiety… construction allowed me to have a paid physical outlet but use my creative big picture thinking skills at the same time. I felt environment + construction was the industry I wanted to specialise using marketing skills to make a positive difference in our community.
What would you tell your high school self about working in construction? Get your year 12 and labour/do apprenticeship on the side it’ll set you up with a solid financial foundation a million times better than any retail job and give you the financial freedom to go on to study whatever you find interesting and travel wherever you want and still have job security no matter the socioeconomic position of your parents.
What are you excited about in terms of sustainability in construction? That it’ll bring mass change in the way we exist as a society and to be “sustainable” will be a normality rather than a novelty.
Tell us about balancing work with your other interests, or family. From the second you start an apprenticeship you have to be honest with when you view yourself having a family and work out what position you have to be in with your trade in order for that to happen, then make moves and learn at the speed necessary to get there and not let anyone slow you down. This is why a woman in construction is worth hiring they have more physically at stake to succeed.
Coralie is open to engaging further via: Speaking at a high school.
If you'd like to enquire more, please fill out the form below with the subject name: "Coralie Stuart" and we'll pass your message on.