Hypothesis: I’m qualified to be a care routine/creativity coach because of all my research, practice and meticulous note taking that allows me to have a process that evolves and it takes/took time and effort to get to a point where I can start to capitalize on this “expertivity.” It’s more than that. I love creativity and have been a practicing artist most of my life, but have found a spring of energy and enthusiasm that I know is available for everyone to find for themselves and having a creativity coach can help one focus on that for short bursts.

Method: Through 2 hour sessions, I will meet with “creatives” and help them take care of themselves in a way that would allow them more time/wherewithal to be creative. That includes budget design, efficiency design, and art exercises (to show them that it doesn’t take as long as you think).

First Session– Hopes: In a way that is similar to a meeting with a graphic designer, the first meeting should always be about discovery. We will discover who the “creative” is and what is seeming to be blocking the path for a clear direction and actionables. We will ask about hopes/goals. We will ask the question “What have you tried? How did that work? How didn’t that work?” Through reflection, we can begin to develop a regimen that works for your schedule that might improve the quality of life with some simple life hacks.

Life hacking – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Second Session– Probes:  We wish there was a different name for probe because we’re thinking no one is thinking of Star Trek where they send a probe into dangerous situations, but we know that others are going to be thinking of a different–less helpful– definition.

We admit that it’s pretty clear that creativity exploration in a “clinical” setting has not been explored enough to have strong defined techniques. In  my readings, I have encountered only a single book that talks about having a “technician” or a “talent catalyst” (read Take Charge of Your Talent) to help with the journey of the self-employed.

Target Demographic: Living in Seattle, I’ve encountered a lot of people that work from home. This is a risky situation. As this person myself, I’ve been on the brink of disaster. Time management, self-care, and motivation become life-threateningly weak skills when not bolstered by social accountability (that one is affected by in the traditional office setting). This is where a coach comes into play. Part mentor, part boss, part coworker, part friend.

The Creative Coach must wear many hats. I feel qualified to do this for a few reasons, but essentially it’s tough love. I don’t think that good things are necessarily easy, but that’s because it’s hard to change. Change is difficult. I couldn’t be my own boss because I am too nice to myself. That’s a great trait, too, so I saw no reason to change it except that I was struggling in these quandrants. I tried hiring my own boss but he didn’t know what we needed. I tried talking it out with my significant other, but his authority wasn’t necessarily validated in this field of creativity. I needed what I became, an artist-type that could understand the demands of a project that is only as good as the effort and thought process put into it. 

The Tool Belt: When you want to change a mind, you must consider that the tools are also mental. Ways of thinking, creating and adapting will be implemented to allow for an exploration that seems nebulous at first. It has helped me in the past to tell myself [blank]. Magic words, is another way to say that. I believe in using the same techniques that make advertising so powerful and use it in a self-care environment. If we can be persuaded by well-crafted messaging from agencies, we can certainly be persuaded by well-crafted messaging from ourselves.

I must create a resource book of self-help advice (for reference in the sessions) that resonates with a generation of information. This generation has had access to the Internet for a long time and has only been overwhelmed by the differing methods. How to pick and choose the right exercises to begin to stretch what a person is feeling like they are capable. I’ll be developing different session types to increase enrichment, short bursts of creativity with a ton of variety, and long experiences that will shape a larger concept of time.

Questions So Far

Why care routines and creativity coaching? It’s simple. You cannot create (read: play) if you cannot relax. It’s about managing expectations and focusing on the most important things. Computer use has made us all multi-taskers and we need to slow down for a second and stop subdividing our attention. I had a breakthrough this week. If I can focus for a little while, I can do anything (in a little while) and that’s all you need to create small impactful changes that are low-stress.

In other words, I’m aiming at both things: creative development as well as the practical tools that support the rest of your life so that you can free up energy to be creative.

start time: 4:50am
end time: 5:44am
From a five minute blog post intention this became an Hour’s time Blog Post (HBP). When you measure time,  you can begin to see how much your time is worth (for your own edification)

I am interested in finding the perfect way to say what I do and I will be editing this to reflect changes (so this is not in the tradition of typical blogging).