All this week here and over on Instagram I’m going to be focusing on coaching and mentoring in a craft context.
I’ll be sharing how this now makes up the majority of my creative practice, and why, as well as talking more generally about how this kind of support might be useful for you and your practice. I’ll also be talking to some other coach/mentor practitioners to hear more about the work they love doing, and finally I’ll share in greater detail what I offer and you can hear some responses from my own clients.
A shift in my creative practice
In the before times I would have described my work as a pick’n’mix of things, all designed to support the creative practices of contemporary craft makers. This involved coordinating projects, curating exhibitions, leading workshops, delivering talks, teaching, writing and working with people 1:1. When I started this work 5 years ago I focused mostly on writing & communications skills as this is something I’ve always loved and that is, unfortunately, lacking in a lot of craft education.
But of course the pandemic changed so many things and whereas my working week used to be me on a train zipping off to all sorts of places to work with all sorts of people, I’m now working from home. And so my practice has adapted. My work is almost exclusively 1:1 and small group work now, which (as an introvert who looks like an extrovert) actually suits me best. I love making direct connections and building up relationships with makers, designers and artists.
This deeper, slower way of working has also guided me into a new space. In previous years my work engaged with tangible things to do with communication and context – like writing artists’ statements, putting together applications, building audiences, approaching galleries – the work I’m being pulled towards now focuses on the intangible side of a creative practice. It’s rooted in reflection, issues around sustainability (for you, other people and the planet), values and purpose. And it happens best when we are together in an undefined space, created especially around what you need most in that moment.
This week I’m going to be talking more about this new 1:1 practice of mine, which treads lightly between coaching and mentoring. I’ll be sharing how I understand this work, what my role is and what I can offer you. I’ll also be highlighting the great work that other coaches and mentors are doing in this craft context, so you’ve got lots of options if you decide you’d like to work on your practice in this way.