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Could Guaranteed Pay Change Creative Careers?

  • Apr 14
  • 8 min read

Artists often face financial instability—irregular income, little financial security, and limited organisational support to sustain both their creativity and personal lives. This article explores three practical tools designed to reduce anxiety and give creatives back control—whether they're 'in work' or navigating the gaps in between.




An Overview: Why Artists Often Struggle Financially.


Generally speaking, in the UK, creative work is often framed as “passion work” rather than a formal profession. Yet the reality tells a very different story: the creative industries contribute over £100 billion annually to the UK economy (Creative Industries Council, n.d.) and employ millions of people, with a significant proportion working freelance or on short-term contracts (Prospects, n.d.).


This mismatch between perception and economic value creates a unique kind of financial pressure for creatives (Creative UK, n.d.). For example, a freelance designer may experience irregular income streams—earning several thousand pounds in one month and very little the next—making it difficult to budget, save, or access credit (Prospects, n.d.). Similarly, an emerging artist might invest heavily in materials, studio space, or exhibition fees without any guarantee of sales or return on investment (Creative UK, n.d.).


The sector’s reliance on freelance labour further intensifies this instability. Around a third of the UK creative workforce is self-employed, compared to a much smaller percentage across the wider economy (Creative UK, n.d.). This means many creatives must independently manage taxes, pensions, and periods without work, often without the safety nets available in traditional employment.


Examples of this dynamic can be seen across disciplines: actors between contracts relying on side jobs to cover living costs; musicians funding tours upfront in the hope of recouping costs through ticket sales and merchandise; or writers balancing commissioned work with unpaid projects that build their portfolio but not their income (Prospects, n.d.).


Together, these realities highlight the need for more sustainable financial strategies—ones that acknowledge both the economic value of creative work and the structural challenges faced by those who pursue it.


These are just a few examples—there are many more, often shaped by interconnected factors that place additional strain on creatives.


The COVID-19 pandemic is a clear example, significantly intensifying existing financial pressures across the sector.


During this period, much of the creative economy—particularly live events, theatre, and film—was brought to a standstill. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the arts and entertainment sector experienced some of the steepest income declines in 2020 (Office for National Statistics, 2021). Many freelancers lost work almost overnight as projects were cancelled and venues closed.


While government support schemes like the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme were introduced, many creatives were ineligible due to the nature of freelance and mixed-income work (Office for National Statistics, 2021). As a result, a significant number were forced to rely on savings, take on debt, or leave the industry altogether—highlighting and deepening the financial instability already present within creative careers.


Against this backdrop, Ireland took a different approach. In response to COVID-19, it introduced a Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme, providing regular, guaranteed payments to selected artists. Unlike many temporary support measures seen elsewhere, this initiative has continued beyond the immediate crisis, positioning it as one of the more ambitious cultural policy experiments globally.


The scheme, led by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, offers participating artists a stable income stream over several years. Early findings suggest improvements in financial stability, reduced stress, and greater capacity for creative focus—factors often compromised in freelance careers defined by uncertainty (Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, 2025).


For now, the BIA scheme raises important questions for creative professionals everywhere: could a guaranteed income model meaningfully improve artists’ wellbeing and creative output? And more broadly, what would it mean to treat creative work not as “passion,” but as essential labour deserving of structural support?


Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan said:

"[The] BIA payment is having a consistent, positive impact for those in receipt of it. Artists are investing more time and more money into their practice, completing more new artistic output, experiencing reduced anxiety, and are protected from the precariousness of incomes in the sector to a greater degree than those who are not receiving the support." (Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, 2025).

Side note: More on Ireland's Basic Income for the Arts, very soon.


Regardless of the scheme’s positive impact, I’ve found that if artists aren’t equipped with a baseline understanding of how to manage their finances—and themselves—during “low seasons,” uncertainty and anxiety will always find a way back in, with or without financial support.


Between contracts, the following three tools keep me steady.


  1. Handling Financial Anxiety Between (Creative) Jobs


Creatives can take practical steps to manage financial stress during career gaps and when at work, with or without financial support. Creating a clear financial baseline, I believe, is the best way to commence easing the financial load. Having a 3-tier budget tells you:


  • How long can you sustain yourself?

  • What expenses are essential, and 

  • Where you can reduce spending as needed. 


Once you know your “bare minimum,” your worst-case scenario becomes more defined and less abstract.


When creating a 3-tier budget, aim to divide expenses into three levels:

  • Calculate the bare minimum survival costs.

  • Stable working budget; and,

  • Comfortable lifestyle budget.


Then, automate what you can - set up automatic savings transfers and/or bill payments to reduce mental load. 


These small but effective strategies get you into a rhythm of regaining financial stability and freedom.


Useful resources to support your budgeting journey include:




2: Creating a “Calm Script” for Worst-Case Scenarios.


Financial anxiety between creative jobs is rarely just about money. It’s about uncertainty, loss of control, and the mind’s tendency to jump to the worst possible outcome.


The concept of a “money script,” sometimes referred to as a “calm script,” originates from thr work of financial psychologists Brad Klontz and Ted Klontz, with contributions from Sonya Britt. Focusing on identifying and reshaping deeply held, anxiety-driven beliefs about money into more balanced narratives—helping people make financial decisions with clarity rather than fear (Klontz, Klontz and Britt, 2011).


As my career has progressed, i've found it helpful to use this method to interrupt anxiety-fuled financial spirals.


A “calm script” is a short, written plan that walks you through what you would actually do if things became difficult.


Research in psychology shows that anxiety is often maintained by catastrophic thinking—imagining worst-case scenarios without a clear response. Cognitive behavioural approaches focus on replacing vague fear with specific, actionable plans, which increases a sense of control and reduces distress (Albert Bandura, 1997).


Why a Calm Script Works

When you’re between jobs, your thoughts might sound like:

  • “What if I don’t find work soon?”

  • “What if I run out of money?”

  • “What if I can’t recover from this?”


These thoughts feel urgent and real—but they are often undefined. A calm script works by turning fear into structure.


Instead of asking “What if everything goes wrong?”, you answer:“If X happens, I will do Y.”


This shift—from uncertainty to contingency—can immediately reduce mental load. A calm script is not motivational—it’s practical, steady, and realistic.


Try to use language like:

  • “If my income drops below £X, I will move to my bare minimum budget.”

  • “If I don’t secure work within 6 weeks, I will expand my search to include [adjacent roles].”

  • “If I feel overwhelmed, I will contact [a specific person/organisation].”

  • “If my savings reach X point, I will explore temporary or part-time work.”


This mirrors techniques used in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), where individuals are encouraged to externalise and structure their thoughts rather than letting them spiral internally.


Where possible, you can also include practical safety nets, such as:

  • Government support (e.g., Universal Credit in the UK);

  • Industry hardship funds or unions (e.g., Easton Fund); and,

  • Housing and billing support.

"In Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts pilot, participants reported reduced anxiety partly because they had a predictable financial floor, allowing them to plan rather than react" (Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, 2025).

A calm script aims to recreate a version of psychological safety—even without guaranteed income.



  1. Don’t compare yourself to others' invisible finances.


Creative careers rarely reveal the full financial picture. What we see online is often curated—highlighting wins, not the debts, savings gaps, or support systems behind them.


Comparing yourself to others in these fields can distort reality and create unnecessary pressure. As the saying goes, “If the grass looks greener, it’s probably AstroTurf” (author unknown) - artificial, maintained, and not the full truth.


Progress in creative work is rarely linear, and everyone’s circumstances differ. Focusing on your own path, resources, and pace is far more productive than measuring yourself against someone else’s highlight reel.


Creatives/Entrepreneurs such as Martine Rose (a British-Jamaican menswear designer and founder of the Martine Rose label), Michaela Cole (British actress, writer and television director), and Jack Monroe (British food writer, journalist and activist) have all spoken quite openly about their money struggles. 


Michaela Coel reminds us that “short-term struggle vs long-term ownership” is about resisting quick rewards in favour of lasting control—accepting temporary financial difficulty to protect your future and your voice (Coel, 2020; Netflix - reported in interviews).


Martine Rose shows that using your “background as strength” is vital. There is no shame in where you come from—it’s how you shape it, express it, and turn it into something uniquely yours. (Rose, 2019; Rose, 2023).


And lastly, Jack Monroe brings us back to earth by encouraging us to “be brutally practical with money.” Ignoring the problem doesn’t make it disappear—facing it directly, with consistency and discipline, is what eventually leads to stability and reward. (Monroe, 2014; Monroe, 2022).


Martin Seligman’s research on learned optimism shows that reframing internal narratives—moving from helplessness to problem-solving—can significantly improve resilience and wellbeing (Seligman, 2011).

Belief—built through small, repeated experiences of control—is one of the strongest foundations of psychological resilience.


In closing, financial stability in the arts remains a global challenge. Ireland’s experiment may not solve every problem, but it has started an important conversation about how societies value creativity—and the people who produce it. Furthermore,


Reflecting on my opening question—whether guaranteed pay could change creative careers—the answer is yes, of course! But we must go one step further and equip creatives with the tools to manage and scale-up their finances.


In the meantime, however, regardless of how society, organisations, or funders recognise and value artists, we can protect our mind, heart, and work during the in-between seasons through practical, well-researched psychological strategies.


Much Love,

Sara



References:



  • Author unknown (n.d.) If the grass looks greener, it’s probably AstroTurf.


  • Rose, M. (2019). Interviews on design and cultural influence. Available at: i-D, Vogue, and 10 Magazine.


  • Rose, M. (2023). Contemporary interviews and profiles on identity in fashion. Available at: Business of Fashion, Vogue.


  • Monroe, J. (2014). A Girl Called Jack. London: Bluebird.


  • Monroe, J. (2022). Jack Monroe on the cost of living and budgeting. Articles and media commentary, The Guardian.


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