We’re not all operating under the same circumstances

I was humbled to have been asked by UTAS to speak alongside fellow recent graduates about how students can land their graduate roles. Now I obviously have a slightly different perspective on that as I've gone through my graduate role, and am now on the other side running my own show.

Something that came up a few times last night, and in previous conversations with other creatives looking to dive into freelance life, is how I had the confidence to go out on my own.

Now I'm a big believer that if you jump the net will appear, but that belief also comes from a privileged position. I'm slowly building my own net, but it's important to acknowledge that there is also a very large safety net underneath the one that's still under construction.

That safety net comes in the form of parents that live in the same city as me and have the means to support me if the worst were to happen. I'm never going to go hungry, and I'm never going to end up homeless. I also have a lot of support from my partner, financially and otherwise.

That's not to say that I don't work incredibly hard, and stand on my own two feet 98% of the time. But I wouldn't be here today if my parents didn't provide some financial support while I was at Uni, and if my partner didn't pay for a significantly larger portion of our living expenses than I do.

We are not all operating under the same conditions, and I don't think enough people acknowledge that. I would never want anyone to look at what I'm doing, and wonder how the hell I've made it here.

A whole lot of hard work and self-confidence (some would call that arrogance) is how I'm here, but it's also a whole lot of privilege.