From circus hobby to self-employed career: Ruby takes centre stage with Seetec support

For Ruby, circus has been part of her life since she was 12 years old. What started as a discovery during a professional musical theatre production eventually became a passion, a creative outlet and, more recently, a full-time career.

Now 27 and based in Bristol, Ruby is a self-employed circus artist, performing aerial and ground acrobatics at festivals, private and corporate events, cabarets and shows. She also delivers circus workshops for adults, children, people facing disabling barriers and professional circus artists.

Ruby has been working with Seetec since January, receiving support from Self Employment specialist Ian as she continues to build the business side of her career.

Finding a career in circus

Before making circus her career, Ruby worked across reproductive healthcare, education, advocacy, outreach and homelessness support. Alongside these roles, she continued training in circus arts, which became an important creative and physical outlet.

After years of living with poor health, Ruby decided to move to the UK and attend circus school. It was a significant challenge, as she was unable to train in the same way as many of her fellow students.

With support from her teachers, Ruby developed a training plan that worked around her circumstances and allowed her to continue creating and performing.

After graduating and finally finding the right treatment for her health, Ruby decided it was time to take the leap into full-time self-employment.

“I decided to take the leap into full-time self-employment knowing I did not want to take for granted the opportunity I had to make the most of my new lease on life.”

Since then, Ruby has built an increasingly varied career. One of her highlights has been performing on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, alongside delivering circus workshops and developing her own creative practice.

Hear straight from Ruby here: https://youtu.be/An3-ePm_dnc?si=c9Mso6wAhSs2HiPj

Learning the business behind the passion

Being a self-employed artist involves much more than performing. Alongside training and creating new work, Ruby manages her own marketing, promotional materials, website, social media, finances, budgeting, travel, grant applications and bookings.

This is where the support from Seetec has made a difference.

Working with Ian, Ruby has been developing her understanding of the practical side of running a business, from managing finances and completing her taxes to building the foundations she needs to grow her career.

“Ian and the Seetec team have provided invaluable support to me in my journey through self-employment this year. His kindness, support and encouragement were present from the first meeting we had and has been consistent since.”

For Ruby, having someone who believes in her career has been just as valuable as learning the practical skills.

“His belief in me and my career have helped me believe that I can make a living by doing what I love, even when it’s hard.”

Building a career with purpose

Self-employment can be demanding, but it has also given Ruby the freedom to build a working life around the things that matter to her.

She values being able to create her own schedule, travel for work and have the flexibility to be there for important moments with her family.

Looking ahead, Ruby hopes to continue developing her work beyond performing and teaching. She wants to expand her education so she can explore circus as a therapeutic practice and reach people who could benefit from movement, creativity and connection with their bodies.

“Circus was in large part responsible for getting me through some of the hardest parts of my life, and I believe strongly in the power of movement and creativity as therapy.”

Ruby is now continuing to grow her career, one performance, workshop and business lesson at a time.

With her passion, determination and the right support around her, she is proving that self-employment can be about more than creating a job. It can be about building a career around what gives you purpose.

Taking her work further

Ruby’s plans to explore circus as a therapeutic practice are already taking shape. She has recently been awarded a £12,000 Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant, which will support her in developing her practice as a circus-based creative health practitioner.

As part of the funded programme, Ruby will undertake training in areas including safeguarding, therapy and mental health first aid, work with mentors, explore creative health and social prescribing, and learn from organisations already working in the field. She also plans to pilot circus-for-wellbeing workshops with different groups, develop ways to evaluate their impact and gather participant feedback and case studies.

Ruby credits the support she has received from Seetec as one of the factors that helped her secure the grant, giving her greater confidence in her career and the business behind her creative practice.

The funding marks an exciting next step for Ruby as she works towards using circus, movement and creativity to support people experiencing challenges including isolation, long-term health conditions and other barriers to wellbeing.