A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ART-BASED CREATIVE COACH

Welcome to the latest edition of the Association for Coaching’s (AC) Newsletter. This week we are doing something different to encourage and inspire you in your coaching practice. Every third issue we will present our "Day in the Life series" - where different types of coaches will share a day of their practice, the successes and challenges that day might hold.

• Learn about more about coaching through a day in the life of an art-based creative coach - Andréa Watts
• Join our latest webinars and events

Hello, I’m Andréa (pronounced An-draay-ah), the founder of UnglueYou ? and creator of the Collage Coaching Technique?(CCT). UnglueYou? is an arts-based creative coaching practice, specialising in working with collage to help clients draw unconscious knowledge into conscious awareness, and move forward authentically and more effectively.

My day starts with talking to my plants as I ease myself into a new day.

Usually, there’s marketing to do, which I used to hate. While I’m passionate about sharing the significant impact and difference that the Collage Coaching Technique?(CCT) makes, traditional sales methods aren’t aligned with how I express myself and connect with others. So, it was challenging knowing how to ‘sell’ my training and workshops while remaining authentic. Over time, I’ve reframed it to focus on being consistent about telling people what I’m doing without using fear, or lack, as reasons to join me.

At lunchtime, I’ll go for a walk which gives me time away from the computer screen. I enjoy this pause, being outside fills my senses and allows my unconscious to problem-solve.

Afternoon

After lunch I may have a Zoom call. This could be for coaching, facilitating a workshop, catching up with colleagues, chatting with new acquaintances, recording a podcast or delivering a presentation about the Science Behind the Art of Coaching with Collage.

This is the best part of my day, when I’m connecting with others. At these times I feel my most authentic self and that I’m doing what I’m meant to be. Fulfilling my purpose, I guess. Regardless of the activity, I pause and breathe deeply to be present and ground myself before starting.

While I still coach with collage in person, most of my work takes place online, enabling me to work internationally. People have asked if being online makes a difference when using collage which is such a creative, hands-on approach. In terms of the powerful outcomes, there isn’t a difference, and clients who’ve experienced both have agreed. This is probably because the three-stage creative process remains the same and within this framework, clients can express themselves fully. Also, while there is a digital option, they can choose to create a classic collage with magazines.

I feel privileged to facilitate the creative coaching process that enables a client to experience a breakthrough from their stuckness and find something of themselves that was lost. There’s also something beautiful about seeing the collages, each one unique, as are the stories they hold, that clients share with me.

Because coaching with images goes deeper quickly, it can be emotional and challenging for clients, as well as for me as I hold the space for them. Therefore, I don’t schedule more than two events a day, ensuring I can be at my best to support my client or the group.

If I’m not on a call then I’ll write, which I love. I keep a personal journal for reflective practice, poetry, and to capture insights from my collages. I also enjoy both academic and informal writing. However, writing has its challenges because of the 'messy middle bit'. Essentially, when you’re pulling it together, deciding what to include or exclude, the structure of paragraphs and the use of language. But, just like the creating stage of the CCT, this is where the ‘magic’ happens. I see these moments as the heart of creativity, enabling me to be with the process, rather than wishing I was at the end. This connection feels deeper by listening to my ‘Music To Write To’ playlist, which I curated while writing Collage as a Creative Coaching Tool .

Evening

My last task is preparing a LinkedIn post for the next day. Coaching with collage, and creative approaches generally, are a new field in coaching. So, I like to share mine and other coaches’ experiences and knowledge in this area to help build awareness and increase interest.

I always add an image to my posts; unsurprisingly to me, research show this increases engagement. Consideration is given to the idea, thought, or emotions I’m trying to convey while appreciating that we interpret images differently. Sometimes I’ll pass the next step to my VA but mostly, I’ll also design the poster. This is important to me, because as an act of play and visual creativity, I know it feeds my soul. However, I can easily get distracted by all the possibilities! Thinking ‘What does this do? Let me try this colour, ooh! OK what about this one? Maybe I could try moving this here.’ Again, this evokes a sense of creating a collage, so I lean into what I’ve learned there. Using mindfulness to notice when I’m going down a rabbit hole, applying time as a creative constraint and adopting an attitude of good enough. Without this self-awareness, I’d be up until midnight!

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**Andrea Watts will be one of the speakers in our Creative Coaching Festival in April (see details below) and if you are an AC member you can access a member benefit webinar she ran for the AC in September 2023: Coaching with Collage – My Creative Self in the AC Digital Learning Hub.

1. Coaching Outdoors

Join Anne Marie Watson on February 21 for this 4-part webinar series to discover the scientific evidence behind the benefits of nature-connectedness and movement and learn tools and techniques to develop your coaching outdoors practice. Find out more and register here.

2. The Compass for Your Creativity

Join Elaine Patterson and Karyn Prentice on March 5 for an online workshop where they will take you through the eight cardinal points of their Compass RoseTM?of Creativity to find your own sweet spot of creative flourishing. Find out more and register here.

3. Creative Coaching Festival – online April 18 and 19

Join us for this deep dive into the world of creative coaching and discover tools and approaches that will enhance your coaching and supervision practice with better results for your clients. Taking us on this journey will be a community of respected coaches within this field, all of whom will be inviting us to play, practice, and engage with our inner creative curiosity! Find out more and register here.

4. Exploring Mental Health in Coaching Podcast Series

Join host, Maxine Bell, and her expert guests as they explore mental health for coaches and supervisors. Gain valuable insights, understanding and practical tips both for your professional and personal development to help you coach better and build resilience. Listen here

5. Coaching Perspective Magazine

Don’t forget to check out the latest edition of our magazine to keep up with the latest trends, thoughts, models, tools, books and podcasts. The theme this edition is leadership.

View here.

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If you have an idea you are passionate about and would like to host a podcast series or be a guest with us, or would like to share your ‘Day in the life of..’ please contact [email protected] . We prefer personal approaches, not third party. You don’t need to be an experienced coach, just have a great idea you would like to explore.

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We hope you enjoyed this newsletter and encourage you to explore our wide variety of resources on our website here . Or if you would like to go directly to our Digital Learning Hub click here . If you have any questions or would like to contribute to our podcast, digital learning, or magazine, please email us at?[email protected] .

The Association for Coaching (AC) is a leading independent, not-for-profit global professional body dedicated to promoting best practices and raising awareness and standards of coaching worldwide. Our purpose is to inspire and champion coaching excellence, advance the coaching profession, and make a sustainable difference to individuals, organizations and society.

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