“I don’t mean to be cheeky, but do you make money doing what you do?” This was one of many questions posed this week that led to even more insightful and challenging questions this week at Working Culture Residency. Gathering around representatives of funding bodies, freelancers, curators, filmmakers, book shop producers, editors, and more, discussions arose around how we in the sector actually survive. The truth is, many of us wear several different hats. Some days we are admins, some days we are makers; some days we represent one agency that can’t afford to hire us full time, while the next day we are teaching at the university. How and why do we do it? The answer to that will be just as varied and complex as those of us that make up the sector, but the one thing that seems to unite everyone in the WCR room is passion and drive. You need to have both to survive. You need a lot of both to excel.

Another common theme amongst the WCR participants is the desire for flexibility to be able to do the creative work that we feel is so important. Working in this line of work requires the ability to self-organise and self-start. There is no one path that we follow – we create our own. It’s a DIY kind of thing. That’s where this project is getting interesting. Not only do the conversations reveal the unique paths we have each taken, but the participants are shaping the WCR project each day. The dynamics shift with each person that takes part. Participants are moulding the project to reflect their needs and interests. It just gets richer and more complex every day.

I can’t wait to see what Week 3 brings! If you want to join in, email me to reserve a spot! workingcultureresidency@gmail.com