French creative Émilie Chen had what she calls her dream job: senior designer at The National Theatre in London, working on posters she'd dreamed about since university. Years later though, it had turned sour in the studio, her mental health took a hit, and she gave herself 8 months to start saving money and figure out her next Act.

What got her there wasn't a clever strategy. It was people. Co-founding the London chapter of Ladies, Wine & Design gave her the confidence to start asking the freelancers she was meeting, how they'd done it. Someone she cold emailed, handed her a contact sheet of art directors across publishing. And the recipe, she says, never changed: reach out, follow up, and keep doing it even when nothing happens for months.

This episode of the Being Freelance podcast with Steve Folland covers:

Co-founding the London chapter of Ladies, Wine & Design - starting with eight women in a theatre lobby - and how it built the confidence to ask near-strangers for advice, and to end up on speaking on stages (that got bigger and bigger over time)
Pushing back on a client who wanted her to create pitch work for free - and how that one conversation led to every freelancer being offered a fee from then on
Building a niche almost entirely from her old National Theatre colleagues, who took her name with them to new venues
Waiting after a talk for the room to empty, then walking up to introduce herself
Mailing a physical pack of postcards to The Guardian's creative directors and the years-later payoff
Surviving lockdown eleven months into freelancing, when her entire theatre client base vanished overnight, and the online directories that kept her busy until theatres reopened
The WhatsApp group of independent theatre poster designers who share contract terms, rates, and overflow work
Why the hardest part of freelancing isn't finding clients - it's learning to be a good boss to yourself

This episode is available to watch in video on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify.

The generosity of others shines through in this conversation. And how Émilie herself is passing that kindness on.

You can hear how important having a community around her has been for Émilie - you can have that kind of thing too - if you’re freelancing solo, come join us in the Being Freelance Community. You’re not alone being freelance.

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Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.