Freelance and creative careers rarely fall apart all at once. More often, it’s quieter than that - confidence, direction and the joy in the work slip away one deadline at a time, buried under everything the cretaive industry tells us we should be doing.
I recently delivered THE RESET as the opening session of a three-part series for SISTALAND - a fantastic community of women, trans women and nonbinary creatives gearing up for SISTALAND Festival 2027. My session was about getting honest, mentally and emotionally, about where everyone actually stood. October’s session, with Jasmine, turns that into visibility and opportunity. November brings it all into a real plan for next year.
Questions to ask
But the questions in THE RESET aren’t exclusive to that room - they’re useful wherever you are in a freelance or creative career. Here’s some of what we worked through together:
Notice what’s actually working, and what’s quietly draining you - and start telling the difference between what’s in your control and what isn’t
See where your time and energy really go, versus where you assume they go
Check whether what you’re doing is taking you toward what you want, or away from it
Name a financial need and a creative need you’ve been quietly overriding
Get honest about a change you’ve been circling, without any pressure to have it figured out
Land on a rough sense of direction — one that’s actually yours, not shaped by comparison or industry pressure
Leave with one real decision and one real action, so the session becomes evidence, not just reflection
What do you want to change?
This is solo reflection, done in good company. What made the SISTALAND session special was exactly that - hearing how differently everyone was carrying the same kinds of pressure, and realising none of them were carrying it alone.
For you to take away - what’s one thing you already know you want to change, even if you’re not ready to act on it yet?
Emma Dobinson is the founder of Creative Reset, an EMCC-accredited coach with over 25 years' experience across production, education and development in the media industry. She works with individuals and organisations across the creative industries to build confidence, resilience and sustainable career growth.
If you’d like to talk about running this kind of session for your team, or explore 1:1 coaching, book a discovery call.