Welcome to the first edition of It Pays the Bills! Our first guest was Carys Wynn, who began her creative career as an actor before finding her love for producing - all while running a tight ship in her day-to-day life as an office manager.
A bit about Carys:
Carys Wynn is an actor, producer, and stylist based in London. Carys prides herself on her ability to come up with many MANY side hustle ideas - anything to keep her inspired and out of corporate life!
In the condensed transcript below, I’ve italicized my questions and comments. Paid subscribers will receive a bonus edition next week, Perks of the Job. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for joining me for this inaugural episode; and I have my first guest here, my good friend Carys Wynn. I'm going to start off with a question that is not about your day job, but actually is about your creative practice. What is your creative practice? How did you get here?
I don't know who I am (laughs)! Um, no, I actually have no idea how to answer that. I'm not very good guest, am I? I just don't know who I am, as an actor and creative. I just do things because I think it's fun.
Okay, what do you find fun?
I find silliness fun. And campiness. Like, I'm not so into like the dark musicals. I mean, to be fair, I do like watching them. But I feel like I thrive in an environment where you can be as silly as possible. And I think that sort of led me on my way to producing or directing. I want to create quite silly concepts; and the sillier the better. And that's where I'm headed.
So, what's your current day job? How are you making ends meet? And how'd you get into it?
I currently work as a PA for a restaurant group. And it's something that I really enjoy doing outside of being creative, because it doesn't take up any of my brain space. It's sort of, you definitely leave it at the door. And I can spend all my time just sort of thinking about what I want to think about.
Yeah, absolutely. And how'd you get into that? So I remember when you had your last job, for example - once you quit, you just got in touch with the recruitment agency? Like how did you get the idea to do this?
Yeah, I've been an office manager or receptionist since since I graduated, so it was all very much - I learned all these office skills, which is great. But it did take up a lot of my brain space, which is why I left. And yeah, got in touch with recruiters and I temped a lot. And I worked at Chanel, which was absolutely gorgeous. But you do have to get very dressed up every day. And then, actually, this was the first job I got with the temping agency. It was like two hours after I signed up and they sent me immediately there. And for some reason, they liked me enough to keep me on as a freelancer. So I’m - it’s very flexible. I'll just be like, Oh, by the way, I'm not here next week. And they’ll be like, okay. So that's perfect for me. I feel like so many people that are creatives, they sort of, one, don't have a life, because they have to sort of work these shifts, and I don't think I could go and do shift work. Because there's not enough flexibility. I have a big social life. And I also want to sort of keep keep my brain intact. So it's been, yeah, it's been the perfect job for me. It's so flexible, and it, yeah, doesn't take up any of my brain.
Yeah. Are there any cons to it? Like things you don't like about it?
My office doesn't have windows.
Oh, that sucks. I used to work in an office like that. And it was terrible. Like, yeah, horrible. Like, couldn't get anything done.
But for dreamers as well. Like, what? When do I get to stare outside and make plans?
That is key to all of this! Yeah, absolutely.
And I think that's so, as well, like, when you look for day job, you are looking for these kinds of things, aren't you? Like, oh, is this a nice environment, even though this is not what I want to do or I might not be here long term? Like, you also don't want it to actively suck.
Well, yeah. And you spend most of your life at work. Like, you have to remember that. And so you need to not -
The delusional girlies won’t, but. (laughs)
And I relate! But like, you’ve got to be not hating your everyday and I just was.
Yeah. How did you feel after that? And then, how was it transitioning to finding what your day job is now?
Well, yeah, I was really scared because I didn't have a plan. And I didn't feel like I had the energy to make a plan, either, because I was just very depressed by the end. But then I sort of thought, like, if I could get a job that pays this well before, like, what, what's stopping me from doing it again? So, I thought I'd temp for a while. But then, yeah, by that point, actually, I decided I wanted to go into theater production. And so I wanted to put my eggs in that basket. And so there was no point in me full time being hired by a company while I knew I wanted to leave. And I just had to make the commitment to myself to not commit to anyone else until I was happy.
So, you've kind of already answered this, but like how does your day job feed into or oppose your creative practice? So, I know for example, like you've said now that the temping is really great because you do what you do, you leave it at the like, you leave it in the office at the end of the day. And there's plenty of time for daydreaming, although not a lot of windows to daydream into.
Well, maybe the lack of windows helps because, you know, I don't always have something to do at the temp job at the PA job. I actually get a lot of like “me stuff” done at the office.
It’s like a library for you, basically.
Yes, I’ve been designing merchandise. I have, apparently, a good eye for artsy stuff. I can't draw. I can use people's pictures and like put them together and make a cute little design. So I've been making lots of merchandise.
And then styling people as well, you have your own business.
Yes, Cristina encouraged me to reach for the stars. I've been styling people for their actors headshots. And in doing that, I've sort of taught myself about color season analysis - and that just sort of brings out the best colors for you to wear in your headshots make you pop, make sure it doesn't drain the color of your face.
I will say as well, Carys styled my headshots and I swear to God, this is true - the week after I put them up on my Spotlight, I got an audition through. Like literally it was like clockwork, literally like clockwork. So, if you need your headshots done, you know where to go. Don't be sending in boring headshots anymore. It's not worth it!
No, exactly that, they're too expensive -
They're too expensive!
- not to smash it. And I've done quite a few now. You can check out my website! There's a portfolio on there, so you can see all the variety. Because that's what you want to show casting directors, you want to show them like all the different things you could be casted not just like five pictures of your face, wearing a different color top. Like, what is that saying? I'm not seeing you in the world.
Do you have any advice?
Stay delusional, but take action as well, like, don't just leave them in your head because my ideas have been in my head for too long! (laughs) And, you know, like, just just teach yourself some skills, because it's amazing what you can actually do once you bother to learn some new skills and put your delusion into practice. And people will actually want your help.
And I think as well, maybe something that I've seen in you in the past year is that you kind of really, like you're not afraid to learn things. You know what I mean? Like, you're just kind of like, I'm sure I can figure. I'm sure I can figure it out. Other people have figured it out. Why can't I?
Well, yeah. And it's a stark contrast to who I was at school. I was like, well, I don't know how to do it, so I guess I'll never know. I never thought I'd run a business because I was like, well, I don’t know how to do that. Like I thought people were just born with that knowledge!
And, like, we've learned a lot in the past couple of years as well running a business, I think.
The hard way, for sure.
We’re always coming up with new business ideas. It's actually an addiction. But yeah, so what - so your advice is stay delusional. But take control and learn new things.
100%. Take action on your delusion. I think it's having your silly little idea and sitting with it and then thinking what you could actually do about it to achieve it. And you know, more often than not, there will be a way.
Yeah, if you have the time and energy to teach yourself how to do something, you can take action and go towards your goals.
And, also, people need to support you. Like, the amount of support I've got from friends doing all of these, every single business I'm trying to do. It's amazing. And like, I really couldn't do it without them because they will spread the word and so yeah, just having a good group of friends around you as well.
Yeah, absolutely. I love that. I love that. A couple last questions. What would you say is like your top creative dream?
Basically, I never want to work un-creatively again.
That's a great creative dream. I love that. I love that. And what's your dream day job?
Mob wife.
I love it. I love, I love that because I also have a very specific answer. And it’s, my dream day job would be to be a question setter on University Challenge.
You’re ridiculous!
No really, every time we watch it I asked Dan, how do people do that? Because that is honest to god job I want. That would - could you imagine - I would love that job so much! I don't know how to apply? Does anybody know how to apply for that job? BBC, if you're listening, I'm ready. I'm available.
She loves questions. And she loves answers even more.
Exactly. And I love shouting them at the screen most of all. Well, Carys, thank you so much for being on! Can we follow you on any social media?
Yeah, I mean, don't bother following my personal one. I'm just a silly goose on there. But you can follow me on Instagram and Tiktok at @theheadshotstylist. And as we said earlier, theheadshotstylist.co.uk.
Get your headshots styled, it will make such a difference - you won't even know. Thanks for joining us for this episode of It Pays the Bills. Catch us next week with another surviving artist.
