Those of you who have coached with me either individually or in a group know that many of my clients are creative people, ranging from writers, new and established, to acclaimed musicians to emerging and accomplished visual artists to expressive therapists and graphic designers.  

Recently I have updated my website to reflect my work with this dynamic and fascinating population. Check out the new page here and let me know what you think of it! During your visit, I hope you'll take a moment to listen to a very short interview with one of my wonderful artist clients, Sarah, who talks about coaching and creative work.

While setting up the webpage, I got to thinking about how all of us, even those who don't consider ourselves "artistic" could benefit from incorporating some of the habits of artists, writers, etc. into our daily lives. Over these past years, I've learned a lot from my creative coaching clients. For this month's Tune-up, I'd love to share some of their wisdom on the creative life with all of you.

• Playfulness: I mentioned that children are the most natural of artists. We can learn a lot about creativity by simply observing their unselfconscious, playful ways. If we can approach not only our artistic projects, but even our ordinary work tasks with a sense of playfulness, humor, openness, and fun, our experience will undoubtedly be transformed.
   
• Unconventional Thinking: The phrase "think outside the box" is now becoming hackneyed and cliche, but the idea behind it is an important one. Trying out unexpected or even counterintuitive methods of doing things, acting in bolder-than-usual ways, brainstorming odd or wacky ideas when you feel stuck - these are some ways to shake up the status quo which is quite crucial to creativity, and to life.
   
• Spontaneity: Being spontaneous for some of us is scary and uncomfortable. But, doing things that scare us sometimes can actually help us to grow! Artists know that inspiration strikes at the most unexpected times. When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous, we give ourselves permission to experience that sense of unencumbered freedom, letting our inspiration take flight.
   
• Curiosity/Discovery: Artistic people are generally very curious and have wonderful powers of observation. A curious approach to to our world allows us to question, to notice, and to discover. When we are curious about everything around us, we are perpetual learners - always a great place to be in life!
   
• Awareness of Beauty: Having a heightened awareness of beauty is a natural trait of many creative people. Beauty can observed in nature, in the physical man-made world, or in less tangible ideas and feelings. Beauty can even be found in things that others may view as ugly. Opening our eyes to the world around us and being present in the moment can have a profound impact on our daily experience.