Creativity Was Never a Solo Sport

And that’s why coaches (like me!) have a place in the creative process.

Dec 12, 2024

Welcome (or welcome back!) to Multifaceted, a newsletter about finding delight and direction in a creative life made up of many different interests.

Life as a multi-passionate creative can be exhilarating… And overwhelming. And kinda lonely.

You know what it’s like: You’re creative, passionate, and curious. You want to do all the things. You have SO MANY ideas, but only so much time.

You’re easily pulled in a hundred directions, unsure of where to focus your energy. Every idea seems important. Every project pulls at your heart. But trying to juggle them all leaves you feeling scattered.

And the worst part? You feel alone in your fears that you’ll never make any progress on the dreams that mean the most to you – like writing your book, launching your passion project, or taking your art seriously.

Sound familiar?

If so, you should know you aren’t alone in those struggles. You just don’t have the right support team in place yet.

The truth is, creativity isn’t meant to be a solo sport. Even the most talented artists perform their best when they have someone in their corner, cheering them on and providing the outside perspectives and guidance they can’t offer themselves.

Attempting to build a creatively rich life isn’t easy. But I’ve come to learn that the challenges we face along the way aren’t signs that something is wrong. They’re all part of the process.

With a little outside guidance, we can start to see those challenges as clues to what we really want in life and why we create in the first place. Once we have that deeper understanding, we can confidently pave our own trails toward more fulfilling creative lives.

In an ideal world, we would have already had the support to help us get there:

School guidance counselors would have talked us through our creative passions and struggles.
Career advisors would have helped us understand not just what jobs we could apply for, but how we could design our lives.
Art teachers would have spent time preparing us to identify and tackle creative blocks.

Unfortunately, that’s not how most of us (any of us?) were brought up. So, it can feel like we have to figure it all out on our own.

But really, each of us just needs to build out our own personalized support team. And one key member of that team is the creativity coach.

I always vaguely knew that “coaching” was a thing, but it wasn’t until earlier this year that I understood what it was – and then dove in head-first.

Now, I feel like the best way to explain my role as a creativity coach is to think about what a gymnastics coach does.

I started coaching just as the Summer Olympics kicked off, so I may have gotten caught up in all the Simone Biles / Team USA hype. But it’s just such an accurate parallel.

Think about it: Gymnasts perform alone on the mat, but their routines grow from countless hours of behind-the-scenes support. A gymnast’s coach plays an essential role in helping their artist-athlete become the best version of themself.

The coach isn’t the one doing crazy flips, but they know what it takes to launch and land safely. The coach helps the gymnast build strength, stay focused, overcome roadblocks, find and stretch their limits, and so much more.

Simone Biles wouldn’t keep inventing new mind-boggling methods of flipping through the air without her coach there doing the spotting.

Creativity coaching isn’t all that different. As my client, you’re Simone and I’m the one in the crinkly tracksuit.

I’m not bringing your creative dreams to life for you. Instead, I’m here with you, helping you navigate the twisties and turns throughout your creative journey. My role is to help you gain the clarity and confidence you need to tap into your potential and perform at your peak, no matter which Creative Olympics event(s!) you’re training for.

Even though it might feel like it at times, doing your own thing doesn’t mean you’re on your own. Every writer, artist, and dreamer deserves to have someone in their corner.

Including you.