Writer/Director Natasha Waugh on the constant negotiation of a creative career

Natasha Waugh’s latest short We Don’t Choose How recently premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh. It tells the story of young homeless couple Jenny and James, it seems as though everything has been taken from them, and yet James is forced to deal with further loss. It’s a beautifully directed, sensitive piece that manages to find some light while exploring difficult themes that could easily have weighed the film down.   Natasha Waugh co-founded Fight Back Films in 2013, and has directed eight short films, and is represented by Pull The Trigger Ireland for commercial directing.   One of Natasha’s previous shorts Terminal, inspired by the women affected by the 8th amendment, won several awards on the festival circuit and also received prestigious nominations for Best Short film at the 37th London Film Critics’ Circle Awards, and at the 2017 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards (IFTAs).    She has worked on projects where she was mentored by Emmy winning director, Dearbhla Walsh and Oscar nominated director, Lenny Abrahamson and has been shadow director on Can’t Cope Won’t Cope, Sky’s Britannia, and the Netflix series Fate: The Winx Club Saga.   I chat to Natasha about:  the experience of screening in an online film festival how she finds actors for projects how she likes to work with actors the feature film she has in development with Screen Ireland We also had a great chat about some of the challenges that face creatives in Ireland, and specifically about money. I’m so grateful to Natasha for being open to talking about this, because it sometimes still feels like a taboo subject. We need to open up this conversation and to really examine how we can build resilient creative careers for ourselves.    My digital marketing work is how I pay bills, and how I am able to work as an actor—without balancing my acting work with that work I believe I would have been forced to give up acting altogether a long time ago.   I am always interested to hear how others are generating an income and how we can keep making the creative work we love.    When Natasha said “this career is like a constant negotiation” it really resonated with me, how we have to keep evaluating where we are, what we want, and how we can make it happen. If it resonates with you too, please do get in touch, you can email me at [email protected] or leave a comment on the blog post for this podcast. Or find me on Twitter.    You can watch several of Natasha Waugh’s shorts on her website at www.natashawaugh.ie, and you can connect with her on Twitter @cinemaster17 and on Instagram at natasha.waugh.   And of course, if you’re looking for a quick, easy and affordable professional actor’s website check out www.mysite.actor.   If you enjoyed this episode, please remember to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you normally listen. And if you enjoyed this episode please share it.    Thank you for listening!