Valuing Your Worth:
Sustaining Your Practice
Tuesday 28th January
10am - 12noon Online
Cost: Sliding scale with options to pay £5 / £25 / £40
Many creative freelancers struggle to charge realistic day rates
that enable them to earn a sustainable living.
Despite unions and professional bodies recommending minimum rates of pay, Understanding Creative Health in London, a report published by the GLA in September 2024, identified that many freelance creatives are paid below recommended rates of pay.
This workshop will give you practical strategies for setting and negotiating sustainable day rates and help you gain a clearer understanding of your true worth, so you can advocate for what you need to earn a living and sustain your practice.
“A much-needed course! A relief to be in a space with others who are grappling with the same issues and to be supported through a pragmatic 'to do' list! The 'rates' table was very useful. Thank you for gathering this information in one place.”
Heidi Wilson, Dance Practitioner
(Image: What Do I Need? hand-made book by Polly Barnes. Photo Hannah Jones)
Does this sound familiar?
As a freelance creative, you feel unsure about what to charge for your work.
When you’re not sure what to ask for, you find yourself undercharging.
Or, because you want the work, you accept day rates that don’t meet your needs.
Maybe you don’t even know how much you need to survive, let alone thrive?
Perhaps you’re unsure whether it’s ok to charge for things like planning and preparation, or debrief and reflection time?
As a result, you overdeliver, putting in as much unpaid time as paid time,
And end up feeling frustrated, exhausted and resentful.
If you’ve answered "yes" to any of these questions, you’re not alone.
Many creative health practitioners struggle with sustaining themselves financially and being able to advocate for themselves as worthy of more.
This workshop will give you the confidence and tools to:
Advocate for fair and sustainable pay in line with your skills and experience
Identify what you need to earn per day to survive financially
Consider what you need to include when calculating a day rate
Compare your day rate to national recommended rates of pay
Work out how your day rate translates into an annual income
Learn practical strategies for negotiating sustainable day rates
Feel more confident about articulating the value of your work
“It was so validating to not feel alone and to hear others say similar things to what I've been feeling. The tools were brilliant, and I loved how they made it feel more boundaried and formal. I usually only hear money talked about in a woolly and vague way in the arts, and it was very helpful and inspiring to discuss it openly and clearly.”
Bonnie
(Image: Brunelcare Arts Programme; Photo: Willis Newson)
What’s Included
This two-hour workshop is accompanied by a set of comprehensive and useful handouts including:
Artists Recommended Rates of Pay – a clear summary of current recommended rates of pay covering all artforms.
The Valuing Your Worth Workbook - to help you calculate and negotiate your ideal day rate.
The Artist’s Overhead Calculator – to ensure you consider overheads when calculating your ideal day rate.
The Artist’s Time Tracker – to ensure you consider the unpaid time that goes into sustaining your practice when calculating your ideal day rate.
The Worth it or Not Checklist – to help you weigh up whether or not to say yes to unpaid or lower-paying work.
“[I went away with] greater knowledge and very useful tools to quantify my time and rates, as well as a sense of feeling supported and understood and validated in pushing for more realistic rates.”
Heidi Wilson, Dance Practitioner
(Image: Fresh Arts Festival, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, produced by Willis Newson. Photo: Jim Wileman).
Making This Workshop Accessible
To ensure this workshop is accessible while allowing me to sustain my work, I offer a sliding scale. which invites you to choose a payment level that aligns with your financial situation.
Please refer to the guide below and select the option that feels most appropriate for you.
If you need help using the coupon codes, or with any other aspect of booking, please contact support@janewillis.co.uk
£45 (Standard)
"I am comfortably able to meet all my basic needs."
This rate helps sustain the workshop and supports accessibility for others.
£25 (Supported)
"I sometimes stress about meeting some basic needs but can usually manage."
Use the coupon code JOYFUL at checkout to book at this rate.
£5 (Accessible)
"I frequently stress about meeting basic needs and sometimes cannot."
Use the coupon code ABUNDANT at checkout to book at this rate.
How to Book with a Discount Code
On the workshop web page, select Pay by Credit Card to proceed.
Click the orange “Book” button on the next page. The full price of £45 will initially show but will adjust after you apply the discount.
Complete the booking form.
At the end of the form, click Continue to Payment.
On the payment page, locate the field labelled “Package, gift, or coupon code.” Enter your discount code here and click Apply.
Once applied, you’ll see the price adjust to the discounted amount.
“I really liked Jane's approach. It felt warm, supportive and down to earth. I felt she empowered me to be braver to act in my own interests, and, thanks to the tools she set out for us, I left feeling much more capable!”
Caroline, Musician
(Image: Creative Health Consultant, Trainer and Mentor Jane Willis; Photo: Hannah Jones)
Valuing Your Worth: Sustaining Your Practice
Valuing Your Worth: Sustaining Your Practice
In this confidential and safely held online workshop, you will learn tools and skills that you can apply directly to your practice.
You will leave feeling more confident about how to set realistic day rates that reflect your worth, enable you to sustain you practice and earn a living.
There will be opportunities to share challenges, successes and tips for surviving the freelance world in small groups with others, without pressure to share personal details about your practice, day rates or annual income.
You will take away:
A clearer understanding of your true worth.
Practical strategies for setting and negotiating sustainable rates.
Insights into how your rates compare across the industry.
“I feel more confident in my ability to negotiate and have strategies for backing this up. Also, a recognition that when we consistently undercharge, we are doing everyone in the freelance sector a disservice. There are long-term impacts for ourselves, as well as the wider sector.”
Steph Robers, Writer and Curator
(Image: Creative Health Consultant, Trainer and Mentor Jane Willis; Photo: Hannah Jones)
How this workshop aligns with the Creative Health Quality Framework
The Creative Health Quality Framework clearly articulates what “good” looks like for creative programmes that support people’s health and wellbeing.
The Creative Health Quality Framework helps creative health practitioners, managers, commissioners and partners articulate the value of their work, identify best practice, increase confidence, support partnership working, improve working conditions for practitioners and outcomes for participants.
This workshop speaks to the following Creative Health Quality Framework Quality Principles:
Equitable
Realistic
Sustainable
The Details
The workshop will take place on Tuesday 28th January, from 10am - 12noon.
The workshop will take place on Zoom.
A Zoom link and all handouts will be sent to you in advance by email.
Handouts will include
Artists Recommended Rates of Pay – a clear summary of current recommended rates of pay covering all artforms.
The Valuing Your Worth Workbook - to help you calculate and negotiate your ideal day rate.
The Artist’s Overhead Calculator – to ensure you consider overheads when calculating your ideal day rate.
The Artist’s Time Tracker – to ensure you consider the unpaid time that goes into sustaining your practice when calculating your ideal day rate.
The Worth it or Not Checklist – to help you weigh up whether or not to say yes to unpaid or lower-paying work.
If you are unable to make the workshop live or would like to revisit the material at your own pace, a recording and the handouts will be made available afterwards.
The recording will include the main presentations but will not include Breakout Group activity and feedback which will remain confidential.
If you have any other access needs, please contact support@janewillis.co.uk so that we can discuss how best to support you.
Is this right for me?
This workshop is for you if…
You are a freelance or self-employed creative practitioner working in any medium – visual arts, music, dance, theatre, crafts, textiles, writing etc.
You work involves the use of arts and creativity to support people’s health and wellbeing.
You work in any setting including community, cultural, health and social care, education, outdoor, gallery or museum settings.
You are just starting out, new to this work, or have with many years of experience.
You work both as a freelance creative and as a salaried employee.
You work as a freelance creative as well as a freelance consultant, producer or evaluator.
This workshop isn’t for you if…
You are employed or salaried and do not work on a freelance or self-employed basis
“[I took away] some great tools, a big boost in confidence, a clear plan and some new people! Some of us are staying in touch.”
Kit Gee
(Image: Oakwood Ward Arts Project; Willis Newson; Photo: Clint Randall)