Lyndsey Clark

Lyndsey is a freelance museum and heritage consultant who supports organisations to develop creative interpretation, exhibitions and engagement projects for diverse audiences. We asked her about her experience freelancing ahead of #NationalFreelancersDay.

What would you say are the benefits of working in a museum consultancy rather than in a museum?

For me, in my area of work, the main benefit of working as a freelance consultancy is working with a wide range of organisations, sites, collections and audiences. I find the variety stimulating and it helps me to innovate and continuously learn and improve in what I do. I also love meeting new clients and helping them any way I can.

What else do you need to take into consideration when working in a museum consultancy rather than in a museum?

As a freelance consultant you are always juggling clients and projects, even more so than in an employed museum job. You also need to juggle all the client work with the work required to keep your own consultancy business up and running: admin, finance and invoicing, pitching for new work, professional development and training.

What skills do you think are most important for freelancer or consultancy work?

The most important skill for any freelancer is communication. Even for consultants who work alone, every part of every job involves communication. Along with communication, planning and organising are also key, and even (or especially) in creative work, project management is key.

How would you find out about opportunities for freelancing?

People will tell you most work comes from your own network, and that is true. But if you want to keep working with new and different clients, you need to look outside your network and put in the work to pitch for publicly advertised contracts.

What advice would you give to someone who is not currently working as a freelancer or in a consultancy?

Think very carefully about your skills and what you can do and what you want to do for clients. Do your research to see if there are sufficient clients with those needs. How far will you travel? Will you work away from home? Are there enough potential clients out there who need what you can offer, and are you willing and able to do the background work to secure the contracts?