Freelancing in the Creative Industries: 4 superb freelancers talking about the experiences.
Following the successful series in 2021, the University of Brighton and GB MET teamed up once again to deliver five virtual seminars to educate and empower our creative students in how to become and succeed as freelancers.
Held across National Careers Week in March, the sessions focused on five key aspects of self-employment: ‘What is a Freelancer?’, marketing, networking, tackling taxes with HMRC and how to apply for Arts Council funding. 13 panellists presented their experiences and top tips from a wide range of creative industries from production and journalism, to music, illustration, costume design and events.
The main themes that ran through the week were about the importance of being kind to others, jumping at opportunities and leaning in to your own personality. The speakers also weren’t shy about the difficulties of freelancing, acknowledging that thorough research will benefit any student before they take the leap.
The seminars proved popular with students from both institutions, with over 180 attendees coming to the events across the week. Students praised the events for the diversity of speakers, range of opinions and for one student in particular: “It helped me understand more about freelancing and what to expect”.
All students that attended will be invited to join a Slack group as a space to continue asking questions, to collaborate on opportunities and create a community of graduate freelancers. Recordings of all five seminars will be made available shortly and hosted on the school’s Creative Employability Hub.
