One of the reasons I love interviewing people on the Artistic Finance podcast is because we get to talk honestly about the business side of our careers. There is no need to keep up appearances. The purpose of these public conversations are so that we as an industry can learn from one another. Full transparency. And that is what we got this week from scenic designer Seth Howard, a freelance scenic designer based in St. Louis who has designed at The Rep Theatre of St. Louis, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Aspen, and Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. His work can be found at sethhowarddesigns.com and @sethhowarddesigns on social media.
Seth has built a theatre design career while being based out of St. Louis, Missouri. His designs go up all across the USA and he travels often. But he has carved a life and career in his hometown. His relationship with the business side of freelancing has had it’s ups and down. It started with taking out too many credit cards during college, and learning that those balances have to be paid or they will try to stick with you forever.
Do not avoid looking at bills, bank accounts, taxes, budgets, and retirement savings. Seth said he used to be afraid of looking. But it’s important to look and know what your situation is so you can plan. Seth did mention that he has tried keeping a personal budget but never has he stuck with one beyond a week. That was relatable to me because I’ve done the same. Create a budget, learn, and promptly abandon it and move on. When freelance income is variable, and bills are consistent, it can seem moot to keep a budget.
Repeatedly Seth said he was still healing on his money journey. I loved that because it’s a beautifully soft way of acknowledging that we're all works in progress. And when it comes to freelancer finances, something that has to be learned by experience, there will always be something we learn and need to be healed by time.
How Seth finds work was both expected and surprising. During COVID, Seth estimates that 75% of his work was coming through social media and cold outreaches to his Instagram account. Even now, he says it’s around 30%, with the other 70% being word of mouth and already formed connections. I personally have never gotten a gig from social media, but Seth's experience reminded me that Instagram and other platforms are essentially free marketing.
Taking a look at Seth’s gorgeous Instagram account it was clear why people would reach out and hire him. Let this be a lesson for all of us to put your work where people can see it. In a previous interview with Jess Ryan, the CEO of Broadway Unlocked, she made a point that for Broadway productions that put out content on social media that is accessible to the public are getting word of mouth publicity. The point isn’t about polished content (though Seth’s Instagram is beautiful) but it’s more about having it on a platform that is easily shared and viewable by anyone that stumbles across it.
We talked about production budgets and Seth mentioned that in college the set budget wasn’t transparent. That brought us to the point that if you’re an educator, make sure your students understand what their designs cost. Don't hide budgets from young designers. They need to learn how the financial side of the work operates. It’s great if they can start that while they're still in school.
Something that came across from the minute we started talking was Seth's approach to his career: being a good person and acting in good faith. That is the name of the game to staying employed as a freelancer. Theatre is a small world, and people remember who they enjoy working with, who is safe, and who make their lives easier.
I was excited when Seth brought up some simple and actionable financial topics. He talked about using a high-yield savings account, even for money that is earmarked for upcoming bills. If your money is going to sit somewhere for a week or two, it might as well earn something while it waits. He also talked about creating the accounts for his DBA (doing business as) which was a reminder that freelancers don't automatically need to form an LLC simply because they're running a business. The topic I became unnecessarily obsessed with was when Seth mentioned he opened a ROTH IRA. Another recent guest, Christopher Kriz, had mentioned this too. I'm not a financial professional and this isn't financial advice, but if you're eligible for a ROTH IRA and don't have one, I think it's worth learning about. And do that sooner than later because the power of it isn't just in your contributions, it's in giving that money time to grow. During the show I broke down how much money you would have earned had you put money into a ROTH IRA six years ago when we started the podcast. And I project forward another six years. It’s quite an impressive growth possibility and I encourage you to listen to the full episode.
What I ultimately took away from my conversation with Seth wasn't any financial tricks. It was the chill demeanor of someone building a career without pretending he has everything figured out. He's finding work, taking things as they come up, thinking about retirement, and continuing to learn by doing. It’s a useful model for any of us. We're all still figuring it out. We're still healing. We're still learning how to look at our money without being afraid. Seth Howard is doing all of that quietly, from St. Louis. And I’m grateful he let us talk about it.
Listen here: Artistic Finance: Freelancing In St. Louis With Set Designer Seth Howard