Biog
Juliet Russell is a singer, composer, vocal coach and choir director. She is also a creative director of Also festival and co-founder of Salon London, alongside Helen Bagnall. Passionate about supporting individuals and communities to develop their voices and creativity, Juliet is also the vocal coach on two of the UK’s biggest entertainment shows, ITV’s The Voice and BBC1’s Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, where she prepares the Unexpected Stars for the performance of their lives.
Specialising in artist development, Juliet has also worked with Grammy, BRiT, MTV Europe and MOBO award winning artists. She has performed with innovative artists including Damon Albarn, Imogen Heap, alt-J and Paloma Faith, most recently writing the vocal arrangement and leading the #ThankYouMidwife choir on Paloma’s beautiful rendition of Silent Night, in association with Pampers UK. Juliet has composed and arranged music for film, television and radio. She leads the Portobello Live Choir, a community choir in West London and Assemble professional choir. www.julietrussell.com
Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?
Meditating. Having brilliant friends, family and a lovely partner. Exercise. Eating well. Sleeping well. Ideally, being organised with things that support you – from financial systems to technology. I love what I do so that helps a lot. The people I work with are usually inspiring, even when they don’t realise it. I’m never bored and I really appreciate that I get to sing every day as my job.
How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?
I am generally terrible at marketing and promoting myself. It’s much easier when someone else does it. I’m more of a “do my best and then someone notices or recommends me” marketer!
I do the basics… I have a website, social media and a body of work, but I’m not a social media guru and I could probably be a lot better at this.
What if any, is the personal brand used for your portfolio career?
I don’t know! I’ve been doing what I do for a long time so I think now I have a reputation. I hope I bring a high level of musical and technical skill, and also a lot of joy and passion. It has to be enjoyable. I always want to give the best of myself and to bring the best out of others, whatever I am doing.
What advice would you give to someone considering a portfolio career?
It is completely possible to make a career out of lots of different elements. Mine have linked themes – singing and events, but equally it’s possible to combine teaching French and a dog grooming business or selling antiques and being an accountant. Why not? If you have something that you are good at, passionate about and motivated to see come to fruition, this helps a lot. Things I could have done better earlier on include realistic pricing and really having a handle on the finances. Understanding what your overheads are, what you need to generate, what you ideally want to generate and what your bottom line is are all essential. Use technology to support you, not to distract you. Also, be better than me at marketing.
What benefits do portfolio careers bring specifically to women and mothers, rather than to men?
That’s a good question. On the plus side, I think flexibility, autonomy and independence. However, as we know, working for yourself does not necessarily mean working less and it can mean making financial compromises, especially earlier in the process. Also, the gender pay gap is real. I’m not a mum so I haven’t had to balance family and work in that way, but I looked after my Mum before she was in care and as women we do still tend to be the main caregivers. Balancing everything can be tricky. Thanks to Salon London I’ve been reading Burnout by Drs Emily and Amelia Nagoski and their argument that stress is political is a really interesting one, as is Prof. Gina Rippon’s recent book about The Gendered Brain.
I think women are still expected to have multiple roles and often to facilitate others. Of course, this can bring great strength and to an extent I think we are all on this earth to help each other. However this only works if we are all helping each other (and simultaneously being given help)! My first business was run by a group of amazing women and I run Salon with an amazing woman. We can make great allies, great pioneers and great business leaders. I think it’s important that we know our own value and don’t settle for less financially or undersell ourselves through lack of confidence. Trailblazing can be tiring, but it can also be energising, either way, it needs to be done and a portfolio career is one way of doing it.
What 5 tips can you share for people considering a portfolio career?
1. Follow your passion and it will never feel boring
2. People and relationships are your greatest asset
3. Learn to be excellent at what you do
4. Understand your finances and your value
5. Give back. Be aware of what’s needed and what you can bring.
More
Juliet Russell’s LinkedIn profile :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliet-russell-b37739a/
Also Festival : https://www.also-festival.com\
Salon London : http://www.salon-london.com
Music Gurus: https://www.musicgurus.com/course/learn-essential-skills-for-singers-foundation-level
Follow Juliet Russell on Twitter @JulietRussell
Interested in a portfolio career for yourself?
Get in touch for a no obligation chat with Rachel Brushfield, The Talent Liberator: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/
Read our client testimonials for the different parts of our portfolio career: https://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/energise-client-testimonials/