Making the leap: from project manager to actor and voice artist
Many of my creative clients are transitioning between a ‘9-5’ job and working for themselves - often with a long period of doing both. Making the leap between the two is scary, especially if with the change comes uncertainty about security and success. It takes grit, determination, commitment and a whole lot of positive thinking, so I’m always inspired by people who make changes in order to improve their lives and fulfil their dreams. I’m sharing conversations with these people on my blog so you can get a glimpse into their motivations, challenges and be inspired by their words of wisdom.
My guest today is Rick Romero who started his career transition five years ago when an opportunity for voluntary redundancy became the catalyst for significant changes. He left his corporate role as a Configurations Services Field Project Manager (Rick tells me I can describe him as an IT Project Manager but I couldn’t not include this fabulous job title!) and made a commitment to achieving his life-long goal of being a rock star, or at least a successful actor, voice artist, musician and producer. I first got to know Rick at a festival many solstices ago and we bonded over shared struggles of wishing we could make a living from our creative pursuits. After seeing Rick perform on various stages as an actor and musician, I knew he would make it happen. Over to Rick, who managed to squeeze in doing this interview while on tour with his latest play.
What were your motivations for building a different kind of life?
I fell into my PAYE career by accident, through a succession of jobs designed to tie me over while I got my career as a creative off the ground. This started off soon after I graduated from University in my early 20s – I was obviously going to be a rock star and a famous actor, but I just needed a temp job for another six months until my big break… Then time stretched on; the big break never came, maturity began to intrude upon my thought processes, my partner and I bought a house, consistency of employment became a necessity, and my temp jobs evolved into a grown-up career in the IT industry.
Throughout this whole period however, around 15/16 years in total, my creative outlets remained firmly in place, on more than just a hobbyist level, consuming evenings and weekends, and during the latter five years of full employment I began to accrue a few professional credits, in music production, acting and voiceover work, on the side. I began to seriously consider the possibilities of transitioning to a freelance style of work but couldn’t quite see how it would be possible financially. Then when I was 39 I was offered an option to take voluntary redundancy from my IT role, and this was the turning point.
What held you back initially?
Abject terror. My perfect scenario had landed in my lap; a significant cash buffer from the redundancy payout would provide the time I needed to ramp up my freelance activities into some semblance of a living wage, but would I be able to do it? The creative industries are notoriously difficult to crack into, with no structure or guarantee of earning anything at all, so there are no business plan projections you can use to structure your approach, with graphs showing likely income vs outgoings to help you apply for business loans and predict how your business might grow. It really is finger in the air stuff, and precarious as hell.
So fear gripped me when I was presented with the opportunity to make the leap, and I almost didn’t do it. My partner persuaded me to go for it, however. I was fundamentally unhappy in my career, and this has its obvious knock-on effects on the home life. She was anxious to see me do something I enjoyed, and to make sure I didn’t miss this opportunity that I had been waiting for now that it had finally presented itself. So, knowing I had her blessing, and more than that, her reassuring conviction that it was the right thing to do, I went for it.
What has the change given you?
The opportunity to strive for professional and creative fulfilment, a renewed sense of purpose, the loss of the nagging feeling that I was wasting my time that had pervaded all my previous jobs, and improved mental health. Also, my jobs, when I get them, are varied, interesting, exciting, and out of the ordinary, so monotony has all but evaporated from much of my professional life.
The trade-off has been loss of security, the potential for long periods of time to elapse with no work at all, having to quickly learn how to manage the emotional response to these negative factors, and not letting periods of unemployment derail my confidence and determination to get the next job.
What were the biggest challenges during your transition?
I’m still transitioning! My initial strategy was to spread the net wide and derive multiple streams of income. I set up businesses as a voice over artist, music composer and producer, performing musician, audiobook editor, actor, and photo booth service provider. This was to try to ensure that there was always the potential to earn even if I was out of work as an actor for long periods (par for the course even for established performers). It became evident after a few years that this level of diversification was becoming counter-productive, with each strand having the potential to impede progression in any or all of the others. Not to mention the stress of juggling too many balls. So, for the last year I have begun to scale down this diversification so I can focus on one thing, with a bit of support from one or two other things, rather than trying to maintain six or seven businesses concurrently.
Learning to source my own opportunities and manage my time was a big challenge as well – transitioning from the ordered way in which work landed in my lap in the IT industry, with defined deadlines, objectives and targets, all set by senior management, to the chaos of a blank canvas, no structure, no contacts, no daily defined tasks, was something that I still grapple with five years in.
Having to give away work for little or no money to establish my profile as a professional performer, and the “race to the bottom” pricing phenomenon of some freelance websites, due to the sheer amount of competition all pitching for the same jobs, can be depressing and demeaning. And when the cash buffer ran out and I came up against the reality of my new lower level of income for the first time was a sobering moment.
There is also a heavy workload that comes with being freelance that is soaked up by HR and Payroll in a traditional employee scenario. Having to deal with tax returns (if your turnover isn’t sufficient to justify the hiring of an accountant) is a downer. And learning to take breaks, rest and look after oneself is also a difficult challenge when the buck stops with you. There’s nothing like not having sick pay or paid holiday to make one agonise over taking even a short break or compel one to heroically struggle on through a heavy flu instead of taking time to recover.
What piece of advice would you offer for anyone thinking of changing careers or working for themselves?
Everyone’s circumstances are different. Some careers can be easily transitioned from employed to freelance with an increase in earnings potential with minimal additional admin and minimal loss of security. Other’s (such as mine) are a much heavier shock to the system and take more thought and consideration before making the leap, and more adaptation to an entirely new way of working.
Ultimately, you need to consider the risks, your own set of circumstances, and put as many things in place to mitigate problems and humps in the road. Then GO FOR IT. Because if there’s something needling away at you, a calling, an ambition, something you’ve always wanted to do, and you can’t shake it off, the one thing that you can guarantee is that if you do nothing, regret is likely to weigh more heavily upon you than the consequences of taking a risk and it failing. You can always go back to doing what you did before if you’re unable to make your dream work, and at least you will have tried.
What have you learnt about yourself in the process?
I have learnt that I have a low stress threshold and juggling too many balls is as detrimental to my state of mind as staying in the wrong job was before I made the leap. While I have many interests and potential earning streams, the stress of managing these has taught me which strands I prefer, and which strands can fall by the wayside. This has made me better at focusing on the right course to follow.
I’ve learnt it’s OK to experiment, to change course and tweak the plan as you go, I’ve learnt to be resilient, patient and to have confidence in my ability to provide good quality work. In fact, I’ve learnt that confidence is essential, and that very little progress is attained from waiting for people to find you if you’re a shrinking violet.
I’ve also learnt the value of counsel from loved ones. It’s important to share the dilemmas, quandaries, failures and successes that freelance work or career changes throw up with those around you. My partner, friends and family have been invaluable in helping me stay the course, with encouragement, suggestions, critiques, and feedback. I couldn’t have achieved half of what I have without their support, especially my partner, to whom I am eternally grateful.
Final word from Sarah
I think Rick might be the very definition of resilience. His line about ‘still transitioning’ struck a chord with me, and this is ultimately true for anyone who has made big life changes – the work is ongoing and it’s a process of learning what works for you, what doesn’t and then making further changes. I also love the way he credits the people in his life who have supported, encouraged and critiqued him. I completely agree – relationships and connections are key elements that contribute to success.
You can find out more about Rick and his many creative talents below. And I highly recommend you do!