Helping Clients as a Creativity Coach

Posted by Tom Binns on January 24, 2010

What a Creativity Coaching client needs most from a Coach is accountability and support. Support normally comes in the form of compassion and kindness. People need support because it’s difficult to “self support” especially if they have been failing in life. People can be harsh with themselves and their self talk is not always as supportive as it can be.

People need someone to talk to about there work. They want to talk to someone about their struggle and the gap between their dreams and reality. People need to hear things like, “You can do it and I will help you”.

Support is a broad church and what it involves exactly is dependent on the kind of Creative work the client is involved in. Support is a general attitude on the part of the Coach but it also includes actions like coming along to see a showing at a gallery or a first night performance. It might include supporting issues a client has with making meaning from their work or it might take a more psychological nature and include work on procrastination or performance anxiety.

One way a coach may offer practical support to Creative is by speaking with them about starting a new routine. For example writing in the morning before the emails are looked at.

Encouraging clients to accept the anxiety of creating is another way of offering support. In fact making a client aware of the anxiety of creating could be another as it’s not something that all clients are aware off.

Support can take many other forms like asking them to think and reflect on a much deeper level. Asking a client to forgive himself Making sure they know they can do it and that it’s not too late to achieve there dreams.

For more indepth information about Creativity Coaching contact Tom Binns at the Creativity Practice.