It started with a good idea at a bad time
2020 was a year of great change and challenge for many people. I count myself as one of the lucky ones. My work continued albeit from home. We managed to avoid COVID, friends and family stayed safe and we watched as people we knew faced huge person and professional loss.
The last two years have been devastating for the creative sector and the impact continues to be felt. Although we have entered a period of recovery and restoration, we also face a winter of discontent with high fuel prices, increasing food and production costs as well as political changes. Audience behaviour is changing; how they book, what they book and how they access it. A lot feels uncertain.
I don’t mean to be the harbinger of doom and gloom. I consider myself a disgusting optimist and when faced with change and challenges I always have hope that it will lead to positive change and the challenges will enable us to grow or learn.
I knew I wanted to train as a coach after I experienced how transformative it was for me. The barrier was the location of the course, being based in Inverness meant getting to the middle of England either meant a long drive or many domestic flights. Along comes Lockdown and suddenly the RD 1st course was available online. I was able to train as an accredited coach and met 11 other wonderful people working in the creative sector who continue to be a source of support to this day.
Months later, thanks to support from Creative Scotland and Clore Leadership I found myself working alongside Jeanie Scott of Culture Radar to roll out 100 hours of free coaching support to the creative sector and promoting the opportunity to train new coaches in RD 1st coaching.
Coaching for Creatives has grown, from a pilot programme created in haste to offer support during a time of crisis, into a community of coaches looking to support each other and the creative sector. We have created packages of support for festivals, writers, creative practitioners and volunteers. Coaches meet regularly to discuss our work and skills. And now we want to grow our community further, to offer more support to the creative sector.
You can join our community as a coach or use the website to find a coach to work with you. I hope Coaching for Creatives can continue to support positive change and respond to challenges. Speak to us if you want to be part of that positive change too.
“With extensive experience in innovation, collaboration, co-production and all-round gentle rebellion, I bring all of this understanding into the coaching space”
Coaching Bank
Coaching can be transformative. It can also be expensive. That’s why we have started the Coaching Bank. You can make a deposit or make a withdrawal. Find out how.
This free option means you will be able to connect with Coaching for Creatives through our regular newsletter. While you won't be able to list a profile or access community benefits it will give you an idea of what is happening across our work.
For a one-off fee you can add your profile to the Coaching for Creatives Find a Coach page which might enable you to access new work. You will also receive the regular newsletter.
The Coaches Community gives you full access to coaching opportunities and meet ups with other coaches. Your profile will be added to the community and you will have unique access to community pages to connect with other coaches.