It's time to "come out" with what I've been up to for the last few weeks. I hinted before that I was being a bit unfaithful to y'all but what I was really saying was that I was busy with a lot more than just the blog. (Bitte nicht bremsen = don't put on the brakes).
After hearing Quinn McDonald's podcast over on the VooDoo Lounge, I kept thinking about her. So I started snooping investigating her on her website Quinn Creative which led me to her blog. Now we all know there's no better way to start learning about somebody than reading their blog posts. And once I was sure that I liked her for more reasons than her voice sounding exactly like my auntie Bev's, I decided that Creativity Coaching is what I wanted to do for my birthday this year.
A few months later I'm sitting here wondering how the heck I even functioned before discovering this amazing creative service.
I realize not all my readers are creatives. But for those who are, and have been wondering how to take your own "next steps" here are TJ's reasons for why you might want to consider booking a creative coach:
- You have a sounding board for all your ideas. And let's face it. If your poor friends and family are anything like mine they hear our wacky crap every day. "Let's thread a rubber ball through a rope and yank it across the road in front of speeding cars and get this neighborhood to slow down!" They've heard it all before. A coach is a whole new set of eardrums.
- The coach takes you seriously. I'm not saying our loved ones don't take us seriously, but think about this: Let's take the rubber ball example above, multiply it by 10 approximating how often things like that come out of our mouths on a daily basis and then multiply that by 365. This might be a point in the post where we should hold a moment of silence for our poor families that have suffered through the weirdness that's compounded over the years. The coach has some kind of crazy witchcraft that helps you start sorting through the thoughts in a serious and business-like manner.
- The coach, in Quinn's own words, "is holding a big space open" for you. I thought about this in the sense that a coach's love is endless. This makes me think that coaches are the true pioneers of possibilitarianism. You aren't going to get hit with, "who do you think you are?" Or the more common, "what the hell are you talking about?" that pops out of the mouths of our loved ones.
- This leads us to the natural progression of the next point. If somebody else is taking you seriously, you start taking yourself seriously. And that, my creative friends is when shit starts to happen. Imagine all this creativity paired with a little confidence and self esteem. Holy. Guacamole.
- You are held accountable for action steps between sessions. Emphasis on action. Thoughts reside in a place up in your head. Accountability requires some "doing." Doing is the place where we overcome inertia and get rolling. Quinn assigned me homework! (Gulp). And I took it seriously.
- This means stuff gets done. Imagine that! Measurable progress. Genius.
- You have an un-biased opinion at your disposal. Our loved ones do just that: they love us. Therefore their opinions come from the experience of knowing that if they're not careful, their words are gonna set off a chain reaction of tears, complete with snot running down our faces that are being stuffed with chips-n-dip in front of a Bridget Jones DVD. The coach, in the most loving of manners, is getting paid to be honest with you despite the possible fallout. (And I'd like to insert here that I found Quinn to be a very gentle and loving coach. She told me a few things I didn't necessarily want to hear but nothing sent me into any sort of tailspin. I left my sessions in a strange mix of exhaustion paired with hopefulness.
- Coaching is all about YOU. This might sound selfish, but it's a valid and important point. You don't get stuck clipping grandma's toenails or mowing your parent's lawn when the point of your visit was just to stop by for advice. This is a business relationship. Coaching is sort of like paying somebody to manage your scattered ass. Some prefer the term "consulting" I'm sort of leaning towards "the focus fairy."
- Coaching is tax deductible (in the United States) as an educational expense.
Now you might be wondering what I've come away with after all this coaching. And that my friends is a big fat secret. Emphasis on BIG. In good time, all will be revealed.
For now, check out Quinn's work, Raw Art Journaling. You can even pre-order her upcoming book from Amazon already!! Below is a little sneak-peek at something I'm making for her, a stencil I cut with her famous "Make Meaning" slogan. And here is where I insert *a big thank-you* to Quinn for helping me figure out what's meaningful to me. xxx tj
One of my sketching partners is an coach. I think one of the big benefits for people is that the coach can be honest, without the person taking it personally like they might with a family member. Am I surmising correctly that you might be trying to learn to be a creative coach?
Posted by: Anne | April 14, 2011 at 02:18 PM
Wow Anne, I'm flattered you'd even think I'd have something to offer others besides the scattered ramblings on this site! Thank you for the compliment but no... coaching is not in the cards for TJ.
I'll have to keep y'all guessing... LOL.
Posted by: TJ | April 14, 2011 at 02:24 PM
It's a great idea. I have joined a group in Berlin that meets once a month where you can bring along (if possible) what you are working on and receive creative criticism or feedback or direction if you're feeling a little stuck. I've still to go to my first meeting, but I am hoping it'll help motivate me.
Right now though, I'm off to check out those links.
Posted by: Fiona | April 14, 2011 at 02:39 PM
oooo!! i'm intrigued...and might need one myself.
Posted by: rebecca | April 14, 2011 at 07:44 PM
Great and thorough explanation of the benefits of creative coaching! Of course, I'm with everyone else, wondering what your big secret will be...hmmmm....Love the stencil!
Posted by: Andria | April 14, 2011 at 09:58 PM
All will be revealed in good time grasshoppers...!! LOL ;)
Posted by: TJ | April 15, 2011 at 10:55 AM
Finding a good coach to guide you gently but firmly through whatever it is that you want to improve on is one of the best things ever, go TJ and hurry up with revealing your secret, I want to know what you're up to, hurry, hurry :)
Posted by: Veronika | April 15, 2011 at 10:58 PM