Juggling Business & Motherhood

I have recently connected with The Freelancer Club - a brilliant organisation led by Matt Dowling (who you can hear quizzing me in this interview!)

I feel that it's so important for creative freelancers to be able to access support previously unavailable to them. Organisations like this would have been a game changer for me especially in the early years when I was finding my feet and had no idea of my worth as an artist.

Far to often in our industry creative professionals are exploited and expected to work for free - something that I have experienced (and still do) throughout my career, with the promise of 'exposure' and 'great portfolio images' in exchange for a hard days work, product, travel and time costs which will clearly make the person organising look fantastic and often a great deal of profit, at our expense.

It's a tough one as we all want to get ourselves out there, increase our profile and protfolio and push up our profile. Catch 22 central!

The difference is when you mistage a 'test shoot' where all parties will give up some of their spare time to get some great images, network and gain experience, with what should be a paid job. Makeup artists, stylists, models and photographers are always getting taken advantage of with a little ego stroking and carrot dangling resulting in them selling their soul for zero pay, a lot of hassle and their expertise and skill. It's just not right.

Any other profession, particularly when the individual has a mortgage and children, there's no way on earth they would be expected to go to work and do their usual job but be told they will not be getting paid today but they will be given a mention on facebook and possibly an image or two at some point. It's crazy! Yet that's what happens in our industry.

The Freelancer Club are working hard to put a stop to this and make sure everyone in our industry knows their worth, and gets it.

Take a look at how the challenges of work/life balance and being caught up in a cut throat, and aften manipulative industry can cause anxiety and low self worth .......even in the most seemingly confident people.