Answer these four questions as honestly as possible:
- All things considered, do I enjoy what I'm doing? Does it bring me joy?
- Leaving fame and fortune aside, does my work feel meaningful?
- When I'm not in the mood to work, do I find ways of avoiding it?
- Do I have a sense of direction or future intention regarding my work?
What are your answers? Do you need a coach? Only you can decide.
We are by nature creative beings. We don't need to search for our creativity—it already exists
fully within us. But because it can flow only through our personalities, it's frequently obstructed.
Creativity coaching is one person helping another identify and transcend, as much as possible,
anything that limits or prevents the artist from tapping into her boundless source of creativity. It is
one person supporting another's endeavors to create the most imaginative, meaningful, and
powerful forms of personal expression possible.
What is my coaching style?
Every creativity coach has a different style. I prefer the two-friends-having-coffee style. I treat my
clients as equals and peers. I do not preach, teach, berate, or command. I coach by asking you
pointed questions, offering encouragement and support, and guiding you to see clearly what you
probably already know but only indistinctly.
I strongly encourage the development of self-awareness in my coaching. But because digging
deeply within oneself is difficult and frequently frightening, I also emphasize self-acceptance and
self-compassion. I strive to help my clients learn to balance insight with compassion just as I
strive in my coaching to balance gentle prodding with sincere support. And while I will be always
present and supportive, I cannot do the work for you. Ultimately, you must do the work yourself.
What is my coaching philosophy?
Because creative dreams are made real only through working, and all blocks and limitations
arise only in the context of working, the primary goal of a coach is to help the client work
consistently, efficiently, imaginatively, authentically, intelligently, deeply, and joyfully.
- We work consistently by holding the intention to work daily.
- We work efficiently by setting goals and making plans.
- We work imaginatively by embracing the unknown and questioning our preconceptions
and beliefs. - We work authentically by doing work that is meaningful and which is aligned with our
personal values. - We work intelligently by using the whole brain—the left (Yang) and the right (Yin)—by
honoring both, and by learning to skillfully shift between them as our work requires. - We work deeply by becoming self-aware: by learning to recognize and understand the
fears and habits which are inhibiting our creativity. - We work joyfully by forgiving and accepting ourselves for our imperfections and mistakes,
by trusting in our abilities, by working with a sense of humility and humor, by sharing our
work and connecting intimately with others, and lastly, by remaining aware of the "big
picture"—the beauty and the brevity of this life in which we are gifted with the opportunity to
experience the joy (and tears) of art-making.
