Top tips from a freelance finance expert
The week in Creative Money 30 October, 2020
Financial guidance for creative professionals
Creative Money aims to have an open conversation about finances in the creative industries.
It was founded in July, 2020 in an attempt to address a frustrating lack of sound financial guidance for creative workers and is written by me, Matt Parker, a music journalist and lecturer.
This week I have been horribly, horribly busy. 'Good busy', but you know, still 'horribly busy'.
I normally don't like to say I'm busy because, in my experience, it doesn't actually help me. However, in running the site, the newsletter and now teaching the first Run Your Money course to creative students in Manchester twice a week, Creative Money is, well, fully monstering the other aspects of my life.
I love doing it and I am more committed to the idea than ever before, but today I had something of a damascene moment... I recorded my first ever podcast guest appearance, courtesy of Alan Donegan's superb Rebel Entrepreneur show.
Alan co-founded the Pop-Up Business School, which teaches people how to launch businesses without getting into debt and now he's offering up a lot of that advice via the aforementioned podcast. (I don't know when I'll be on yet, but if you're interesting in starting something, I highly recommend you subscribe.)
Listening to the Rebel Entrepreneur played a huge part in giving me the necessary motivation and knowledge to launch the site and its associated activities. I got in touch and told Alan what I'd done and he was kind enough to invite me on and give me a bit of a coaching session on how to move forward. During our conversation, he said something to me that now feels burned on my retinas: "split focus, split results."
Right now, like a lot of creative workers, I'm trying to do a lot of everything and I am definitely getting split results. I need to focus more on the part that's working in the short term and that will help me to keep the site and this somewhat lofty mission (of helping people to sustain themselves in creative work) viable over the long term. For now, that's the Run Your Money course.
This means I'm going to start reducing the frequency of the newsletter and running it every fortnight or maybe, down the line, every three weeks. I think I can still keep everyone up-to-date that way, but also not run the risk of falling asleep on my laptop quite so frequently...
On the site this week, I spoke to Lily Canter of the excellent Freelancing For Journalists. She's a personal finance journalist and a freelancer and, frankly, her approach to this stuff is really impressive. I don't think you need to be a journalist to get something out of it, so I hope it proves useful.
Until next, err, fortnight!
Matt
CreativeMoney.co.uk
On the site this week:
How I Make It Work: Lily Canter (freelance journalist)
From podcasts to pensions - managing money as a freelancer
6 money mistakes made by musicians
Pitfalls for pickers. My guest post on MusicRadar.com
What do you need to know this week?
Payment holidays are coming to an end, if you're worried about debt start here (StepChange)
The Gig Economy Is Failing. Say Hello to the Hustle Economy (OneZero)
DJ affected by the pandemic? Small Green Shoots are running a workshop on accessing funding from the Arts Council (3 November, 2020)
Money manifesting: I spent years trusting the money I needed would come, but I ended up £27,000 in debt (The Independent)
How to pitch for new work during the pandemic (Lecture In Progress)
The most trusted financial companies (Times Money Mentor)
How to burn a million quid (BBC Sounds)
Grants and funding opportunities
Brighter Sound Leaders Network call-out
Brighter Sound is inviting women and non-binary people from the North of England to take part in their new leadership development programme led by Remi Harris MBE. For people who may or may not consider themselves as ‘leaders’ but are creating, managing, doing, organising and running things in some capacity.
Deadline: 30 October, 2020
HelpMusicians Financial Hardship Funding Phase 2
Support for music professionals facing hardship due to COVID-19 and excluded from the government's furlough and SEISS schemes. Deadline: 31 October, 2020
Brighter Sound Both Sides Now commission
Looking for two artists (one from Northern England and one from outside of England) to collaborate and write new music that explores what it means to be connected, disconnected and reconnected in today’s world. Fee of £2,000 per artist. Deadline: 3 November, 2020
Alfred Bradley Bursary Award
The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award is a £5,000 writing bursary to Northern writers new to radio and the chance of a Radio 4 drama commission. Deadline: 6 November, 2020
Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice fund
Offers grants of between £2.000 and £10,000. The fund supports creative practitioners thinking of taking their practice to the next stage to research, have time to create new work, travel, training, develop ideas, network or find mentoring. Deadline: 9 November, 2020
British Music Collection Climate. Sound. Change. grants
Three £500 grants for artists working with sound and music to create new works that respond to the climate emergency with a minimum of one of those grants reserved for a young person aged 16-21. Deadline: 15 November, 2020
Drake Music Emergent Commissions 2020/21
For early career disabled musicians. Seeks proposals from Disabled musicians to create new work relating to the theme of ‘Risk’. All styles and genres are welcome. £750 commission fee on offer and mentoring from a disabled musician who is part of the DM collective. Deadline: 15 November, 2020
Hope Mill Theatre Through The Mill Playwrighting Prize
Opportunity for writers to have their work fully produced by and at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. Winner will receive a monetary prize of £5,000 plus one-to-one mentoring with award winning writer Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing, Hushabye Mountain). Deadline: 27 November, 2020.
Royal Variety Charity Financial Assistance grants
The Royal Variety Charity is uniquely positioned to provide financial assistance to anyone who serves any facet of the Entertainment Industry. Deadline: ongoing
The White Pube Writers Grant funded by Creative Debuts
£500 given out monthly to a working class writer based in the UK. This grant has been set up to support writers of all ages who are early in their careers and would benefit from this no-strings attached financial support to help them in whatever they like. Deadline: ongoing
Welsh Cultural Recovery Fund Freelancer Grant
Well done to Wales for recognising the need for tailored support for freelancers in the creative industries. If you need it, move quick as phase one is approaching capacity. There will be another phase in due course. Offers £2,500 grant. Deadline: ongoing