Creative Coaching
Early morning mist over the Spanish Pyrenees
When working on the design and launch of my website with Rosa last summer I was adamant that I wanted to keep my creative practice and my coaching career separate. Over the Christmas break I’ve had a re-think. So my New Year challenge is to articulate my creative coaching offer alongside my creative practice. Learning to understanding how the two merge, feed and support one another.
I achieved my coaching qualification with RD1st back in Spring 2021. Since then I’ve been blessed to work with an inspiring community of almost 100 artists, cultural sector leaders and individuals running a whole range of amazing social enterprises across the UK. The thing that connects us all is our love for creativity and, more often than not, social change. Whether people are struggling with self-confidence and imposter syndrome, looking to transition career, or need time to prioritise and establish boundaries, coaching provides an invaluable reflective space.
“Having coaching sessions with Kamina has been incredibly helpful to my practice. As a creative freelancer I have found the coaching really helped me identify my short and long term priorities, as well as help me feel less alone with my job frustrations. As a fellow artist, Kamina just gets it. She is both practical and compassionate, and I'm very grateful to have taken the plunge into coaching!” Rosa ter Kuile
While coaching others I’ve been meeting with my own coach, Emma Haughton, and received regular supervision from the founder of RD1st, Deb Barnard. I’m constantly trying to extend my thinking around creative coaching. In 2024 I took part in an intensive 8 week online coaching training with Positive Intelligence focusing on positive training for the mind. I signed up for the Centre of Excellence ADHD Coaching Diploma which I plan to qualify from in February. Following this I’m delving into the world of somatics, a practice focusing on the mind-body connection, studying for a Somatic Therapy Diploma. I’m also excited to read a new publication, ‘Arts-Based Coaching: Using Creative Tools to Promote Better Self-Expression’.
Entering the new year feels like the ideal moment to reflect on what it is that coaching offers me as an artist. To highlight the aspects that I believe are invaluable for others’ creative practice.
For me, coaching…
Provides held space for reflection which enriches my practice. It’s dedicated time to dig deep into questions of process, context, collaboration and progression routes.
Presents the questions I might avoid asking myself. Having my coach ask me the right question at the right time can release blocks and help me clearly identify next steps.
Helps make connections between things that only become obvious in speaking them out loud, providing cohesion through cross-pollination of ideas.
Maintains focus, offers structure and helps shift the seeming mess in my head to a place of clarity.
Means accountability!
I appreciate deadlines and work more effectively when I feel accountable to someone else.
My coach provides this role for me.
Always strengthens my self-belief and reminds me to trust that, somewhere, somehow I can find the answers to my own questions.
As an artist using movement in my practice I’m interested in exploring the concept of embodied cognition. To acknowledge that our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are deeply connected with our physical experiences. To explore how somatics can enrich my coaching offer. I want to understand how arts-based coaching ‘can offer individualised tools for facilitating personal growth, emotional intelligence, and transformative learning, enriching the coaching experience beyond traditional verbal interactions.’*
The intention over the coming weeks is to add ‘Coaching’ as a new section to the ‘Work’ area of my website. It will offer a short introduction to the way I work and share reflections from some of the artists I’ve supported over the past year. Keep a look-out for this update. Please do get in touch if you’re interested in a free 20 minute chemistry call to learn more about coaching, offering the opportunity to decide if you feel we’d work well together.
*Introduction to ‘Arts-Based Coaching: Using Creative Tools to Promote Better Self-Expression’.
