Maybe you’re nursing an injury right now.
If that’s the case, I’m genuinely sorry — I’ve been there, and it sucks.
In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m dealing with strained lumbar muscles because this ding dong doesn’t always take her own advice.
And that’s exactly the point.
Just because the work is piling up and deadlines are looming doesn’t mean we should risk injuring ourselves. Because if we’re down for the count… who’s going to do that special thing we do for our clients?
In creative freelance work, most injuries don’t come from one dramatic moment.
They creep in quietly, through repetition and pressure.
They come from:
- constantly moving heavy gear
- sitting or standing too long
- repeating tiny wrist movements all day with a mouse or stylus
- staring at screens
- wearing headphones for hours
- vocal strain — especially during long video game or animation sessions full of barks and shouts
And because the deadline is looming, client demands are shifting, and the light is fading, we push through the discomfort.
That’s where the trouble starts.
Creative freelance injuries are sneaky.
They often begin as “nothing serious”:
- lower back pain from long hours sitting or standing
- neck tension that slowly turns into headaches
- wrist, elbow, or shoulder pain from editing, mousing, tapping, gripping
- foot and knee pain from long days on set
- eye strain from too much screen time
- stiffness in hips, shoulders, and back from barely moving
- hearing fatigue — or damage — from monitoring too loud for too long
And for voice professionals like me: vocal strain.
Loss of range. Hoarseness. Fatigue.
Often caused by long sessions without breaks, poor breath support, recording while tired, or being under-hydrated.
As freelancers, sadly, there’s no HR department watching out for us.
No sick days that don’t cost us money.
No one telling us to stop before we hit the wall.
If your body goes down, the business goes with it.
Vocal strain is a perfect example. When your voice is tired or injured:
- sessions take longer
- performance suffers
- confidence drops
- and sometimes you have to reschedule entirely
Most people don’t stop until they have to.
Let’s change that.
Because if a photographer throws out their back hauling gear, that’s shoot days lost.
If an animator or designer develops carpal tunnel, who’s delivering those files?
If a voice actor can’t record tomorrow… there is no backup system.
Injury prevention isn’t about being fragile.
It’s about staying in the game.
Injury prevention is really about respecting early signals.
Pain isn’t weakness.
Fatigue isn’t failure.
They’re information.
And one of the most overlooked tools we have is core strength.
A strong core:
- protects your spine when lifting gear
- supports posture during long sitting or standing sessions
- improves breath support (huge for vocal endurance)
- stabilizes the body so smaller muscles don’t overwork
You don’t need to overhaul your entire life.
You need small, repeatable habits.
A few that actually work:
- Lift like you’re training for longevity, not heroics. Use your glutes and legs. Keep loads close to your body.
- Break up long sessions with movement. Walk. Stretch. Reset your eyes and your brain.
- Strengthen your core regularly — yoga, Pilates, swimming, balance work all count.
- Adjust your workspace to reduce strain: padding, support, and varied positions matter.
- Take micro-breaks. You may not have a water cooler, but you can create your own reset space.
And for the love of your eyes and ears:
- lower the volume on headphones and monitors
- take silence breaks (yes, silence — it’s magical)
- rest your eyes by looking into the distance or simply closing them
For voice actors specifically:
- hydrate like it’s part of the job (because it is)
- warm up before every session — even auditions
- support sound with breath; microphones are sensitive, pushing is rarely necessary
- for barks or shouting sessions, insist on breaks and reasonable session lengths — you need your voice tomorrow too
Prevention isn’t dramatic.
It’s boring.
It’s consistent.
And it works.
We’re great at pushing creative limits.
Longevity comes from listening.
Your body is not separate from your creativity.
Your health is not optional overhead.
It’s the asset.
Injury prevention isn’t fear or restriction.
It’s care — choosing, again and again, to protect the thing that lets you do the work you love.
This article is based on an episode of my Freelance Fitness podcast, where I combine short workouts with honest conversations about building a sustainable creative freelance business. If you work in video production, audio production, or any creative field and want business advice without hustle culture nonsense, you’re in the right place.
