Artist Support Hub: Sheffield Creative Freelancers Toolkit and Strategy Day

A FREE full day session for Sheffield-based creative freelancers, which will equip you with advice, new skills, and time for reflection.

Interactive workshops, panels and talks from industry professionals throughout the day will include:
– managing money and fundraising for individuals
– wellbeing in the arts, and avoiding or managing burnout
– setting up and maintaining a digital portfolio or website for your freelance practice
– reflecting on your values and practice, and what's next for your freelance career
PLUS
– free optional individual coaching slots
– free lunch and refreshments
– networking breaks
– a little goody bag
– information stalls from creative industries unions, Business Sheffield, and more

Speakers, coaches and stalls for the day include:

Remi Harris: An award-winning trainer and coach working globally with leaders and creators in the music industry, and consulting with music businesses on developing their people. Remi takes a calm and insightful approach that inspires emotionally intelligent, purpose-driven leadership and more effective teams and individuals, from festivals to labels to agencies and more. She is also the proud co-founder of the Music Leaders Network programme for women in music.

Mark Pollock: Mark is a freelance creative and the co-founder of Kelham Island based advertising agency, One Million Monkeys. As a creative and facilitator he has worked across the music, theatre, and marketing industries, and directly with some of the world's biggest brands. Alongside commercial work, Mark has a particular interest in how charities and social enterprises market their work, having previously founded CIC's and through his ongoing involvement with voluntary organisations in Sheffield.

Amanda Smethurst: Amanda is an independent facilitator, coach and consultant with a focus on reflective practice and peer learning within the cultural sector, and a love of supporting people to understand what makes their heart sing. Communities, culture and place has been a passion throughout her career within the cultural sector, HE and local government, where she has championed ways for people to shape the culture and places around them. Amanda is a Clore Fellow, and is the chair of Middle Child Theatre, Hull. She’s also a mum, a potter, a gardener and a keen swimmer, which all make her heart sing.

Auriel Majumdar: Auriel Majumdar is a creative coach, consultant and educator with 25+ years of experience bringing arts-based approaches to personal and professional development. As an accredited Master Practitioner Coach and Coach Supervisor, she's helped transform national institutions, universities, and cultural organisations, while also working with individual coaches, creatives and artists to help them develop their practice. At Sheffield Hallam University, Auriel guided and inspired the next generation of coaches as Course Leader for the MSc in Coaching and Mentoring Programme. Her innovative contributions include publications on Creative Coaching Online and on Poetry in Coaching. Auriel chairs the Flux Rotherham Consortium while serving on the Advisory Group for No Bounds Festival and the Board of Music Local. Combining innovative coaching techniques with a passion for artistic practice, Auriel champions individuals and organizations to find their authentic voice, break through creative blocks, and express themselves exactly as they want to.

Linda Bloomfield: Linda is a Sheffield-based cultural leader, executive director and producer. Her culture and community work is local, national and international, including projects she has led with the National Theatre, British Library, Future Arts Centres, the Albany, and the Roundhouse, as well as large-scale collaborations with local authorities, schools and community organisations. In Sheffield she's the Founder and Director of RivelinCo, former Executive Director at the Montgomery Theatre, and Associate Producer with The Bare Project. Linda has curated Opportunity Tuesday for artists for 7 years and was a Clore Fellow in 2021, and an Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy Fellow in 2019.

Artist Wellbeing: Artist Wellbeing provides mental health and wellbeing support for artists and those working within artistic industries such as theatre, TV, film and dance. Artist Wellbeing can support anyone who identifies as an "artist" such as actors, dancers, writers, directors, performance artists, visual artists and more, and supports those who work alongside and in collaboration artists, such as producers, crew members, stage managers, lighting/sound technicians, venue staff and more. Their services are provided by qualified and registered counsellors or psychotherapists, who also have experience in supervision and working within a creative industry.

Business Sheffield: Providing information, support and free workshops to help you start or grow your company.

…and more to be announced!

The event will take place at the Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX. The venue has level access, a lift, and accessible toilets. There are gendered and non-gendered toilets available. Assistance dogs are welcome at the venue.

This event is part of Sheffield City Council’s Culture Activation Event series and is supported by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. You can read more about Sheffield’s strategy for Culture here. Sign up to Sheffield’s Culture Bulletin here.