Happy Opportunity Tuesday!
29 October 2024
Hi team
Arts Council England have just published an illuminating report, put together using data from their Freelancers survey in 2023. The findings are harsh but unfortunately entirely predictable:
73% of freelancers reported pre-tax earnings of less than £25,000 from their freelance work. Numerous freelancers report being offered rates of pay below Union or Government minimums
Many report that their income does not cover their living expenses and household bills, further impacted by the increased cost of living and the residual effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit
Pay often does not include or cover necessary travel expenses, which creates barriers for freelancers who have to travel to access work (particularly to London)
68% are not able to save for a work-related pension
Financial inequalities combined with other barriers for working-class and Black, Asian and ethnically diverse freelancers perpetuate a social and cultural elitism across the sector
Freelancers reported a wide range of challenges which impact on their mental health, including a lack of work-life balance, fatigue, anxiety and despondency
I’m sure none of this will be news to many of you, it certainly echoes my experiences and those of others I have worked with. However I am pleased to see how in-depth the report is, and the large dataset it’s based on. It makes some useful recommendations at the end, so if all of us who work with and/or advocate for freelancers share it widely maybe it will make a difference.
Frustratingly it seems most freelancers (81%) are still having to rely on personal recommendations to find out about work opportunities. It’s one of the reasons I started Opportunity Tuesday 6 years ago. I was constantly being emailed things to ‘share with my networks’ and I had to question who those networks are, and why they deserved access to opportunities that others do not. It’s why Opportunity Tuesday will always be free to access, now and always.
On a totally separate but hopefully still useful note, The Stage Awards have just opened for nominations. I know we all have mixed feelings about awards and ‘top whatever’ lists but it’s undeniable that the power of a nomination can still make a big positive difference to individuals, companies and venues, especially in the current climate. Categories include Innovation Award, Community Award, Producer of the Year, Unsung Hero and more - go nominate that pal you’re proud of!
Love and solidarity, always xx
Happy Opportunity Tuesday!
Every Tuesday (well, almost) I share 10 #artsopps, commissions, residencies, open calls and applications closing soon.
Always PAID (or free/cheap for training) and for a range of artists: emerging to mid-career, from 16 to 80+.
Here are this week’s…
For creative freelancers or entrepreneurs aged 18-30:
Roundhouse Works is a co-working space with a difference. Get desk space, bespoke support and training to support your career and business goals, plus access to talks, events, networking and more, for just £3 a day.
DEADLINE: ASAP FOR JAN START
For artists working with technology:
Apply for Watershed’s Winter Residency to get £2,750 fee, £500 budget, free studio time, a travel bursary, tailored support and more. Take time to explore an idea that merges art and technology, responding to the theme of ‘Actual Reality’: that take computing out of the computer and into the live world, whether that's a busy shopping street or the kitchen table.
DEADLINE: 4 NOV
For dancers living in the North of England:
Apply for the Hull Dance Development Award to get £2,000 plus free studio time! Hull Dance CIC are looking for an artist or artists to explore ways to include young people’s voice in their work - either an established piece or creation of new work. Email hulldancecic@gmail.com for more information.
DEADLINE: 29 NOV
For artists who are Black, Asian, Brown and/or part of the Global Majority:
Apply for a bursary of up to £1,500 from the Freelands Foundation to support professional training, networking, R&D, visiting work, developing new audiences, portfolio development, memberships, tools, residencies and more.
DEADLINE: 31 OCT
For artists and activists:
ART and Amnesty International are inviting artists ad activists to respond to a human rights report titled Under Protected and Over Restricted: The State of the Right to Protest in 21 European Countries (July 2024). Apply for funding to explore creative and new means of response – for example to reframe the report in a different genre, such as satire, graphic novel, or science fiction; or an innovative form, such as soundscapes, installations, performance, or textiles; or within a new meta-narrative, such as centring on care for victims rather than human rights law. Interventions could interrogate issues and themes which feature in the report, address the question of ‘what next?’, celebrate the positive implications and achievements of the right to protest, or tell the human stories behind the statistics, policies and laws.
DEADLINE: 30 NOV
For artists of all disciplines:
Maltings Berwick are looking for artists for a series of large-scale commissions and residencies, inspired by heritage collections of the Barracks and the town. £25,000 available for residencies, or £40,000 available for commissions - or the two can be combined for up to £65,000 with a larger scale public outcome.
DEADLINE: 4 NOV
For Jewish artists:
Apply for the Jewish Renaissance Artist Development Scheme to take part in a new pilot programme, exploring Jewishness as part of an artistic practice. Get £2,000 plus access to masterclasses, networking, and publication and exhibition opportunities.
DEADLINE: 18 NOV
For early career artists in Yorkshire:
Submit your work to the SCAF Emerging Artist Award, responding to the theme of TIME, to win up to £1,250 plus exhibition and development support.
DEADLINE: 12 JAN
For socially engaged artists:
Apply for a two-week food and biodiversity residency at Art Gene, to collaborate with asylum seeking and refugee communities to explore food cultures and to produce food to share. Paid £2,250 including accommodation, plus travel expenses of up to £200. You will also have free use of the company e-bike when based in Barrow.
DEADLINE: 31 OCT
For female writers from working class backgrounds:
Female Pilot Club and BBC Comedy are launching a script mentorship initiative that could help you get to the next stage of your comedy writing career. You only need 10 pages of your script and a short description of your idea. If you're chosen, you’ll be paired with an industry mentor and take part in a live read-through by at a London showcase event in 2025.
DEADLINE: 15 NOV
For early career creatives in Suffolk:
Boost Bursaries are offering paid work experience opportunities, with bursaries of up to £1,500, for individuals to further their professional development within an arts organisation in Ipswich. Each experience will be tailored to the experience and ambitions of the individual – there are no limits or requirements.
EVENT: ROLLING
BONUS OPP: For creatives working in film and events:
Two very exciting opportunities in Sheffield! Could you be DocFest’s new Managing Director, or the new CEO for the Showroom Workstation…?
That’s it for this week!
Really hope it’s useful. It’s a tough time for artists (and, well, everyone) at the mo so please look after each other out there. Let me know if you’re successful with your applications - I love hearing from you! And as always if you enjoy Opportunity Tuesday please share to help it reach the folks who need it most. I started it to try to level the playing field a bit, and every little helps.
Opportunity Tuesday will always be free to access, but if you can afford to chip in a little something to support me to keep it going, that would be hugely appreciated - just click the button below to support with £1 per week. (I’m freelance too!)
Thank you for your support, and I have my fingers and toes crossed for you. Good luck!
P.S. The part you’ve all been waiting for - Chewie and Solo say hi
Please note: Inclusion in #OpportunityTuesday is not endorsement. I look far and wide for the most interesting and exciting paid opportunities I can find, and though I do my best to make sure they’re legit, I don’t always know the organisations well. If you have an issue with something on the list, please get in touch with the relevant organisation. You are very welcome to send me opportunities to include, but please note I will not be able to respond to every request, and I do not guarantee inclusion in the list - each week is curated to be varied and relevant. I don’t normally share ‘traditional’ salaried roles such as marketing, development, finance etc as they are often not relevant for artists. Thanks!