A raw conversation on juggling babies, deadlines, and ambition

CREATIVE LABOUR

A Panel Discussion with Q&A

What Motherhood Teaches Us About Making (and Sustaining) Great Work.

The creative industries run on invisible labour — long hours, emotional energy, and unpaid sacrifices that too often go unrecognised. From motherhood to neurodiversity to systemic childcare costs, the true weight of making art is falling hardest on those already underrepresented.

This conversation asks: who really pays the price of creativity, and how do we change the system so that labour is valued, not exploited?

Join:

Emma Butterworth — Bristol-based composer and cellist, whose award-winning scores span wildlife documentaries (The Firefox Guardian, Seeking Sanctuary), narrative dramas, and her first opera Orchard Street. After becoming a mother in 2020, Emma published The Unheard Symphony, a groundbreaking report into how composer mothers are reshaping the music industry.

Jessica Sansom — Acclaimed Unit Stills Photographer (BBC, Sky, Film4, BFI) with nearly 20 years’ experience capturing stories behind the lens. A proud neurodivergent creative, mum of three, and founder of The Stills Sisters Collective, Jessica is a leading advocate for DDN (Disabled, D/deaf and Neurodivergent) representation in film and TV.

Jo Knowler — People & Talent leader with 15+ years shaping teams across global media and digital companies. After becoming a mother, Jo has become a public voice in the fight against the unaffordable cost of childcare, speaking out in national media about how broken systems push parents — especially women — out of the industry.

With more speakers to be announced, this raw and necessary conversation will cut through the noise with lived experience, sharp truths, and bold ideas for building a creative industry that values its people as much as its output.