Dr Matt Sutherland’s job title is Associate Professor in Marketing within Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School.

But that doesn’t even begin to describe the role he plays.

Both within the university, and with roles with Knowledge Exchange UK, The Open North Foundation and on the management board of the Small Business Charter, Matt has carved out a niche for himself as a conduit for interaction between the worlds of academia and business.

Freelancing offers incredible freedom, but it also comes with its challenges. Alongside your creative work, you're managing finances, marketing, client communication, and all the behind-the-scenes tasks that keep your business running. Without a built-in support system, it’s easy to find yourself stretched too thin.

This is freelancer fatigue, and it’s more common than you think. The constant pressure to stay busy, meet client demands, and chase new opportunities can quickly lead to burnout. But the good news? You don’t have to sacrifice your wellbeing for success. Here’s how to break the cycle and build a thriving freelance business, without running yourself into the ground.

With social media increasingly filled with hate and misinformation, political agendas and polarisation slicing through communities and anti-queer rhetoric on the rise, you would think that Phil Douglas, founder and director of Curious Arts, would be despondent, but he’s anything but. 

I find Phil sitting in the corner of an independent café, sipping on a latte and reading the news that the UK government has announced an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for under 18s, impacting those with gender dysphoria - a move that various groups that work with trans youth have criticised. 

This is a first. I’ve worked in PR all of my career and never written about myself.

I’m doing it now as my debut novel, ‘The Stand-Up Mam’, is due to be released on 1st July.

My own story’s got all the ingredients of a good novel - a life or death experience, an unlucky for some 13th birthday trip and an unexpected result at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Let’s start with near-death. A few years ago, I took my daughter Freya to York shopping, on her 13th birthday. Just before we left to return home, I had a pain in my eye as if I’d been stabbed with an huge ice pick.

This article was generated by ChatGPT4, from the transcript of an interview with Stephen Waddington on the use of AI in public relations. The transcript was the same one used to write the human version of this article, which had been cleaned and proofed, but contained no additional context, just Stephen’s words. ChatGPT’s limits on character count meant the transcript was split into three, with the same prompt used each time with just the requested style changed in each case.

Christopher Owens, Creative Director and Photographer, talks about Pattern a year on.

We all juggle our work alongside everyday life in a constant balancing act. If we can find happiness and fulfilment in either aspect, that’s worth chalking up as a personal win.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about boys…..

I believe women are beginning to ‘get sorted’ in the world of equality - we are beginning to make very slow progress. Please don’t hunt me down, I realise there is a huge way to go. The bike is still wobbly, the stabilisers are still firmly on, but at least we are cycling in the right direction now.

Yes of course women have had it tough and still do I am absolutely not doubting that for a second. But I can’t help wondering if we as a society are doing enough for our next generation of men: because it is hard for them too.