Festival gives Faye's creativity a new outlet; Faye Christiansen, PA My Dream Job.

Byline: EMMA THOMPSON 

THERE are some people out there who possess that certain something which makes them perfect for working in the arts, and Faye Christiansen is one of them.

Faye is the PA to Ruth Gould, CEO of DaDa Disability and Deaf Arts, who unveiled the DaDaFest 09 - which runs until December 5 - earlier this week.

This year's festival, themed Imperfect Moments, invites the viewers to create their very own 'perfect moments' throughout each exhibition and performance.

Said Faye: "DaDa is such an incredible organisation to work within, I absolutely love my job. The people I work with are brilliant and it's great to be able to work closely with so many talented people.

"Each day is different, from liaising with artists and venues to writing for the website and newsletter and even organising the occasional burlesque workshop. It is so exciting to work on DaDaFest 09; this year's festival is shaping up to be fantastic."

Faye has worked with DaDa for four years and took a keen interest in the arts from an early age.

She said: "I have always been interested in the arts, and have been involved with creative writing and amateur drama since my school days. I became interested in becoming a film director upon leaving school, and went to university to study Screen Studies and Imaginative Writing. I really enjoyed my degree, although after directing a few short films I wasn't sure if this was the right path for me."

While exploring her career options after graduating, Faye took on a role at DaDa and from there progressed to her position as PA to Ruth Gould.

Faye said: "Working for DaDa has really allowed me to grow and develop my skills, as every day is fastpaced and exciting, especially in the run-up to each year's festival.

"Ruth is really encouraging, and has always created opportunities for training when I have expressed an interest."

Not only does Faye work hard to expand her repertoire within work, she is also still keenly involved with the amateur dramatics and creative writing scene.

She explained: "Outside of work I am still very involved in acting on stage as well as creative writing. This is something that I have always enjoyed and I would love to progress further in this area in the future."

A lot of hard work and determination has got Faye where she is today. She has found that time constraints have been her greatest challenge when preparing for DaDaFest 09. Faye says the secret to her success is the great team she has to support her and the hard work everyone at DaDa does to put this brilliant festival together.

She added: "The best thing about my job is the people that I work with, from fellow members of staff to the artists that contribute to the festival.

"It is hard work but we're not afraid to get stuck in, and the incredible feedback we receive more than makes up for the long hours.

"My advice to anyone interested in working in the arts is to persevere and be determined to succeed in whatever you do."

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CREATIVE: Faye Christiansen