Quite often, someone who is contemplating taking one of my creativity coaching trainings will ask, “Is creativity coaching a viable profession?” I typically respond by saying that I see creativity coaching as a potential revenue stream and not as a full income; and that if you hope to make it a full income, you will need to manifest tons—not ounces or pounds—of entrepreneurial spirit and energy.
These are really two quite different ideas: revenue stream and full income. But I think that “revenue stream” is perhaps a bit of a misleading phrase, since it conjures up the image of something flowing continually, albeit gently. I think that the typical coach’s income is much more intermittent than steady and rather resembles the income flow of her clients—writers, painters, musicians, actors—who make money very irregularly and intermittently: when a book sells to a publisher, when a painting sells to a collector, when they land a gig or a role, etc.
I think that this is what the typical coach can expect: an intermittent, modest inflow of income. Is this worth the bother? I think it is; but each coach will have to decide for himself or herself if it is worth the bother and will have to do a personal cost-benefit analysis: are the benefits worth the cost in time that could be devoted to some other pursuit or life purpose choice? If you conclude that the benefits are worth the bother and that you’d like to give practice-building a shot, let me issue the following challenge.
Leave as a comment one thing that you are going to do in the service of building your coaching practice. Maybe it’s to announce your practice to your social media peeps; maybe it’s to ask one person you know who has a “big list” to please announce your practice; maybe it’s to brainstorm your first class or workshop; maybe it’s to prepare your first talk about creativity coaching; maybe it’s to tackle building your website; maybe it’s to engage in some list-building activity (like creating a free e-pamphlet for your website to use to entice folks to subscribe to your newsletter).
Then do it. Then leave a second comment letting us know how it went. Let us see if we can get folks who want to make money from creativity coaching to begin to do the things they need to do to make some money. If you want to make money from creativity coaching, please accept this challenge. Let’s see what folks manage to accomplish!
(And don’t forget to join the free creativity coaching support group on Facebook. Coaches need all the support they can get! To join, please visit here.)
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Hi Everyone! I’ll be meeting with a brand manager to set up a FB page and Google maps posting. We’ll see from there where else to direct some energy
Ok – I half designed my business card a while ago and it’s been on hold – I’m going to aim to get the design finished and printed – then have a pile of them with me to hand out at all times!
I posted this goal while doing Sharon Good’s CCA business and marketing course. Now, having thought about my website, I’m creating a separate website for coaching as I want a different tone from my artist website. I didn’t reckon on a week of glitches from the website provider, so I’m left hanging.. I don’t want to print a card until I’m clear about the website. Meanwhile, the design is ready and waiting, and I’ve put my work in progress on to my artist website, sitting a little uncomfortably with that site’s more spare style. I’m proud that I’ve done a power of work even though I’ve still not achieved that initial goal!
Thanks for your support, Eric – great challenge.
My one thing is to review the many comments I’ve received from readers and clients on what their idea of Creative Heaven would be.
I want to understand what creative people are really searching for.
Then I’m going to use that info to craft my service offerings.
I’ll get back to you with my results!
Thanks for this post, Eric, and the opportunity to chat freely about these things. Thanks to this “do one thing” prompt I made a poster about the online course that I’ve built and had a few copies printed to put up in libraries and bookstores. Have delivered one. What I noticed is how stuck on perfection I got, like it would be better to stall wanting it to be perfect, than to deliver a potentially slightly imperfect thing into the world…
Hello Eric, fellow coaches and readers! I started taking Eric’s courses on Creativity coaching in February and finished the Advanced training last week. I have done quite a lot of preparations already to get my practice going. The practice-building lessons in the Advanced course were very useful and gave me many clues on how to do things. There are things that work better in the US compared to Switzerland, where I live, so everything I learnt doesn’t necessarily work that well over here. Over these few months, I’ve created my website, I’ve talked about my activities as a hoilstic and creativity coach on social media, I’ve coached people and I’m working on a business-plan to know where I’m heading and what possibilities there are. Being creative is quite a negative thing here in Switzerland – it’s much better being rational, focused on ‘real’ work that make money (creativity is for sissies) and climbing the social ladder as a banker. 😉
My next step now is to give a talk about my coaching practice to the local Women Entrepreneurs’ Association, and I will talk about holistic and creativity coaching. I’m preparing this together with Angela who will present her services as a holistic masseur. Next Wednesday we meet up together, and then later on we’ll get together with the Chairwoman and Treasurer of the association. I love speaking in front of an audience, so I’m not worried about this! I will let you know how things develop.
Very impressive actions and inspiring as well! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Eric. Since I’m working on a new project that I want to put underneath my existing business name, I have decided to split off my coaching practice and editing services and place them on a separate website under my personal name. My one thing is to look at my current site to see what elements should move, which should stay, and what should go entirely.
Hi everyone! I’ve just completed my CCA certification requirements and will be moving to a new community shortly. I’ve had a few clients from that area already, and my “do one thing” will be attending a conference for artists a few days after I arrive,so I can connect with local creatives. Good luck to all of you!
Hello! For the ‘Do One Thing’ challenge I’m going to take on investigating and transforming my mindset around making money. I have been leaving this as it is deep and kind of weird work…If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them!
I understand this. I have a problem seeing the creative side of promoting my skills. I fall back on my own creative work where I feel safer in a weird sort of way.
I’ve been trying to work on this for a number of years. Very Very challenging for me. I was very inspired by a book called ‘The Big Leap’ . I’ll need to get back to you with the author’s name soon!
Thanks, I will look at this book.
Hi Stevie, I’ve been working from Worthy, a book by Nancy Levin. It was recommended by Dolly Muzer of the CCA. I’m finding it really useful; the questions in her exercises get beneath the surface.
As a creativity coach, I focus on writers and my “Do One Thing” action is to send out a newsletter announcing my newly refurbished website and my availability for new clients. I intend to complete this by Friday October 13. If you would like to receive my newsletter and my free “12 ways to get unstuck” download, go to http://www.donaleensaul.com.
Thanks for a good idea. I have not used my website to directly offer my coaching skills. I do it face to face but those opportunities are limited. Deep breath, advertise!
Hi Eric! Hello all! I am just beginning with Creativity Coaching as an income stream and have made a nice income in one recent weekend speaking to a group of seasoned artists about the benefits of social media and how it helps them in their art businesses. I am also actually also scheduling a one-on-one session with an artist this week who has been trying to begin with me for some months (she was daily caregiver to her mother who just passed several weeks ago). It may be time now, or it may not! I’ll let you know!
Hello everyone. For the last 14 years I am working as a music teacher and I love my job. This summer I just woke up with this silly idea to become some kind of coach, helper, guide, teacher… for creative people (I didn’t even know there was a Creativity Coaching). So right now I am trying to learn as much as I can about this, and I am writing some texts for my website, so that One Thing will be building my website and getting my voice over there. Hopefully it’ll be soon, ’cause I gave myself November 1st as a deadline.
Hello everyone, what do I do this week…Next Saturday, there will be the vernissage of the art exhibition “Weitenwachter” (Watchter of Spaces) – relating to Rilke’s poem ‘A watcher of Thy spaces make me’. I take part in this exhibition with two pictures. – And this week I will promote this event: tell friends about it, hang up posters…
For me, this exhibition is important. First, I played a key role when developing the motto of the exhibition, and it is about an issue that I think is key for us – being present, being connected, standing up for our freedom by noticing when something goes wrong – above all in relationships – and then doing something about it. – And I will offer a little workshop taking up the issues of my pictures. Taking part in this exhibition is showing up in public as an artist and coach…
What a wonderful theme. Inspiring!