“Joining a Facebook group about creative productivity is like buying a chair about jogging.” –Merlin Mann

This is a rather ironic quote for me to open with because I am a member of a Facebook group that meets to talk, at least in part, about how to be more productive as artists. But Mann is not wrong in his diagnosis of what plagues creative minds. It is far easier to convince ourselves we are working instead of actually creating. Even when we are creating, we often experience short bursts of creativity followed by long periods of creative block. Sustaining creative productivity over the long term is extremely difficult. Because artists are often discouraged in their creative process, whether because of their day job or their own lack of organization, they can be well served by a creative coach or mentor. My purpose as a coach is to “guide others in their design of a creative process that allows sustained productivity over time”. My development coaching process is built around five convictions.

Artists must:

1. Know their identity
2. Show up and work hard
3. Encourage one another
4. Celebrate smart risk taking
5. Be gracious in failure

Starting on Monday I’m going to do something a little different for my blog, I’m going to post about one of these topics each day rather than have one big monster post. I hope you will find these helpful and I look forward to any thoughts or feedback you provide along the way!

Filed under: Art by Jonathan