Career Development

You can also network online. Join groups aligned to your interests on social media, i.e., Facebook and LinkedIn. Follow relevant organisations on these platforms as well as BlueSky, Instagram, X, or TikTok. Social networks allow you to play an active role in discussions and you will get to know people who can help you.

Finally, another informal way of networking happens while working on productions where you meet other freelancers / potential employers / clients. 

A production mentor is project specific and they should help you identify your goals during the project and skills gaps you need to address to achieve these. They should also help you find appropriate ways of learning during the project you are working on to achieve these goals. As well as helping you to carry out a performance review of your time on the project once it has been completed.

In the Irish creative industries, many organisations and companies offer structured mentorship programmes, typically through open calls. These programmes are managed by the hosting organisation or company; they define expectations for both mentor and mentee, usually providing a support package, and ensuring mentors are well-prepared for their role. They offer guidance and oversight for both parties, foster a supportive mentor-mentee relationship, and help build a network that promotes best practices. Both informal and structured mentorships typically focus on either your career or a specific production or project.

• Promenade offers two mentoring strands for producers interested in circus, street arts and spectacle, Future Producers and Trainee Event Producer; both offer training, mentoring and placements opportunities for individuals with some experience in the aforementioned areas.

• Screen Ireland’s Screen Mentoring programme features mentors from across the animation and screen industry in Ireland.

• Local County Councils launch every year open calls for mentorship opportunities in different artistic disciplines. An example is Fingal Artist Mentoring Programme 2024/2025, which was open to artists in the Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance at any career stage. Also in 2024, Fingal County, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, South Dublin County and Dublin City Councils launched the Exploring & Thinking Partnership, a unique opportunity for artists that currently work in or are interested in working in Early Childhood Arts.
  Sign-up to your county council newsletter to keep up to date with upcoming opportunities.
  
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• Irish Theatre Institute and Visual Artists Ireland have Help Desks offering advice in a broad range of subjects and might be able to help you identify an informal mentor or a structured mentorship.

Being a freelancer can give you the freedom and flexibility to follow your passion. But it can also come with a lot of uncertainty and pressure. When YOU are your most important business asset, it’s vital that you look after your physical and mental health.

Managing your wellbeing is not a “nice to do”, it’s a NECESSITY.

When you are working for yourself and selling your services you have a finite capacity on what you can deliver. There are only 24 hours in a day and you do need to sleep, eat and rest.

Being careful not to overload yourself with work is a form of self-care. It is better to do a small number of projects with full energy and a clear head, than a large number with not enough attention. You run the risk of losing clients if you don’t do your work to the standards expected. It’s ok to turn down a project, no matter your reasons. A simple “I’m fully booked at the moment” can go a long way and that’s ok.

In short, setting positive boundaries and really thinking about how to manage your time and energy can enable you to work more productively whilst supporting your physical and mental wellbeing.

Here are some of the creative industry’s work-related risk factors that can affect your physical and mental health. Are there any that sound familiar to you?

• Working long hours – As freelancers it is easy to forget that there are only 24hrs in the day and we often feel the pressure to push through, to get the job done. But doing so has an impact on our sleep, eating and drinking habits, and how regularly we exercise.
  
• Insecure work – As a freelancer you might face lean periods, even when you have established yourself as a professional. Planning for those periods is crucial for a sustainable career, to avoid financial difficulties, and to lessen the potential anxiety caused by uncertainty.
  
• Money worries – at home and at work are intrinsically linked to insecure work and uncertainty. There are social welfare schemes for the self-employed that might be suitable for you.
  

• Isolation – whether you are working without a team, working remotely or in periods of unemployment this can be a risk factor. See below some tips on managing your mental health to help you in many circumstances, including periods of isolation.
  
• Lack of access to HR or similar supports means that in the unlikely event that you encounter a difficult situation, from unpaid fees, to breach of contract or even the need to take sick leave (tight budgets and deadlines can mean there’s pressure not to take sick days), you need to have your own resources. Reach out and seek assistance from the relevant resource organisation, association, society or guild; most of them have protocols and are in a position to assess you with the best course of action.
  
• Experiencing bullying, racism or harassment – in recent years a few programmes in the creative industries have been created to establish protocols and specific supports to address these issues, such as Safe to Create and Equality in the Workplace Please, find more information at the bottom of this page and in this site’s section on Dignity at Work here.  
  
• Difficulty balancing work with caring responsibilities – there are a number of support groups for carers. A great place to start is Family Carers Ireland who provide many supports for carers. Please, find more information in the last section of this page.
  
• Living with a disability or long-term ill health – in the creative industries, particularly during production times, it can be hard to take time to rest and there can be pressure to work the same hours as your peers. You might feel unsupported or unable to ask for time to attend hospital or other medical appointments.
  
• Other health issues –if you don’t mind your health, you might develop repetitive strain injury, eyesight issues or migraines due to long hours in front of a screen, hunched over drawings, stop-motion assets or props in a closed, dark environment.

Strategies for Managing your health

When you are busy in the thick of a big project it’s easy to lose track of time. This is a quick route to damaging your health – both mental and physical. Look after yourself by making sure you eat well and get regular exercise and fresh air. While everyone is different, boundaries that keep you focused and maintain your work-life balance are important. Some helpful pointers are:

• Set a work schedule – you can always adjust the times later to suit your own habit.
  
• Turn off email alerts when you’re not “at work”.
  
• Manage your time between clients, friends and family – they all value your attention.
  
• Take some time out for you to do something that relaxes you.
  
• If possible, separate your workspace and living space to help you focus.
  
• Set an alarm for dedicated breaks during the day to get some fresh air, stretch and give your eyes a rest for those working in front of a screen. There are many customisable mobile and desktop apps using the Pomodoro Technique that might come handy.
  
• To Do Lists should consist of tasks for home-life and work. That way you can create a balance between home and work without feeling like you are neglecting one for the other.
  
• Freelancers often work alone. This is where building a support network  of like-minded creatives will stand you in good stead. Not only can you look after each other – if you are struggling to deliver a job you’ve got an in-built network of great people who can likely step into the breach also.

Some simple tips to help manage your energy and time:

As freelancers it is easy to forget that there are only 24hrs in the day and we often feel the pressure to push through, to get the job done. Setting positive boundaries and really thinking about how to manage your time and energy can enable you to work more productively whilst supporting your physical and mental wellbeing. Here are some helpful tips on how to find that balance:

• Make sure you and your client are clear on what you are expected to do, over how long, and for how much before you get started. This should be in writing – ideally on a contract or purchase order, but at the very least on an email.
  
• Plan your day, do the task you procrastinate over the most first.
  
• Review & prepare on a week-to-week basis -thinking time.
  
• Batch related tasks together.
  
• Separate tasks you can do yourself, from those you need others to help complete.
  
• Find your groove- understand how you work – when is your most productive time.
  
• Remove distractions and set time limits.
  
• Say no, no, no. It might sound counterintuitive but constantly saying yes when you don’t have the capacity is counterproductive and a huge cause of stress for you and your client in the long run.
  
• Prioritise.
  
• Don’t forget breaks!

Managing your mental health

In an already competitive industry, it can feel difficult to talk about a mental health issue. But this can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety.

Building long-term working relationships with colleagues and clients builds trust. Understanding and insight is needed to notice when a colleague is feeling overwhelmed and struggling to cope.

Everyone will experience pressure at work and, for instance, in small amounts, pressure can be helpful in increasing productivity and motivating us to meet deadlines.

However, prolonged pressure can lead to stress which can negatively impact our physical and mental health in the longer term – especially if we don’t feel supported.

Identifying triggers and factors that affect your wellbeing negatively is an important first step. Because once you’ve done that, you can proactively address your triggers, spot the signs of poor mental health, work out how you can manage these and get support.

The sooner you recognise the problem, the sooner you can start addressing the issues and seeking support. Talk to someone you trust, who can support you.

• Seek support. If anxious or depressive feelings are interfering with your life and don’t go away after a couple of weeks, or if they come back frequently for a few days at a time we highly encourage you to seek professional support through your GP or other mental health services (see suggested links below).
  
• Manage anxiety and panic with relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. Breathe deeply into your belly for about five seconds (or five slow counts). Then hold your breath for another five seconds, then slowly exhale with pursed lips (as if with a straw) for another five seconds and finally hold your breath again for another five seconds without taking air into your lungs. This can be done for a few minutes every day, even if you fit it in when you’re in line for a coffee or in your bathroom break. 
  
• Share your feelings and connect with others when you feel sad, down, worried, angry or frustrated. Sharing feelings may help you realise that you are not alone, and finding a different perspective can challenge your automatic thinking and thus find the positives. 
  
• Practice mindfulness to focus on the present moment to boost your self-awareness, feel better and enjoy the world around you. 
  
• Treat yourself as you would treat a friend to improve your self-esteem and confidence. Pay attention to your self-talk and challenge it by finding healthier perspectives. Change unhealthy self-talk like ‘You will never get a job’ into healthy thoughts after a difficult interview or set back to ‘You are skilled, this wasn’t the right fit, you will get the next job’. 

Useful links for information and support

Minding Creative Minds is a mental health organisation established to offer a free 24/7 wellbeing and support programme for the Irish Creative Sector. Their 24/7 helpline allows you to access an experienced team of trained counsellors and psychotherapists who can offer short-term intervention and advice covering practical, day-to-day issues that cause anxiety and stress.

Safe to Create is a programme for the Irish arts and creative sectors to promote dignity at work, looking to transform culture and practices through training, information, voluntary compliance and certification, and providing key support for victims/survivors in the areas of reporting, counselling, and legal advice. Their website is the focal point of the programme, an online Dignity at Work toolkit for organisations and individuals in the arts and creative sectors. The programme is managed by Irish Theatre Institute, on behalf of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and in partnership with the Arts Council, Screen Ireland and Minding Creative Minds.

Healthy Ireland is a Government-led initiative which aims to create an Irish society where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health, and where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society. It offers a range of online resources from an alcohol reduction programme to advice on healthy eating and exercise.

Equality in the workplace from Citizens Information identifies and breaks down the legislation in place relating to workplace harassment and discrimination.

Family Carers Ireland provides many supports from  the provision of free emergency care planning, counselling, specialised training and education programmes, wellbeing support, crisis management, emergency respite/respite provision, advocacy, peer support groups, information on rights and entitlements and many other worthwhile initiatives.

Raising Films Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to challenge, at a structural level, the demands the film and television industry makes on parents and carers.