Coaching is a mirror of your potential

What is creativity coaching?

As opposed to general life coaching, this methodology is specifically tailored towards individuals or groups desiring to unlock their full creative potential and do more - or do things differently - with the limited time they have. We live in extremely fascinating time filled with unlimited opportunities - and distractions - so cultivating a clear sense of purpose combined with a laser-like focus is often a key to a deep inner fulfillment.

As brave as they are, creatives often face multiple outer constraints and inner blocks: self-consciousness and doubt, loss of motivation and inspiration. I'm here to help you do the work that's yours to do, provide a safe space to dream, reflect, brainstorm, and put together an action plan with an accountability net. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing my clients walking away with a sense of ease, inspiration, and a strong conviction that the sky is the limit.

Unlocking inner resourcefulness

I've heard so many people telling me: "But wait, Tatiana, I'm not an artist, how am I supposed to know how to be creative?" with my typical response being: "Would you ever say this to yourself when you were five?" As we get older, we get wiser - but also more rigid and defensive. Using tools such as somatic experiencing, we'll learn how to remove these inner barriers and breathe freely.

Finding your WHY

There have been many books written on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, one thing for sure, it's really difficult to convince yourself to put blood, sweat and tears into any project until it resonates with your definition of purposefulness. Think about it as a personal mission statement, your internal compass, your North star.

Trusting the process

You can't connect the dots looking forward, that's a fact. Creative journey is often two steps forward / one step back kind of deal, and whether you're writing a screenplay or building a startup, chances are there will be more than one rough draft. Learning how to trust (and dare I say - enjoy!) the process is a key for staying in the game long term, and not being afraid to pivot when needed.

What does creativity have to do with high performance?

First, based on my personal experience, creatives often outperform everyone else in terms of their output and dedication. A myth about a lonely artist hanging out at their favorite cafe all day while occasionally pacing around the studio at night is just that - a myth. In order to make it in any artistic field, one must have unshakable discipline, rigor, and conviction, not to mention a robust network. I'm taking all the lessons from my own creative practice, as well as the insights from dozens of colleagues and mentors, books and educational programs to help others unleash their potential.

Depending on where you are at with your work ethic and desired outcomes at the moment, we'll cover managing distractions, sleep, biohacking, mindfulness, and more.

Flow

Also known as "being in the zone", when someone is fully immersed in activity with energy and joy. If you've ever written a poem, run a marathon, or just had a really good day when things seemed to naturally fall into place and time stopped, you know what I'm talking about. As a huge fan of Csikszentmihalyi's work (check out his book here), I have personally experienced a deeper sense of flow after applying some of his suggestions and digging deeper into the nature of this elusive state.

Focus

Aside from raising rates of ADHD and dopamine addiction, there are dozens of daily distractions that manage to stand between us and our ability to concentrate and do our work wholeheartedly. In order to perform at the highest level, it's helpful to put first things first and guard your time - but first, we'll uncover the reasons that hinder the ability to focus, whether it's poor sleep or a phone addiction.

Resilience

The ability to navigate setbacks and handle constant change is one of the keys to success - and can be one of the hardest lessons to learn. We'll cover processing failures, dealing with difficult emotions, and explore how you could lean into your edge and persevere without burning yourself out.

What does a coach do exactly?

I think of myself as a trusted partner and confidant who has your best interest at heart. That means both challenging and supporting you to make sure you stay true to that inner calling. We'll uncover subconscious beliefs and recurrent patterns that might no longer be of service, discover your zone of genius - and your blind spots. Using this new awareness, you’ll uncover dormant energy reserves that will help you achieve your goals and gain the freedom and confidence needed to bring your authentic self to the world.

My style is warm but direct, and I always welcome feedback from my clients. I'm using a vast toolkit of techniques, and I offer an approach tailored to what works best for you and the particular obstacles you might be facing.

Starting where you are

We'll start by assessing your starting point (where you find yourself this very moment) briefly in the beginning of each call during the program and extensively during the clarity session using a variety of fun tools, for example, Design Your Life methodology from Stanford. Sometimes the origin of the issue is not where we think it is, so we'll go over all areas of your life to get a full picture.

Exploration

The core of each coaching session is exploration and inquiry. We'll dive deeper into the problem space: what is it that you want to happen and what keeps you away from it? The process is different with each client but it usually involves dissecting limiting beliefs, blind spots and fears that might be holding one back, as well as elevating strengths and nurturing talents.

Actions and accountability

Finally, we'll discuss the tools available to help you get where you want to be. Sometimes utilizing one's own wisdom and good judgement is enough since, deep down, we often intuitively know what's best for us. Last but not least, accountability and strategy is the cornerstone of the coaching process since we need to turn the insights into an actionable plan.

What's your process of working with clients?

Let's get into logistics! Since I specialize in a particular kind of coaching, we'll start by meeting each other for a quick chat. I fully commit to this process and root for my clients' success - and I ask that you also fully commit to yourself and the change you'd like to see happening.

You might be working towards a very specific goal (for example, finish a novel or release a new product in the next 6 months) or might be just starting to explore a feeling of dissatisfaction with your current situation and a desire to do more with your life - in either case, you're bringing a topic for a conversation each time we meet. Coaching is not lecturing or therapy, rather, it's a powerful conversation between two individuals, a vehicle for greater awareness and transformation, and you as a client are always the one driving this vehicle.

Step 1 - Discovery call / 30 min

Discovery call is not a coaching session per se but rather an opportunity for us to (virtually) meet face to face and see how we could potentially partner in addressing your needs. If in the end of it you'd like to move forward, we'll schedule a clarity session.

Step 2 - Clarity session / 90 min

This will be our first coaching engagement where we'll take time examining the core of the issue in order to establish the baseline and clearly see the direction in which you'd like to go.

Step 3 - Coaching program / 6 months

If you feel excited about signing up for a program, great! My typical package includes 12 hour-long sessions, held via a video call. It comes with email support during PST business hours, take-home tasks, light reading and assessments. Sessions can be used over the period of time up to 6 months on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. After the program is completed, you can book follow-up calls as needed. My goal is not to have you coming back indefinitely but to give you a strong foundation and most effective, scientifically backed tools so you could set out on your own creative journey.