Florence St Leger Talks Sleepless Creatives and Supporting Artists Through Podcasting

We had the pleasure of chatting with Florence St Leger all about Sleepless Creatives!

“Sleepless Creatives was created by it’s founder, Florence, during lockdown.

“I saw a lot of anxious actors, directors, writers and other creatives talking about how they felt like they were losing their spark for their job or losing hope for the industry, so I wanted to do something to help, even if it was small.

When I was training at Drama School, I really struggled with a lot of things in the rehearsal room, and I found that each director told us the same thing: ‘if you’re feeling stuck, there’s nothing wrong with going back to your script.’

And I really feel like that’s something we can apply to our lives as people.”

That’s when the idea became solid: a sleep podcast centred on mental wellbeing in the Arts industry, something made by creators, for creators.

Helping to bring them back to the script and back to the words they love.“

1. Tell us about your podcast?

Sleepless Creatives is a sleep podcast geared towards people working and training in the Performing Arts and creative industry.

2. What are some goals you have for your podcast?

I have a lot of ideas in the pipeline! Some of which will be announced this year, but what I can say for now is that I want to further open up the subject of mental health in the arts space, because although we’re making progress, it still isn’t talked a out enough.

3. What inspired you to start your podcast?

It began as a passion project during the pandemic. It was our 4th lockdown in the UK, theatres were closed and productions across film and stage were either cancelled or postponed, so a lot of people were out of work. I saw a running theme of people in the arts saying they were feeling so low that they wanted to quit completely, and I couldn’t let that happen.

When I was training at drama school, a common piece of advice we would always be given was that if we were ever stuck then we can pause and go back to the script, so I crafted the show on that theme; taking people back to the words and stories that have shaped and inspired them as creatives.

4. What advice would you give to new podcasters?

Make friends! Go to events like The Podcast Show and network your butt off, find a podcast coach to help you, collaborate with other podcasters and lastly…don’t try and do everything youself, you’ll just end up stressed.

5. Where and how can folks support your work?

You can visit our website at www.sleeplesscreativespodcast.co.uk, find us on streaming platforms and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn @sleeplesscreativespodcast