Career crossroads - what would you do if you were me?

[whatisgoingonwithmycareer]

NC as poss. outing!

I'm 41.

Education:
Oxford social science degree
UCL masters in history of art

Employment history:
18 years in charity communications/fundraising, 12 years experience as team manager and higher, last long term employed post 2014-19 Marketing Director at a big arts centre

Skills:
Team management, content creation, fundraising, brand design (basics / top line), website design (top line - i.e. working with a dev to make it happen), rebrands, digital marketing (B2B and B2C) copywriting (lots), press, PR, govt/policy comms, engagement communications, audience development. I know loads about the social media algorithms of the recent past but it's rapidly changing and I feel 3-5 years out of date.

Since 2019 self-employed doing 2 things

1. As consultant working for arts/charity clients on comms and marketing (day rate £350ish) - some nice clients but not enough of them, although probably could market myself harder. Have done 3 p/t FTC roles at Comms Manager level (slight step down from previous).
2. Parallel career as freelance writer and short film maker. Write for well-regarded national magazines plus 2 books, working on 3rd book. This takes average 2 days a week and washes its own face financially, but I can't see a world where I earn more than £20k a year from it. I'm actually doing reasonably well, it is just not a lucrative industry.

Charity and arts comms jobs are thin on the ground and wages stagnating. I've also recently moved out of London. My kid is older primary and I have a DH who does loads at home. I would like to get back on and up the ladder somehow but I feel that everything is changing.

Options I'm looking at:

1. Keep looking for a 3 day a week senior management job
2. Try and switch industries and/or specialisms - would not really know where to start with private sector. Higher ed? I like policy work and would be interested to do more of that but don't want to start at the bottom
3. Set up a micro-agency as more of a business

I'm happy to look at more radical changes - is there something else I am missing?

Higher Ed is not a good place to look. there are redundancies everywhere.

thanks @Rocknrollstar good point!

I feel like my cv should be pretty good but every industry I've worked in is dying on its arse 😩