Nick Bolton: How To Earn Psychic Income

**Nick Bolton is an actor, writer, director and producer whose creative career has rarely followed a straight line.** In this episode of *Secret Creative Life*, Nick talks about wishing he’d had the confidence to go freelance earlier, building Ten Alphas with his wife Jess, and balancing the work that pays the bills with the creative work that matters. We talk about the months of rejection before his short film *Mate* won the International Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand and was later longlisted for an Academy Award, the challenge of breaking into feature films, mentorship, putting your work out into the world, and why you only get better by doing. Nick also introduces us to the idea of **“psychic income”** — the rewards of a creative life that have nothing to do with money. And as Chair of Screen Illawarra, we talk about building a screen career outside Sydney and what the future could hold for filmmaking in the Illawarra. **Links** Ten Alphas Screen Illawarra