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Everyone has a slow season if they are a freelancer. The time of the year that this occurs for you depends on what area of the world you work, what your seasonal high for contracts is and your live entertainment speciality, but there’s always a time where you have a few weeks’ downtime, a quiet season, to re-group, rest and prepare for the next season.
Here are 10 ideas to make the most of your downtime.
Rest. It’s been a busy year; you need it. Start the next year refreshed, not exhausted.
…that’s not just running cables. If it’s cold on your side of the planet, wrap up appropriately and remind yourself what weather feels like. If it’s warm, sit in the sun and take the fluorescent edge off your studio tan. Take up a class for a few weeks, go for some long walks, pull that yoga mat out of your closet.
Now that things are slow, take some time to cook and eat fresh healthy food. Do some research on quick and easy meals to prepare or healthy snacks to take on the run. Prepare yourself for the next busy season by practising and trying out different “quick” meals so you can keep this routine once you get busy again.
Watch a play, see your favourite band, take in a film without trying to analyse the convolution reverb. Take your sound ears or your lighting eyes off for a bit and remember what it feels like to just enjoy a great piece of art. Take some friends, be a general member of the public.
Look back at the work you’ve done this year. Which projects took you closer to your career goals? Which ones took you further away from your goals? Which were a side-step? Use this to figure out what kind of work you want to do more and less. Maybe you’ll find it’s time for a brand new set of goals altogether.
The quiet season is a perfect time to do the tedious but essential maintenance that you put off when you were busy with tours and projects. Software upgrades, backups and archiving, PAT tests, clean-ups, and clear-outs. Start the new year with something resembling a tidy studio/working space and a clean system.
Dust off that online course, podcast series or webinar that you never quite got around to watching. Time spent investing in your skills is never time wasted.
If it’s been a while since you updated your CV or your showreel isn’t showcasing your very best work, you’ll need a refresh. If you’re planning to target a different area of the industry, or a different country, in the new year, make sure you have a portfolio that’s tailored accordingly. Refresh your LinkedIn profile. Get a new headshot. Make sure your online presence is an accurate representation of your work and you.
If you have a mentor, remarkable colleague or someone who’s given you a great opportunity this year, this is a perfect time to say thank you and tell them how much you value their support. It’s simple, it doesn’t have to cost much (or anything), and it will be appreciated.
Reflect on your achievements and take a moment to acknowledge what you’ve learned and created. You’ve done good work, and you deserve to celebrate it. Call up some friends that aren’t in the industry and take some time to connect. A glass of seasonal refreshment recommended.
Freelancing? Here Are 3 Ways To Ruin Your Reputation
Article by Sound Girl: Kirsty Gillmore
Published in cooperation with Soundgirls.org
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The mission of SoundGirls.org is to inspire and empower the next generation of women in audio. Our mission is to create a supportive community for women in audio and music production, providing the tools, knowledge, and support to further their careers. SoundGirls.Org was formed in 2013 by veteran live sound engineers Karrie Keyes and Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato and operates under the Fiscal Sponsorship of The California Women’s Music Festival, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. In 2012, Karrie and Michelle participated in the “Women of Professional Concert Sound” panel at the AES Conference in San Francisco. The panel was hosted by the Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) and moderated by WAM founder Terri Winston. Terri brought together five women working in live and broadcast audio. The groundbreaking panel (which also included Jeri Palumbo, Claudia Engelhart and Deanne Franklin), provided young women and men a glimpse into life on the road, tips and advice, and a Q & A with the panelists. More importantly though, was how incredibly powerful the experience was for the panelists. We had all been in the business for 20 years or more, yet most of us had never met before that day and within minutes we bonded like long-lost sisters. We were struck by how similar our experiences, work ethics, and passions were and wondered why our paths had never crossed and how our careers would have been different had we been there to support each other through the years. Each of us are strong on our own, but together we were even stronger and a powerful force. We were empowered. Each of us had been asked hundreds of times in our careers: Are there other women doing sound? How did you get into sound? How would a young woman go about getting into sound? Through creating SoundGirls.Org, we hope to establish a place for women working in professional audio to come for support and advice, to share our success and failures, our joys and frustrations, and for empowerment and inspiration.
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