A global creative freelance movement is happening – do you want to be part of it? Here is the playbook of freelance work practices to embrace the promise of self-employment and succeed within the growing creative sector.
The global creative economy is booming, generating over $2 trillion in annual revenue according to the UN. Post-pandemic, freelancing is on the rise, as principal income or a side hustle. This book will show you how you can take your talents, join the freelance movement, and thrive within the creative economy. From choosing a niche and launching a freelance practice, to working with clients, managing the money, and looking after yourself as a freelancer, this book focuses on developing resilient freelancers and sustainable freelance practices. This holistic approach lifts creatives to succeed in the creative industries on their own terms.
Surviving and thriving as a creative freelancer isn’t easy, but mastering the skills in this book will improve the odds for recent graduates, career changers, students, and anyone aspiring to use their creative skills but unsure where to start.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements. About the Author. Chapter 1 – Becoming a Thriving Creative. Chapter 2 – Designing Your Freelance Career. Chapter 3 – Defining Your Offer. Chapter 4 – Ideal Clients. Chapter 5 – Finding Clients. Chapter 6 – Winning Work. Chapter 7 – Doing the Work. Chapter 8 – Operating a Business of One. Chapter 9 – The Resilient Freelancer. Chapter 10 – Growing Your Freelance Business. Chapter 11 – Building Your Future. Appendix 1 – Business Plan Template.
About the Author :
Steven Sparling has over 30 years’ experience in the creative sector as a practitioner and researcher. He holds a PhD in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship from Goldsmiths, University of London.
Review :
Profit and purpose can coexist; Sparling shows us how. This book is an essential toolkit for creatives determined to craft work that matters, without sacrificing integrity or income. Readers find courage, clarity, and proven strategies to make conscious choices while building a business that’s sustainable, purposeful, and entirely their own.
Kelly Small, Award-winning creative director, founder of Intents & Purposes, and author of the bestselling The Conscious Creative
Finally, we have a Creative’s handbook setting a new standard. Sparling offers critical guidance from a lived, organic experience. While the business-based information is expertly derived and easily communicated, the true value of Sparling’s effort is its deft holistic and human-based approach.
Dr. Gary D. Beckman, Director, Entrepreneurial Studies in the Arts, North Carolina State University and author of The New Arts Entrepreneur: Navigating the Arts Ecologies.
"A powerful roadmap for creatives ready to turn passion into purpose. This isn’t a glossy take on freelancing - it’s a no-nonsense guide that challenges outdated norms and champions creative autonomy. Every student, educator, and aspiring freelancer should have this book in their hands."
Matt Dowling, Founder, Freelancer Club
“Clearly-written, pragmatic and helpful, Steven Sparling’s excellent book offers a honest and supportive guide to launching a freelance career, with a thoughtful psychological dimension and engaging quotes from an array of active freelancers.”
David Gauntlett, Toronto Metropolitan University, author of Creativity: Seven Keys to Unlock Your Creative Self
“Creatives will learn to utilize their talents in meaningful ways beyond what they may have previously imagined— to achieve a much sought after dream of being one’s own boss. The mindfulness foundations embedded here also encourage a holistic journey that values lifestyle aspirations equally with one’s work.”
Ryan McElhinney, Co-Founder, Student-Made Store
“The Thriving Creative is a thorough and engaging blueprint of how to launch yourself out there into the world as a content creator and a freelancer. It’s both practical and pragmatic. And an enjoyable read. I’m recommending it to my faculty colleagues for our students.”
James Nadler, LLB, MBA Chair, RTA School of Media, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson)
“I’ve spent the last fifty-five years not working for anybody. I can vouch for the tactics and strategies that Steven Sparling describes in his excellent The Thriving Creative. This guide is wise, compassionate, and, most importantly, real. Get your hands on it right now!”
Eric Maisel, Coaching the Artist Within and 60+ books
“Steven has written a book which entirely captures the exciting spirit of freelancing and creativity along with providing an insight into the science, philosophy and ancient wisdom of mindfulness. The book offers a comprehensive ‘how to’ guide, full of expert practical guidance from his own experience.”
Nick Cooke – Principal of The UK College of Mindfulness Meditation and Founder of the ‘Mindfulness Now’ teaching programme.
"Practical, grounded, and compassionate. Steven seamlessly threads mindful awareness, emotional intelligence, and cognitive-behavioural tools through pricing, pitching, and projects—turning overwhelm into agency. A humane, values-led roadmap for creative freelancers everywhere.”
Tony O’Shea-Poon - Mindfulness Tutor, Therapist and Coach
“Steven Sparling offers an extraordinary contribution to arts entrepreneurship: a guide that is both academically grounded and directly operational by freelancers in the constructive economy. With clarity and compassion, he equips readers with the business, financial, and mindset tools often missing from constructive training. By weaving applicable strategies with mindfulness and creative exercises, he shows creatives how to utilize their implicit constructive abilities for entrepreneurial purposes empowering them to thrive rather than simply survive. This book fills a decisive gap in the field and deserves a place in both classrooms and studios alike.”
Jim Hart, Director of Social & Arts Entrepreneurship, SMU, Meadows School of the Arts
“An immensely helpful resource grounded in personal experience. A standout aspect is its recognition of the importance of the psychological side of becoming a creative freelancer, recognising that it can be your inner voices which can be as much of a barrier as skills or knowledge. Highly recommended!”
Gemma Kenyon, Director of Employability, City St George’s, University of London
"Steven Sparling's book is a vital roadmap for creative freelancers. Blending actionable business strategies with mindfulness techniques, it provides a holistic guide to navigating the challenges and opportunities of the creative economy. This is a must-read for anyone seeking to turn their creative passion into a sustainable, thriving career."
Dr. Chris Gibbs, Director, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
