Ring the Changes

SOMETIMES positive or negative change is forced upon us and we have no choice but to react to circumstances. For example, we land an unexpected commission (yippee) and need to work 24/7 to get it done or we lose a contract and have to find a new source of income PDQ....

Drumming up new work

IN SUCH a competitive environment, it’s vital to be proactive in getting your work under the right people’s noses and showing them why you’re the best person for the job. To help you do this, some direct sales techniques will help. Identify and target your ‘hot leads’...

What’s stopping you?

IF YOU HAVE one or more goals that have been hanging around on your ‘to do’ list for ages, it’s time to think about why you’re procrastinating. Look at each goal and ask the following questions: Do I really want to achieve this goal? Perhaps your life and aspirations...

Young members build creative muscle

FEU TRAINING is supporting young members with the Get Fit for Freelancing initiative, which aims to help young people establish themselves in the ever more competitive entertainment industries. To do this, we’ll be running a targeted programme of training courses and...

Dealing with bullying and harassment

A surprisingly large number of people have suffered from being bullied, harassed or discriminated at work at some point or another. According to an FEU survey, the creative industries are no exception to this with results showing ‘shocking levels of ill-treatment,...

Lost your va va voom?

THE INSPIRATION to come up with new ideas is usually second nature to creative people. However, sometimes we simply run out of gas. If you feel like you’ve had your last good idea, don’t panic. Most of us hit the inspiration wall at some point. Best thing to do is to...

Deal with problems head on

PROBLEMS CROP up regularly as part of our working lives. For example, we might get sick, which makes it impossible to meet a deadline or, half way through a job, we might realise that the work involved is going to be much more complicated than we thought, which means...

Bounce back from adversity

FROM MY EXPERIENCE and from talking to many other creatives, staying positive when things go wrong can be challenging – especially as freelance work often means working alone with little or no cheery support from others. If you’ve been pipped to the post for that part...

Business skills training
for creative freelances