NINA, 26:
My name is Nina, I’m 26. I had a rocky start in life but now i am following my dreams and aspirations. We each get dealt a different hand to begin with, and believe you me my hand was no royal flush.
In my very early twenties, I started working in fashion retail. With hard work, and by sticking to my goals, I started getting results at my job; my supervisors noticed my work ethic, commitment, and energy, and offered me an opportunity to seek promotion. I grabbed it. Even though I was making headway, and it seemed like I had it all, with a bright future, I made some unwise personal choices: i started a family too early. Soon I had to admit to myself that family and domestic reality is not as rosy as we were promised by our teenage dreams, and sadly enough in this reality, I was not living ’happily ever after’. So I turned into a single mom by choice.
After opting to go it alone, I still felt left shattered and overwhelmed by responsibilities that I had to handle on my own. I was full of doubts and started to question myself about very basic truths in my life: How would I continue to train and develop skills? How would I manage to support my child? How would I manage to hold down a job which fit my abilities, pay the bills, and enable me to be a single mom? My dreams were crushed, I felt tired, alone, and trapped.
But luckily I managed to turn my life around again! This time around as a single mom and a retail manager at a fashion shop in Helsinki, I feel like I am slowly but surely putting the pieces back together, and more. I am building myself and developing and growing.
I sometimes feel like an acrobat trying to juggle being a mom and being a manager. The morning rush is a great calorie-reducing aerobic exercise: with one hand, I put the name tag on my jacket, and my little kid wants to play with it, but in her hand is my set of keys; as I take them out of her hand, and put her overall back on (she tried to undress while we were on the way out). With my foot I push the toys back in the corner, and with my spare eye I am double checking my watch, to make sure I don’t miss my train and bus connection. we have to get to the nursery and say our goodbyes for the day, but in 7 minutes, or I miss my train. By the time I get to the branch and open it for business, I have already done a whole shift, but I am happy: time to start a new day at work!
It sure isn’t easy to come up with the energy for a lively toddler after a long day at work, and it sure isn’t easy coping with the demands and stress on the job day in and day out. All the same, I really really believe that my experience in these two worlds has helped me to become a better person all around, and live a fuller life. I hope that these ’workouts’ will make me a better manager and a more confident mother who is a strong role model for her daughter.
Getting to where I am now has involved lots of hard work, motivation, and self-reliance: although my family wanted the best for me, my background was not soft, and i wasn’t fed with a silver spoon. I’ve been working since my teens while my friends were watching soap operas, shopping, and just passing the time.
I don’t feel like we ever really reach the end. The next goal, the next challenge are always waiting around the corner. I hope to make it in the world of retail management, and to become an independent and successful woman. For me, it is not just about a passion for fashion, it’s about bringing the human touch to the workplace. I try to put some art and some love into everything I do, whether I am at work, at home, or just chilling out.
MITJA KORTEPURO:
”Haasteiden reunalla”
Oman itsevarmuuden ja naiseuden ylläpitäminen uran ja äitiyden ohessa on haastavaa ja pelottavaa. Kuva kertoo Ninan vahvuudesta kasvattaa itseään naisena sekä urallaan että äitinä, vaikka elämä onkin koko ajan tasapainottelua ”haasteiden reunalla”.
”Ilon pirskahduksia”
Elämänilo pursuaa Ninasta. Kovillekin ottava elämä on kuitenkin riemua täynnä, ja Nina ottaa jokaisesta haasteestakin ilon irti. Kuvalla haluttiin tuoda sitä sidettä ja iloa esiin, jonka oma rakas lapsi tuo Ninan elämään.
Yhden, jokaisen naisen tarina
Näyttely avoinna 4.2. – 28.3.2013
ma-pe klo 9-18
Uusi Gynekologikeskus Oy
Hämeenkatu 22 B 4. krs, Tampere
Mitja Kortepuro, valokuvataide, Yhden jokaisen naisen tarina