Scenes from a Freelance Summer
The Calm That Isn’t
It’s July, and the world is sunning itself. School’s out, inboxes have gone eerily quiet, and the city is humming with the lazy optimism of early-evening light.
And yet somehow, I’m busier than ever — the good kind of busy. The frantic, fizzing, calendar-can’t-cope kind of busy that only happens when everything you’ve been developing quietly for months suddenly bursts into motion.
The Musical Sparked by a Gig
There’s a project I’ve been nurturing for a while — a new musical that grew, of all places, out of a stadium gig. (I’m going to Oasis in Edinburgh next month… so a chance to research the concept… right?) One of those nights where 40,000 people scream and sob and surrender to a man in a vest with messiah energy. I left with something strange and electric lodged in my chest.
Now that energy is becoming something else entirely: a story of mistaken identity, a world rebuilt after collapse, and the messy, glorious egos we build around ourselves to survive. It’s not about pop music — it’s about the feeling of it. The aftermath. The dust that sparkles when the lights go down.
This month is all about shaping it. There are songs. Scenes. A world emerging. Every day a new discovery — or a new disaster to solve.
Another Workshop, Another World
There’s also a workshop of a well-known adaptation — one with a massive international following and a cult-like reverence from fans. It’s dark, provocative, and morally delicious.
We’re looking for theatricality without gimmick, weight without pretension. How do you honour the source and still find something new to say? How do you make it live?
Eleven days in a rehearsal room. It’s coming fast. July is where the foundation gets laid — or doesn’t.
A Side-Hustle With Heart
Meanwhile, there’s this thing I’m building on the side. A hyper-local, community-first idea — small but sharp. Part loyalty scheme, part love letter to the high street, it’s a project born from frustration, optimism, and more than a few conversations in pubs.
It’s still taking shape. Branding. Partnerships. The tech that’ll make it work. But I’ve had moments this month — small, surprising ones — where it feels like it could be real. And that’s enough for now.
The Life Between Projects
What July really is, of course, is a lesson in balance. In trusting the process while chasing ten moving targets. In knowing when to push and when to pause.
My calendar says “Creative Session” but it’s secretly triage. My Notes app reads like a cry for help. My desktop has a folder called “Just in Case This Works.”
And I love it. Honestly. I trained for this. Literally (hello, ArtsEd). You learn to move, adapt, improvise, perform. You learn to smile when the tech crashes and nod earnestly when someone says, “Could we just rethink the entire second half before tomorrow?”
Looking Ahead
July is big. Full. Gloriously ridiculous. If all goes to plan, I’ll end the month with a workshop in the bag, a new musical with clearer bones, a business on the cusp, and the same buzz that keeps me saying yes to the next wild thing.
August? Who knows. Maybe I’ll be horizontal. Maybe I’ll be in rehearsals. Or maybe I’ll be writing another blog post about how everything fell apart and got rebuilt in one brilliant, chaotic month.
Stay tuned.