Freelance Survival As A Musician

Freelance Survival as a Musician: Notes and Thoughts based on Panel session at Cult Cymru Creative Industries Fair March 2012

My thoughts and notes compiled here… (warning another very long post!)

The Thin Line

Wire-Walker, Phillipe Petit broke into the twin towers and set up a wire between them, for him to walk on…  (see Man On Wire documentary film or read his book,'To Reach the Clouds' for more info)…

This required: vision, risk, self belief, training, strategic planning, skill, focus, single-mindedness, long hours, years of work, sense of a bigger picture, out sourcing team members, networking, luck and overcoming of many obstacles…

The image of the wire-walker stepping out onto this thin line without guarantees other than personal belief, skill and vision you will get to the other side, resonates with my own journey as a freelancer… it was the lack of safety nets that first made me think of this. No sick pay, no pension scheme, no holiday, etc... and thats just for starters. No guarantees of any revenue or return for the hours that you put in. Yet in order to go free-lance you have to take that first step onto the rope take the risk that you'll be able to keep on walking... one step at a time...

The actual tightrope to me represents something both positive and negative... The negative is the obvious, its a mighty thin line that you walk on and to stay focussed and balanced against the elements, wind, rain, heat, noise, distractions and external pressures etc... takes an awful lot of practice, skill and single-mindedness... However to me that need for practice, skill and single-mindedness is also the positive as it is this that enables you to journey in a way that others don't dare to tread, there is a liberation and freedom in the act of each step defying fear and choosing the line and the direction you want to move forward in...

All sounds a bit extreme, but in so many ways being freelance is. There are no guarantees that the work will come as and when you need it to. As an artist in the freelance world you stick at it because for you personally all other options and choices are more of a death sentence than the choice not to try! To be actively pursuing your art as a vocation is both a passion and the only way you can stay true to yourself, well this is how it is for me at any rate...  .

One The Wire: The Balancing Act : Artist versus Business versus Life

Being Freelance in the arts requires sometimes seemly opposed mindsets.

On the one hand you need to create, and develop your art and in order to do this you must maintain a focused and professional approach to your artistic discipline. You need time to create, experiment, practice, challenge yourself…

You need to be good and keep on getting better at what you do in order for you to build a reputation and get work in the first place…

But you also need an understanding of some basic business and management principles in order to create and maintain viable employment opportunities.

This is a continual balancing act with time and energy as both pursuits are potentially full time endeavours!

Management of time, finance, administration and artistic vision can seem over whelming and often at odds with each other.

Identify weak areas and put in place strategies to over come these.

Seek advice.

Be prepared to change.

Be prepared to work very hard.

Decide how you measure success and what your own value systems are…

ie; will you consider yourself successful if your work means your have no time to maintain healthy relationships with your friends and loved ones? What are your limits? (These may well change over time)

Be prepared to examine and re- examine how best to approach each stage and

Know that you are able to be flexible and where you want to draw the line. As much as you can, try and anticipate the cost and consequences of your life style choices. There are no right ways to any of this. It is entirely up to you how you find that balance and what works best. Be prepared to diversify if necessary and be flexible while maintaining a sense of vision…. Keep taking risks, in the full understanding that there are no guarantees of anything working the way you wanted… but try anyway, as they just might work out even better!

Different Stages Of The Journey…

Stage 1, Building from scratch, say yes to everything!

Start with your own vision and goals but be prepared to saying yes to everything! You need to gain experience, build a reputation, create networks and business relationships and get what ever you can that pays at this stage! This often means diversifying what you do as well as doing favours/mates rates/ loss leaders. Expect lots of hard work for little reward, and keep focused! It can also be fun and exciting stepping out and taking risks and finding your feet as you go…

Sometimes it’s helpful to hold down a part time job along side the freelance work, especially if you have bills to pay…

Stage 2 Developing: upping your game

Use the reputation that you are building to your advantage…

Set more realistic boundaries, Learn to say no.

Become more focused on what you do and stop doing too many things for free.

Begin to out source a little more, decide a pay scale that you will ask (even if its just expenses covered plus donation) You need to begin to up your own expectations and this also helps folks take you more seriously…

Keep on creating the opportunities/ events you want…

Look at branding/re branding

Web presence/

Join PRS. MCPS.

Stage 3, Fine Tuning

You still need to generate and keep developing your material, but at this stage you notice that more invitations begin to come your way… 

You can become a little more choosey in what you say yes to and have more creative and artistic overall control over what you do.

This doesn’t necessarily mean your work load is less, often when the game is upped there is a lot more at stake and success often brings new obstacles and pressures with it.

Continue to be strategic this could mean a higher investment… re pr, look at new league of PR out sourcing while maintaining the relationships you already have with venues, promoters, journalists… keeping an eye on new gate keepers, changing industry, maintain established data base, networks and web presence…

Continue to create the opportunities / events /products you want to make…

Success in one area does not always equal more work, there may be times when the external situations ie: venue closure or key person who has been championing you changes job or change in current trends, recession etc… can all hit and cause havoc! Learning to keep on adapting and rolling with the punches as they come is an on going lifelong process…


And sometimes its just all a matter of being that right person in the right place at the right time!

Ongoing Survival Tactics (in no particular order of relevance!)

Health and Stress Management

Financial insecurity, long hours, being your own boss, continually generating new work and creative products etc… can be incredibly stressful. Stress leads to bad health and that in turn creates more stress as if you don’t work you don’t get paid etc… it can all end up being one overwhelming vicious circle… Stress also drains you so that you have no energy left to be creative…

Finding ways to relax, and as much as possible keep on top of health can be an essential part of surviving as a freelancer, as well as an Artist. It doesn't need to be anything more than just going out for a walk- but its making sure you do that! As a friend has just reminded me- I walk the dog, essential down time away from everything and also forcing me to exercise and get out in the fresh air!

Working for yourself can also be a lonely experience, especially if you are an extrovert who needs to process ideas with other people. If this is the case gather a few folk around you that you can meet up with to chat things through and bounce ideas off, you can make this a formal or informal occasion… This will force you to think outside of your own perspective and may help to clarify goals or just get stuff off your chest! If you are an introvert the challenge may be actually building in down time stopping work and allowing yourself to reconnect back into everyday... this can be difficult as a creative zone is a hard place to leave once you've entered... Also making time for solitude after a heavy week of networking, admin etc... may well be essential to restore creative and personal energy for both extravert or introvert types...

Put down times/ holiday/ days  or at least hours off into the diary and then as far as is possible stick to them! keep the work phone/ emails off during these times!! 

Networking, researching, knowing where and who the ‘Gate keepers’ are…

Understand the nature of the industry and begin to choose how you play.

Learn how to network effectively, ask questions, be interested in the people you want to meet, don’t just pitch and talk about your self.

Data base, emails, names and follow up on any contacts you felt there was a connection with directly…

Maintain healthy relationships with those you network with, this is a key part of survival as you need folks to recommend you or think of you when a potential job offer comes your way

Find Ways of dealing with Criticism… (Essential for survival for the rest creative life) 
How to keep going after bad reviews?!…

When to take on board criticism- don’t invite it when you are too raw straight after a show/ gig… if possible choose a time when you have a bit of distance and clear head. Learn to differentiate between negative blanket statement pointless feedback and constructive criticism. Choose to take constructive criticism on board and work with it ultimately it will only improve your art…

Effective Marketing...

Flyers Posters/Viral Marketing/Email data-base/ Social Networking Sites

PR, and press releases (employ someone or learn how to write one)

Radio/ Listings/ Adverts/ Magazine/ Papers

Promo videos/ trailers/ demos

Gimmicks/ Give Away /Publicity stunts

Accessing  and utilizing other networks

Be strategic, know the difference between spamming and being effective

Keep on honing your craft... getting better at it and challenging yourself…

Open mics (are often pretty soul destroying, but can be good places to try out new material and get time in front of an audience) Writers circles, safe places to look at the craft of what you’re doing. Jam session with other musicians… etc… Filming/ recording live performances can be a great way to critic your own performance when you watch back and see what works and what needs to be worked on! Just putting in the practice and continually setting aside time to work on new material can help also...

Overcoming obstacles...

Anticipate potential problems, at this stage you’ve probably had your fair share already of nightmare gigs and dodgy promoters etc… bring spare technical equipment with you. Turn up to venue in plenty of time. Know what you want in technical terms for your sound and email promoter, engineer in advance.

Contracts… written confirmation of all details discussed with venue or promoter

colleague, outsourcing agent…

Sometimes you do everything in your power to make things work and something out of your control will sabotage it. You might have everything in place to do a great show, reviewers and guests are invited and your sound engineer turns up to the venue, drunk or stoned, gives you a rubbish mix on and off stage… Gutting… Try and make the very best of it that you can and pull out a professional and slick performance regardless- you come off looking professional and ultimately any discerning audience will say great show- pity about the sound, knowing the difference that lies there in…

Create the opportunities/ product you want...

Hire a venue and put on as close to an ideal version of how you would like your art to be seen as you can manage.

Film/ record/ photograph the event,

Be in control of as much of the environment as you can.

Set the bar high, but work within realistic budgets, a small space packed with 30 people creates far more buzz and energy than an empty hall with 30 people!

Book a studio and record, hire top quality producers, session musicians to work with you, (get an extra job to pay for it if needs be!)

Buy a good microphone and invest in technology to record your own product…
If you have a fan base, utilising their support can also be a good way to go about this, check out the Pledge http://www.pledgemusic.com/ website or Kickstarter http://www.kickstarter.com/ for more info on how to go about this...

Continually Seek Help and Inspiration...

Keep filling the well to try and prevent your creative self and ideas from drying up. Go and see stuff live, keep researching listening to, seeking out new material. Read blogs, watch TED talks…don’t get stuck in a rut… Be inspired by other artists and creative folk around you, this can be like a flint keeping you edgy and sharp…

Make use the your union, for advice / training etc its what its there for...

Don’t be afraid to ask advice from folks who you perceive as further down the road that you want to be…

Reading: entrepreneurs/ creative thinkers

Often providing insights and principles that can be transferred to both business and creative practice…

Below re a list of various folks whose ideas I’ve found helpful

Derek Sivers- Blog and you-tube… http://sivers.org/ How to create a movement leadership lessons from dancing guy!

Austin Kleon – How To Steal Like An Artist http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/

Hugh Mcleod- Ignore Everybody http://gapingvoid.com/2004/07/25/how-to-be-creative/

Malcolm Gladwell- The Tipping Point http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/index.html

Other Indie models and folks doing good things worth checking out...

Bandcamp…/Jon Gomm/Amanda Palmer/Tom Robinson Freshnet blog/Chris TT