Reflections on freelancing

New year, new blog series! I thought it would be nice to give some space for reflections on a range of topics and how they’ve changed over the last few years. There are some super guest blogs coming up in this series, but let’s start with an honest look at my freelancing journey so far.

Clockwise left to right: presenting on TIRED's RED project at IADMS in Rimini, 2024; working from home, summer edition; speaking on an expert panel at IADMS in Limerick, 2022; a visit to Three Score Dance in Brighton with Jason Keenan-Smith, Gemma Harman and Ashley Brain; facilitating a panel discussion at Coventry University's Inclusive Immersive launch event, 2025 (photo by Abhimanyu Bose); presenting on mental health at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet in Vilnius, 2025 (photo by Martynas Aleksa).

When I first went freelance (read about my decision here), I decided to give it 5 years and then see if I wanted to go back to academia, or even a different salaried job. I don’t know why I gave myself 5 years, but having an arbitrary deadline helped me to pretend that I had some semblance of control over life! I suppose I also thought things might have improved in academia by then, but by all accounts they seem to be getting worse (if you fancy getting depressed about the state of Higher Education in the UK, read this).

My youngest child was 1 when I left academia, and she will soon be turning 6. So, after 5 years of freelancing, this feels like a good time to take stock. Am I ready to go back into salaried employment? Not in the slightest – and in many ways, I feel like I’m only getting started as a freelancer.

In this blog, I’ll share some of the key things I’ve learned about freelancing in dance psychology over the past 5 years. Hopefully this will be interesting and useful for readers considering a transition to freelance working.

What’s in a name?

I settled on Dance in Mind for my business pretty quickly and the name seems to resonate well with people. But I’ve struggled with what to call myself. I was quite attached to my previous job title: Senior Lecturer in Dance Science and Course Leader. It was short-ish, snappy-ish, and easy to understand. When I went freelance, I had no idea what to call myself; there was no neat, already-defined label I could use. For a long time, I referred to myself as a “freelance dance psychology researcher, lecturer, and life and wellbeing coach.” This certainly summarised the mix of research, teaching and applied work that I do, but didn’t exactly roll off the tongue. I’ve recently landed on “dance psychology specialist” because it’s broad enough to cover all the bases, but I’m constantly on the lookout for a better way to describe myself (suggestions on a postcard, please!).

In relation to this, the absence of a career ladder does make me question how freelancing will look on my CV if I do ever try to get a salaried job again. Freelance careers are ‘squiggly’ and don’t progress in the linear fashion that seems to be so valued by society. I take on work that interests me, feels important or useful, and pays well. In that respect, I have experienced a huge amount of development and growth when freelancing, from taking courses I wouldn’t have had time to take (like my CBT diploma) and developing relationships I wouldn’t have the opportunity to make in my previous job. Working more directly with the dance industry has been one of the joys of freelancing, because I can have more of a direct impact on dancers and those who work with them than via publishing journal articles alone. In that respect, I feel there has been lots of progress. But how do I translate or articulate that experience within a more traditional career path? And does it matter? Right now, it doesn’t feel important because my work is very fulfilling, but I wonder if it might trip me up in the future.

There is no balance!

We idealise freelancing as providing the perfect mix of work, life and hobbies. There have been times when that’s definitely been true, and I’ve been able to work part-time while doing all the parenting things as well as fitting in long walks, lunches with friends, and crafting (or developing new hobbies like wasting time on Vinted). It’s also true that the variety inherent in freelancing is fantastic; no two years have been the same, but that unpredictability can feel scary at times. And in terms of work-life balance, honestly, it’s not perfect. As a friend recently put it, “As a freelancer, you either have no time or no money.”

Last academic year, I was really busy, running three research projects, working on two other research projects on an ad hoc basis, coaching numerous clients, doing some consultancy and the odd webinar, and continuing with my guest lecturing and assessment marking at the University of Bern. I had no work-life balance and was pretty stressed. This is when freelancing is tricky, because you have no control over when interesting projects come up. You have to say “yes” as the work won’t wait – it really is now or never.

So far this academic year, it has been quieter.  For now, I’m not worried because (a) I have enough money from current work and last year’s projects to cover my ‘salary’, and (b) there are some exciting projects in development which, if they come to fruition, will be amazing from a professional growth and development perspective, hopefully helpful to the dance industry, and will provide me with financial stability for the rest of the year. I’m enjoying this time and using it to do some CPD (for example I’m starting a certificate in Acceptance and Commitment therapy soon) and do some groundwork on these new potential projects. I’m also using this time for me. I’m pacing myself, doing things I enjoy, seeing friends. I was also able to properly plan and enjoy the run-up to Christmas. We were hosting 10 people for 2 nights at ours this year, and 6 for a further 4 nights. That took a lot of planning! I wouldn’t have been able to do it last year when I was run ragged with work (we’d have been ordering Domino’s every night). However, if these projects don’t come to fruition, then I can’t financially afford another ‘quiet’ year, so that nagging thought is always lurking at the back of my mind.

Take it all with a pinch of salt – but keep the faith

In relation to the above, when freelancing, you will get lots of emails and have lots of meetings that may end up in precisely zero actual paid work. So, you need to take those emails and meetings with a pinch of salt. But they can always be worth it, because they may lead to things further down the line.

In fact, one of my key takeaways has been that every time things have felt a bit ‘quiet’, I need to keep the faith because usually a new opportunity is just round the corner. If you work with integrity, do things that you feel matter, and make strong relationships with people, there will always be something on the horizon.

Money matters

In my old job, I had got so used to having a regular wage that I’d stopped any kind of financial tracking years ago. That meant that when I first went freelance, I carried on spending money as if I was earning my old salary. But when you earn over £6,000 some months and just over £750 in others, you need to be a bit more savvy (these are genuine figures from this tax year! Although they don’t reflect how much actual work I did per month, but rather different payment schedules for various contracts). Be sensible and set up a system. I followed much of this advice to the letter, including creating a separate current account into which all my pay goes, and from which I pay myself a regular salary each month to account for fluctuations in pay. I also started tracking my monthly spending on non-essentials (handbags, I’m looking at you). And don’t forget to set up a pension!

The other key thing I’ve learned is to know my worth: I turn down work that doesn’t pay enough. It can feel awkward and uncomfortable, but I’m not just starting out – I’ve been working for years, and have a lot of experience, so I want to be paid fairly.

Prioritise socialising

This subheading probably sounds strange, but with the kind of work I do, I spend a lot of time working from home. I work with a variety of people and teams, but have no day-to-day team; I’m plugging away in my home office on my own most of the time. For that reason, I make sure to schedule regular meet-ups with friends, and prioritise this far more than I did in my old job.

However – forgive me for this rather tenuous link, but the word ‘social’ is still involved – I don’t have a strong social media presence, and never have done (it’s just not my thing). I’m also no good at marketing. But so far, this hasn’t mattered as much as I expected. The majority of my work has come from existing contacts and recommendations. I’m hugely grateful to all of the people that have asked me to work with them over the last 5 years, and who have introduced me to new contacts. Real-life relationships are the glue of any industry and are essential for a freelance career, so while I appreciate that some people get a lot of work via social media, I thought I’d add this point to give others like me (who don’t like social media) some hope!

So, is it worth it?

There are definitely ups and downs to freelancing, but when I look at it all together, the answer to this question is a resounding yes. It’s been the best career move at this stage of my life. As a parent, the flexibility that freelancing offers me is key. I can do the school runs, attend all the school events, and be with my kids in the holidays. That time is both precious and priceless.

But also, freelancing has enabled me to carve out a unique career. I’ve done things and worked with people that I never would have predicted before (if you’re curious, you’ll find a list at the bottom of this page). I’ve had several ‘pinch myself’ moments and learned a huge amount. I’m lucky that I have been paid enough to live well. When freelancing, you often feel like you have to caveat statements that things are going well with “for now, but who knows next year?!”, and that is something I’m still getting used to. However, it’s been an incredible journey and I’m so excited for what’s to come. One of the best things about working freelance is being able to take on work that aligns with your values, which for me include supporting dancers’ mental health and conducting research that contributes to social justice. I don’t have to answer to anyone else when considering which work to take on – just myself and my own core beliefs and principles.

Thank you to everyone that has worked with me so far, and/or has been a cheerleader along the way. I hope that this blog resonates with my fellow freelancers, and encourages anyone about to start their freelance journey!

For more about freelancing in dance, have a read of these research reports, or listen to this podcast. You may also find my Re-thinking Work-Life Balance course useful, or could look into career mentoring if you're considering a change.

And look out for the next blog in this series – when Dr Gemma Harman reflects on 4 years of her award-winning ResDance podcast.