Creative Futures Lab
A creative wellbeing program for Gadigal/Sydney-based artists and creative workers
Creative Futures Lab is a new program delivered by Hey Mate, with support from the City of Sydney through the Innovation and Ideas Grant Program.
The program brings together Sydney-based creatives to explore burnout, creative sustainability, peer connection and practical wellbeing strategies for the creative sector.
Through co-design workshops, an Innovation Sprint and a public showcase, participants will help shape a practical Creative Wellbeing Playbook designed by and for the creative community.
Why Creative Futures Lab?
Creative work can be deeply meaningful — but it can also be precarious, underpaid, isolating and emotionally demanding.
Across the creative industries, artists and creative workers are navigating burnout, financial pressure, project-based work, discrimination, cultural labour, unsafe workplaces and limited access to support that genuinely understands the realities of creative practice.
Creative Futures Lab creates a paid, supported space for creatives to come together, share insight, build connection and co-design practical wellbeing strategies that reflect the real conditions of creative work.
What’s involved?
Creative Futures Lab will run across 2026 and includes:
Expression of Interest process
An open call for Gadigal/Sydney-based creatives who are interested in contributing to the program.
Two co-design workshops
Facilitated sessions in July and August 2026 exploring burnout, creative sustainability, peer connection and practical support needs.
One-day Innovation Sprint
A full-day session in September 2026 where participants and wellbeing practitioners will prototype practical, peer-led ideas for creative wellbeing.
Creative Futures Showcase
A public event in late October / November 2026 to share the project outcomes, amplify participant voices and continue the conversation with the broader sector.
Creative Wellbeing Playbook
A practical resource informed by the co-design process, released in December 2026.
Who is it for?
We are inviting expressions of interest from Gadigal/Sydney-based creatives and creative workers across arts, music, screen, performance, festivals, community arts, visual arts, writing, design and broader creative practice.
We are especially interested in hearing from:
artists and freelancers
early-career creatives
First Nations creatives
culturally and linguistically diverse creatives
LGBTQIA+ creatives
disabled creatives
women and gender-diverse creatives
project-based workers
people who support or connect creative communities
Paid participation
Selected participants involved in the co-design workshops and Innovation Sprint will be paid $250 for their time and contribution.
We recognise that lived experience, creative practice, community knowledge and sector insight are valuable forms of expertise.
Our approach
Creative Futures Lab will be delivered using trauma-informed and culturally responsive facilitation.
This means we will pay attention to psychological safety, consent, accessibility, cultural safety and non-extractive participation.
Participants will not be expected to disclose personal mental health details. You can share only what feels relevant and comfortable.
We understand that burnout and poor mental health in the creative industries are shaped by broader systemic conditions, including racism, exclusion, underpayment, cultural labour, access barriers, unsafe workplaces and financial precarity.
What will come out of the project?
Creative Futures Lab will produce:
a Creative Wellbeing Playbook for Sydney’s creative community
practical peer-led strategies for burnout prevention and creative sustainability
stronger connections between artists, creative workers and sector partners
a public Creative Futures Showcase
insights that can help shape future wellbeing support for the creative industries
Express your interest
Expressions of Interest are now open for creatives, community connectors and sector stakeholders interested in Creative Futures Lab.
Completing the EOI helps us understand your creative practice, your connection to Sydney’s creative community, and the perspectives you may bring to the program.
Submitting an EOI does not guarantee participation, but we will keep you updated about public program elements, including the Creative Futures Showcase and Creative Wellbeing Playbook.
Questions?
For questions about Creative Futures Lab, contact:
Hey Mate
hello@heymateproject.org