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A freelance career in the creative arts
A freelance career in the creative arts

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3 What I need to learn

What you need to learn during this course will depend on what stage you are at in your freelance or self-employment journey. For example, you may be just starting your exploration of a freelance career in the creative arts or you may be more familiar with what it entails but unsure how to test your idea.

Wooden letter spelling the word ‘learn’ next to a lit light bulb.

The following activity will help you clarify the gaps in your current knowledge.

Activity 3 Identifying my knowledge gaps

Timing: Allow about 10 minutes

Look at the following options and choose the ones that resonate the most with you:

  • I am scared by the idea of ‘starting a business’ or ‘going self-employed’ and want to be reassured that I can do it.

  • I have to become a freelancer in order to find work in my chosen profession but need to know where to start and what I need to consider.

  • I’m curious about what’s involved in starting a business and want to find out more.

  • I want to understand more about the practical technicalities and processes of starting a business – legal, financial etc.

  • I think I’ve got a good idea, product, or service, but don’t know how to test it or how to identify my target audience.

  • I have lots of ideas but need to get them into some kind of order and identify the key steps to follow.

  • I don’t know who to ask for help and am looking for sources of support and advice.

  • I don’t know how to promote my idea effectively and create interest and potential investment.

  • I already do some freelance work in addition to my full time job, but I now want to increase my freelance work and cut down my main job. I don’t know how to manage this transition.

  • Other – explain in the box below:

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Discussion

It’s easy to see a course title that looks promising and find yourself embarking on the course without really knowing what you want or need to learn. By taking some time early on in the course to consider what you hope to gain from it, you will be able to identify the most relevant topics for you and reflect more effectively on whether you are learning what you need to know.

This course is aimed at those with limited knowledge or confidence about starting a business or working as a freelancer in the creative arts. If any of the statements resonated with you, you should find at least some of the answers to your questions in this course!

By choosing to do this course, you’re already taking a useful step towards a more successful freelance career in the creative arts.

Having a self-awareness about what you need to learn at this early stage can be a real advantage, but you don’t know what you don’t know! Watch this short video to find out some of the typical things other freelancers wish they had known before starting out.

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Video 4
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Many of these topics will be covered during the course, so hopefully you won’t have similar regrets further down the line!

In the next section you’ll start to look at the potential advantages and disadvantages of working for yourself and consider your own perspective.