SHED Talks

SHED Talks is a free program, hosted by the Surf Coast Shire Council and facilitated by the Arts Team, held three times a year for anyone in the Surf Coast Shire to connect, learn, and grow. Each session brings together creative industry professionals to discuss their work and experiences, with opportunities for attendees to ask questions, network, and enjoy relaxed conversation over refreshments.

Upcoming

SHED Talk: Wellbeing for Creatives 
Saturday 21 March, 12PM-2PM.

Join us for a SHED Talk exploring wellbeing in the creative sector, led by creative industry professionals. This session will unpack the realities of creative work, including working conditions, pay, isolation, self-doubt and burnout, and share practical strategies for building resilience, connection and sustainable creative practice. The conversation will highlight the importance of community, support and healthy ways to sustain a creative career over the long term.

About the Panellists:

Tracy Margieson is a researcher, arts manager, and producer based in Naarm/Melbourne with nearly 20 years’ experience in the performing arts. She led the award-winning Arts Wellbeing Collective at Arts Centre Melbourne (2016–2021), a sector-wide program promoting mental health and wellbeing. Tracy is co-founding a Creative Australia-supported not-for-profit focused on professional development, while coordinating Arts and Cultural Management at the University of Melbourne and maintaining her own creative practice. Her PhD (under examination) examines artistic programming and organisational behaviour, and she holds postgraduate qualifications in Business Psychology and Arts & Entertainment Management.

Bree Baker is a trauma-informed mental health counsellor, writer, musician, and creative practitioner. With nearly three years at Music Victoria, she supported artists through Band Therapy, 1:1 counselling, wellbeing workshops, and psychosocial consulting for creative organisations. Raised in Aotearoa as a drummer and cultural writer, her work has been published internationally and locally. She now runs a coaching practice supporting creatives and First Nations communities to maintain identity, wellbeing, and artistic practice. Bree has strong ties to the Surf Coast and extensive experience as a panellist and facilitator with Music Victoria and Support Act.

Past Sessions

SHED Talk: Inside the Film Industry
SHED Talk: Sustainability in Craft and Art
SHED Talk: Behind the Music Industry
SHED Talk: Making Waves with Creative Women
SHED Talk: Secrets to Getting Published in the Children’s Book Industry
SHED Talk: Place-Based Research: Site-Specific and Collaborative Practice
SHED Talk: From Passion to Profession – Making a Career Out of Your Art
SHED Talk: The Relationship between Creativity and Money – How to Sustain the Integrity of Your Practice and Make a Life You Love

Get Involved

Do you have an idea for a future SHED Talk? We’d love to hear from you.
Email your suggestions to the Surf Coast Arts Team at artsteam@surfcoast.vic.gov.au