Our guest blog this month is written by Rachel Barnett-Jones www.sensiblecreative.co.uk
Hello! I’m a freelance writer for stage and screen, a theatre producer and educator. I’ve been working in the performing arts for 20 years and have written over 80 commissioned scripts, but when I first started experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms I genuinely wondered if I’d ever be able to work again.
It felt like, overnight, my brain had stopped being my brain. Not only had my ability to form coherent sentences ground to a halt but all the words, structures and stories that had previously been really easy to access, had been replaced with a ball of white-hot rage and anxiety.
This state of affairs was not at all conducive to being able to carry on working in a fast-paced creative freelance career. Panic set in.
After a bit of wailing, ranting, and a lot of walking the dog, I took a few calming breaths and then I started researching the impact of menopause on creative brains. A guest blog on the BAPAM website by the wonderful Sophie Tott was pivotal in helping me to realise that I was definitely NOT alone. From there, it was reasonable to think that a lot of my friends and colleagues must be in a very similar boat to mine. And so we all started to talk, honestly and openly, about the brain fog, the weird and distracting symptoms (itchy ears, anyone?), and the rage that lurks constantly just below (or above) the surface.
I soon realised that there isn’t a great deal available in terms of easy-to-find industry support for ‘writers who suddenly can’t write because their body is undergoing seismic hormonal shifts’ so, with a few other wonderful writers, I set up a WhatsApp group of peri-menopausal and menopausal writers.
In no time at all we had created one of the most supportive and creative communities I have ever been a part of. Our conversations, on a daily basis, range from anxiety about work, to amusing anecdotes about menopause-induced aphasia (not being able to find the right words) to discussions about nutritional supplements, music to listen to which boosts focus, good pyjamas to combat hot flushes, and much, much more.
There was just so much brilliant advice and supportiveness that I felt inspired to collect it, shape it, and turn it into a resource pack which other writers might find useful. Writing the (r)Age was born.
This document soon turned into two documents: one for writers and one for those who work with and support writers who are experiencing menopausal symptoms. These documents are also a hope for more conversations leading to more understanding and support across the creative industries for affected writers.
Since creating these resources, I have been overwhelmed by the positive response and support from theatres, literary organisations, publishers, and BAPM. Everyone I’ve reached out to has responded so positively and it’s been incredibly encouraging to see the logos of supporters on the back page grow and grow (and it’s still growing – please get in touch via my website if you’d like to support these documents).
What started as a response to a moment of personal crisis has grown into a supportive community and from there to, hopefully, the start of a sector-wide conversation.
And the response to this project, as well as several others I am working on at the moment, inspired me to set up a new company Sensible Creative. All of the work of my new company is driven by a desire to harness my new peri-menopausal energy (and yes a certain amount of rage) into activism and advocacy where I can to inject kindness and common sense into the arts.
The Writing the (r)Age resources will be launched at Sheffield Theatres on February 25th, with a panel of phenomenal and fascinating speakers, including BAPAM’s Lucy Heyman. You can book tickets for both the launch event and companion workshop (on having fun with accidental surrealism caused by aphasia) here.
To download the resources visit: sensiblecreative.co.uk/menopausal-writers
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About the writer: Rachel Barnett-Jones – Writer, Producer and Sensible Creative
Rachel is a writer, educator and arts advocate. As the founder of Sensible Creative, she is committed to dismantling the complexities of the professional arts to ensure that creatives are protected, informed, and respected.
Her work as an advocate is built on a career of world-class storytelling, with writing credits spanning television (Sky Kids’ Pip and Posy, S4C/ITV’s Tiny Buds), audio (Tonies, Lapland UK), and international theatre (Polka, Chichester Festival Theatre, York Theatre Royal).
By merging her creative practice with a tireless commitment to practical kindness, Rachel is working on a variety of projects which, she hopes, will make the arts a happier and healthier place to work.