Artists learn to beat burnout

Students travelled from Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to join the University of the Sunshine Coast’s inaugural Master of Performing Arts course which graduated last Friday.
Drama lecturer Dr Lynne Bradley said the course stood out for looking at both artistic skills development and long-term career sustainability.
“We have a strong focus on mental health, so we have a whole unit in mental health and psychology. A lot of artists can be very sensitive and the nature of the performing industry is very high-pressure, so we need to build mental tenacity and strategies for self-care,” she said.
“We also had a boot camp on financial literacy because the aim is to thrive, not just survive in the arts.”
She said that the nature of artistic careers required careful planning to avoid burnout and financial struggles between paid work.
Dr Bradley co-founded in 1992 the Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre and has a 30-year history as a director, performer, actor-trainer and lecturer.
She said the group of 17 students brought together a mix of art interests including visual artists, musical theatre performers, directors, film and television actors, physical theatre performers, writers and marketing people,” she said.
The group performed Dusk Till Dawn at the J Theatre in Noosa, which garnered a lot of attention, she said.