Art to waste: Estonian graduate’s bold journey changing careers

Ever faced a challenging situation and thought to yourself, “Guess I’ll just have to make the best out of it”?

Well, that’s a phenomenon called the “psychological immune system” — sort of like your brain trying to protect you from the horrors ahead. It was dubbed by researcher Kristin Laurin from the University of British Columbia in 2018, and it’s a smaller piece in the wider puzzle of cognitive bias – flawed thought patterns and reasoning.

Perhaps, it’s an easier way to live. Life deals you the cards, and you simply roll with them.

But how long can that go on for?

Hanna Purdelo knew deep in her heart that law school in France was not her calling. It was a path set out for her after she completed her A Levels in her home country of Estonia.

Though guided by the voices of other people instead of her own, Purdelo decided to pursue law anyway — but after six months, she knew that it just wasn’t for her.

When enough was enough, she told herself, “I’m going to follow my own path.”

From there, it was simply a matter of leaving the law programme and pursuing something she had been interested in all along: a bachelor’s degree in art history in Paris, and later, a master’s degree in arts policy and management in the UK.

Funnily enough, her career today has nothing to do with either degree.

To understand Purdelo’s advice on changing careers, we first have to look back at how she was brought up. Source: Hanna Purdelo

Growing up the Estonian way

Born and raised in Estonia, Purdelo grew up with the concept of freedom and identity ingrained into her soul since she was a child — not through the words of another person, but through the songs of a youth choir.

In the Northern European country and its tight-knit communities, music is the bread and butter of their culture. Estonia, in particular, is home to one of the largest archives of folk songs, over 133,000, and the 156-year-old Estonian Song Festival, where 30,000 singers unite to celebrate the nation’s freedom from Soviet occupation.

A lover of art and music herself, Purdelo participated in the prestigious Ellerhein choir for 12 years – a choir known for its patriotism, founded in 1951 during the occupation.

“People knew what you were standing for,” says Purdelo. “You stood for freedom, and you stood for Estonian culture, your mother- and your fatherland.” 

The choir was life-changing. It was her life.

She had spent most of her life in rehearsal rooms and concert halls. And it was here that she learned from industry experts, some renowned worldwide

“It makes you understand how important it is to make your mark within this cultural environment,” she says.

Coming from the capital city, Tallinn, she also spent plenty of time in the countryside. Coastal views, forests, cottage houses, and vast greenlands – it was no short of a living fairytale.

“From a very young age, it made me value nature,” she says. “How important the environment is for the local communities, health and well-being, and also livelihood.”

Advice on changing careers: Listen to your gut feeling

Purdelo’s first big move after leaving law school? Studying art history at Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris. 

When her parents first heard about her changing careers, they weren’t too excited.

“Since I was financing my own studies at the time anyway, I felt more at ease changing paths,” she says.

So, alongside her art history studies, she took painting and music composition classes in French institutions. To finance her growing dreams, she’d worked at auction houses and a museum. 

“I was so naive in my 20s,” laughs Purdelo. “I just walked into the director’s office at an auction house and said that I wanted to work for them, and it worked out.”

The second big shift in Purdelo’s life would meet even more opposition.

By sheer luck, as she was searching for opportunities to travel, Purdelo received an offer to work at the Saatchi Gallery in London. 

It felt like a dream come true, but this was in 2012 when the UK had experienced its first double-dip recession since the 1970s.

Her friends were concerned, advising Purdelo against moving, warning her of the challenges waiting for her in London: “You’re never going to find a job,” and “It’s a massive risk to take.”

She could’ve let the voices of other people influence her again, but Purdelo didn’t want a repeat of the past. 

Purdelo began pursuing her master’s in 2013, but her career today is a far departure from her initial degree. Source: Hanna Purdelo

How a random video on Facebook changed her life

And so the story goes: Purdelo followed her gut and moved to London. In 2013, she began pursuing a master’s in arts policy and management at Birkbeck, University of London. After graduating, she started working in cultural administration and events management.

For five years, Purdelo’s life was at an all-time high. She was working with her first loves — art and music — two key aspects that are central to her identity, and things couldn’t get any better.

So they got worse.

In 2020, COVID-19 halted the world and locked everyone in their homes. For Purdelo, work took an indefinite hiatus when all the cultural event venues had to close down in compliance with safety measures.

Luckily for her, however, was that Purdelo stumbled onto a random YouTube video on a topic completely unrelated to her two degrees: zero waste.

It was a video that would alter — and later on, did alter it — the direction of her career entirely.

“It’s just one little video, and it can change your whole perception around your own behaviour,” says Purdelo.

In the first week of discovering the video, Purdelo reduced her waste from 60 litres to three litres.

Going to the store wasn’t the same any more. She saw too much plastic being used and wasted. “The idea of a zero waste lifestyle is to avoid anything from going to a landfill, incarceration, or the environment, ensuring we make the most of the materials we have and therefore saving resources,” she says. 

Purdelo’s proactive nature showcases another piece of advice on changing careers: you have to be a go-getter. She made the pivot from the arts to waste management on her own, and today, has worked with residents, schools, private companies, and more. Source: Hanna Purdelo

Tried-and-tested advice on changing careers 

When you’re building a career from the ground up, there’s no room to second-guess yourself. 

Purdelo started gathering information about the recyclability of materials and creating learning resources surrounding the topic of sustainability. She realised the hardest part about leading a green lifestyle isn’t the act in itself, but the lack of education instilled in people.

“I tried to reach out to my local authority back then, and never heard back. It’s really difficult to find out this information, and can be overwhelming to many,” she says. “So I also started sharing this information to make it easier for people to understand.”

While working for several companies in London, she began restructuring their recycling systems and hosting talks with industry experts voluntarily.

She’d even host zero waste weeks, recycling days, setting goals for the employees to recycle more and reduce waste during that time frame. She’d gotten certifications like TRUE Zero Waste Advisor and the Carbon Literacy Certificate from Positive Planet to back her skills and credibility. 

Still, it was hard to find a full-time job directly related to her new interest in zero waste and recycling.

“You should only apply to jobs that you’re passionate about,” she says. “You are automatically seeking out environments in which you are more likely to succeed, surrounded by people who value you; people who understand what you’re trying to achieve.”

And if there’s another piece of advice on changing careers that Purdelo could offer, it’s to write a cover letter that shows you’re passionate about the field you’re going for.

This year, Purdelo is planning to start her own waste consultation business, following her own advice on changing careers. Source: Hanna Purdelo

What’s next for Purdelo?

Food loss and waste comprise 8% to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. To Purdelo, this isn’t necessarily the fault of consumers.

“Change also needs to come from top down – we need to improve enforcement to reduce packaging waste and control what materials are imported,” she says. “Collaboration within our local communities is also important to ensure we can make the most of our resources. Someone’s waste can be someone else’s treasure.”

Today, Purdelo is asking these questions as a waste projects assistant in London, teaching residents the proper way to recycle and how to reduce waste.

She’s hosting workshops like she did in private companies, and even works with schools on waste audits.

In the future, Purdelo is looking to start her own consultancy in waste reduction and management, and she might even work specifically with cultural or charitable organisations that may need additional support.

“There’s no obvious structure to my career path, which is usually expected today,” says Purdelo. “The only constant path that I’ve taken is that I’ve always followed my heart.”

There’s a lot that goes into making a big transition; plenty of advice on changing careers that Purdelo could possibly offer – but this one’s the most important.