Are you passionate about multiple things? I bet you are.  Arts and tech. Food and design. Gardening and games. Yoga and cat-whisphering, perhaps?

For me, it’s art and helping people. I’ve mentioned this several times here, but I worked for a social service organization for domestic violence victims for 14+ years until this past July. I had many positions throughout the years. Admin support to direct service to program management to HR to sum it all up.

I had many reasons to why I stayed there for so long, but at the end of the day, I liked helping people. I felt so honored to be there for people who were going through tough times. Many people who came to our programs had gone through horrendous, heart-wrenching violence, physically, mentally, and spiritually, at the hands of someone they loved. And the hardest part of intimate partner violence is not always physical. Most physical scars heal – but the toughest part is the emotional and spiritual scars. You can’t show them to anyone, and it takes longer to heal. Repeated violence and control destroy who you are inside.I heard many times from the survivors that they’d wished their partner would’ve just hit them.

When I was doing direct service work, I always worked in the community-based program and not in the shelter program, so people would come in to the office for one-on-one meetings and support groups while they lived at their own home. When they first come in to meet with me, a lot of them are just a shell of themselves, feeling confused, tired, scared, and worthless. They want the violence to stop but don’t want the relationship to end.

They’re often told by their family and friends that they should leave or call the police. Or be strong and stand up to their abusive partner. Though these people are trying to be helpful by giving these kinds of advices, it can be very disempowering for the victims and feels like yet another person is trying to tell them what to do.

So the first thing I would do when they first come to me is to listen.

I would listen intently to understand their situations. And for many of the people who come in, that’s the most powerful thing anyone can do. Even though they had to go back to their not-so-happy home at the end of the day, it was so valuable that someone listened and understood what they were going through and not judge them or their decisions.

I believed in the advocacy based counseling model we use when working with our clients. We listen without judgement and meet people where they are and support their ability to choose what’s best for their unique situation. We don’t tell people what to do or what not to do. We listen, offer options, and discuss pros and cons of each option. For many people, leaving their abusive partner is not the best or the safest option. So we’re there to help brainstorm different ways to stay safe for as long as they need to.

Some people just call or come in once, and we never hear from them again. But other times we get to work with them long-term. They start to acknowledge the injustice their partner had put them through. They recognize what happened to them was not their fault. And most importantly, they start trusting themselves again.

In my recent years, I managed general HR stuff at the same organization. Among other things, I enjoyed helping employees reach their career goals the most. I developed and facilitated a group for employees so they can explore their passions and skills and work towards their big goals. It was so rewarding for me to help them understand how their everyday work was moving them towards their career goals. Though I’m not there any more, I know many of them have moved into a different position that supports their big career goals. YAY!!!

So, as I was leaving my day job this summer to be a full-time artist, I thought, “how can I combine my passions and skills to maximize my earning potential?” You’ve probably heard the advice, “diversify your income stream,” somewhere. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket because if something bad happens to that one basket full of eggs (I’m assuming raw eggs), you’d be in a BIG trouble. Lots of artists diversify their income source by doing client work, selling products, teaching etc.  What else could I do?? Hmmmmm….

Oh, I got it!  I could coach people!

Creating art and helping people are two of the things I enjoy and am good at. Isn’t the point of being your own boss to be able to decide how you’re going to make a living?

Coaching seems like a really good fit for me. Instead of helping people in violent situations or employees, I can help other artists, makers, and crafters stay on track and get stuff done so they can reach their big dream goals.

“What is coaching?” you may be wondering. There are different schools of thoughts, and each coach would approach their work slightly differently. But basically, coach is someone who can help you set goals and be successful by drawing out your strengths and helping you find your own solutions for the challenges you experience.

Here is what it would be like to work with me as your Creative Coach (yup that’s what I’m calling myself):

1. Our coaching session will be one-on-one conversation over Skype or phone.
2. I’m a nice person (and a good listener), who actually cares and wants to know your story and the unique struggles you’re having in your creative pursuit. You won’t be laughed at or ridiculed, I promise.
3. I’ll ask you a bunch of questions about your dreams, goals, and ideas because I’m curious about you and what inspires you. In the process, you’ll definitely learn more about yourself! Oftentimes the answers you’re looking for are within you, but you just need a little extra help to realize it.
4. You can come with an overwhelming list of things to do and leave with clear, bite-sized action steps to work on, feeling lighter and inspired!
5. You’ll get a reality check. If you tell me you’re thinking about taking on a new client, launching a new product line, and saving 100 kittens from an evil monster all in the same week, you’re gonna hear what I really think about that. I’ll help you decide where to focus your energy and time first. (FYI – I’m a cat person but am not gonna impose my personal preference on you during our coaching sessions…)
6. You’ll have a reliable source of accountability and encouragement. Our conversations will be focused around your goals, and I’ll ask you to keep track of your progress and challenges in between. We can also discuss ways for me to provide extra accountability outside of our sessions if needed!
7. You’ll have someone to bounce ideas off of and problem-solve with in a non-judgemental environment. Like my point #2 above, you can usually find the answers by looking at your problems from different angles. My goal isn’t to tell you what to do or what not to do. It’s to help you come up with your own solutions that work best for your unique situation. After all, those are the skills you’ll need long-term, and you’ll be more likely to stick to the solutions you come up with yourself!
8. You’ll have someone to celebrate your small and big successes with. It’s important we take the time to acknowledge your accomplishments when you’re working towards your big dream. I’ll notice them and point them out to you even if you don’t think it’s significant.
9. I’ll teach you what I know about having an art/craft-based business. I don’t consider myself to be a business expert by any means. I can’t give you a blueprint for your business success. But I’m more than happy to share with you tips and tools that worked for me and give you my feedback if you’d like. You can choose to apply it (or not) to your own situation. You’re the expert of your own life! If you’re looking for specific business advice that is beyond me, I’d suggest you work with a business consultant who specializes in the area you’re seeking advice.

Ok, if any of these things sounds good to you, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you have many creative passions and don’t know where to start, so you end up starting nothing?
• Do your friends and family tell you you’re creative/artistic?  Are you wondering if you should take your “hobby” to the next level?
• Do you start new projects but have a hard time following through?
• Do you wish you had time or motivation to make art every day?
• Do you want to pursue your creative dream while having a day job, family, and other obligations?
• Do you want to transition out of your day job and pursue your passion full-time eventually?
• Do you perform better when you know someone else is counting on you to show up?
• Do you say yes to every opportunity and feel resentful and stressed as a result?
• Have you been pursuing your creative passion for a long time and haven’t seen any results? Thinking about giving up?
• Do you compare yourself with other “successful” artists and be hard on yourself?
• Are you serious about making your creative dream come true?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, having  a Creative Coach could really help!

I’ve been running a pilot of my Creative Coaching service for the past few months and am happy to see the positive impact our work is having on my clients so far! I’ll share more about their experiences in my blog post next week 🙂 Don’t miss it if you’re curious about working with me!

I’ll be taking on new coaching clients beginning February 1, 2016 and you can sign up here to receive updates and be the first to know when I officially start booking sessions!

I’m super excited to have found a way to combine my passions and help you be successful! Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog post next week to hear from my awesome clients 🙂

Take care!

xoxo Yuko