RESILIENT CREATIVES

So we have been working to come up with a programme to provide support to underrepresented artists and arts workers who are under increased pressure as a result of Covid 19.

We want to nurture peer support, increase confidence, resilience, wellbeing & leadership skills via coaching and professional development workshops. Through working with those from Black Ethnic and Minority Ethnic backgrounds; those from low income backgrounds and those with physical/mental health issues, we aim to strengthen & develop the diversity of the arts sector, increasing leadership skills that will impact the sector & provide roles models in the community for years to come.

We know the differences coaching can make to creatives.  Here's a couple of stories to illustrate the impact it has already  had on an artist and an arts consultant and their careers...

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Maria is a white artist in her sixties, pictured below, with a chronic long term health condition. Her paintings have been exhibited in regional and national galleries, international art fairs and she has won prizes for her work. She wanted coaching because she wanted to explore new possibilities with her art and was uncertain in which direction to go. She was worried her cataract operations and further medical complications would mean painting would be impossible. During her sessions we explored what inspired her, how to encourage her creativity, and reframed her belief that she would have to stop creating during her rehabilitation. By the end of her sessions she had experimented with new methods and created a whole new collection of work. “I thought my operation would stall my artwork, instead, through coaching, I realised it was an opportunity to make art in a different way. I now have found new ways of working and have a whole new collection of paintings!”  

Jenni is a black arts consultant in her 50s. She runs an arts organisation, supports artists to write ACE applications and designs and produces international arts projects. She wanted coaching because she felt overwhelmed by work and personal commitments (she has three children and cares for an elderly parent) and wanted more time for her own personal development. Over five sessions we explored her inability to say no, identified her top priorities and created an action plan to create a better work/life balance. By the end of the sessions she said, “I can now say no to work that distracts from my main goals, ensuring I have the energy to deliver the projects I’m really passionate about. I’ve also created more time for family and have finally, after years of wanting to, written an application to do a PhD.”