creativity

Now Its About Who You Are

| kevinthecoach

Retirement is not a time to sleep, but a time to become truly awake. To be truly awake is to have a real sense of your past, what is happening now and what might be.

If you have been busy all of your working life you can opt to live a busy active life but are you swopping business for another busyness to drown out the silence?

Once many cultures were mindful of the knowledge an elder had acquired, but now knowledge is instantly available through technology. Retirement means yo are no longer in competition with others, now is the time to distill your wisdom. You don’t have to be like anybody else or worry about what they think of you, only what you think of yourself.

There is no need to retire in the same way as every other soon to to retire or retired person. Retirement is a time to discover who you were meant to be now, because what you did has, or will soon come to an end.  No longer is your identity is based on what you do, now its’ about who you are.

How many sliding doors confronted you up to today?

Which doors did you choose to walk through and why?

What enhanced your identity?

What enhanced your self-esteem?

What have you learnt about yourself?

What do you need to do now?

Do you need some creative space to explore?

How can I help you now?

Getting Coached Around Retirement

| kevinthecoach

Whilst retirement doesn’t seem to be a hot topic unless it’s about financial advice, yet it is a vital part of living one’s life to the fullest. When do you think about retirement? Does the question occur when you have successfully made a fortune by forty or is it when your pension falls due? Do you plan to work on past a ‘normal retirement age’?

Experience shows me that people begin to question what their life has become or could become at different points in their lives, my focus is on retirement because it provides an important focal point.

Childhood is the prologue, the career the first act, retirement the second act and death the third act. Once upon a time retirement generally meant one had perhaps five or six years left but today we are not too suprised when people make one hundred. So that could mean another forty years, pretty much as long as one’s working life!

Growing up as a child the questions are around what you will be. During a career the questions are around what have you become, what do you do, with possible sub-questions around what that involves, and with status around complexity, challenges, status and rewards. That whole structure disappears with retirement, so who then are you?

The questions we ask can be all important. The opportunity to use creative explorations can bring new insights.

What will you become?

I have brought together a range of creative tools and techniques to allow discoveries to be made and reflectively marinated to allow new positive approaches life.

As your coach on this journey I look forward to working with you.

More workshops are planned and I continue to coach one to one..

If you have questions please let me know.

New courses coming in 2023

Brain Space

| kevinthecoach

As a child I was frequently told off for “being a dreamer.” As a consultant I would ask managers how busy their diaries were and they would fall over themselves to tell me how busy they were, and laugh when I would ask them what percentage of the week was allocated for thinking. “I don’t have time to think.” When I suggested that they must spend all their time firefighting, they would nod in agreement. Then I would ask where in their job description did say anything about firefighting ? A question then for the bosses as to why all their managers were employed on the wrong contracts.

Problem solving requires space, time and great questions. Innovation requires space, time, great questions and iterations. Art requires space, time, great questions and iterations too.

Keep letting your mind go for spacious explorations.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210319-why-procrastination-can-help-fuel-creativity

The Rules For Creativity?

| kevinthecoach

Rule 1: Feel safe to explore.

Rule 2: Never stop searching for stimulus.

Rule 3: Allow time for open meditation rather than focused meditation. One allows the mind to wander creatively and the other focuses the mind on one thing such as the breath.

Rule 4: Everything is an experiment.

Rule 5: Fight the inner interference that stops you working. Remember P = p – i (Performance equals potential minus our minds imposter syndrome interference)

Rule 6: Nothing is a mistake, there is only make

Rule 7: Don’t create and analyse at the same time, they’re different processes

Rule 8: THE ONLY RULE IS WORK. If you work it will lead to something. Its the people who do the work who catch on to things.

Rule 9: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself, its lighter than you think.

Rule 10: ” We’re breaking all of the rules. Even our own rules, and how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities’ John Cage

Apapted from the work of “Sister’ Mary Kent, who revolutionised graphic design and encouraged the creativity of thousands of people.

Some Great Sites For Inspiration Today

| kevinthecoach

https://www.steamco.org.uk/#creativity . Promoting the arts in schools and communities

www.degard.org . Great website full of her aura paintings of the famous

https://devonsculpturepark.org “We give nature freedom to experience its strength and beauty and use environmental art to educate and challenge us on climate issues and natural solutions.

www.bristolartschannel.com . Newly launched site full of great things happening in and around Bristol UK.

stgeorgesbristol.co.uk . Home of the wonderful that offers great events from classical to pop and contemporary music, ideas and spoken word etc.

cubecinema.com . The Cube is a Microplex Cinema, Arts venue, adult creche, independent museum, and progressive social wellbeing enterprise in Central Bristol, UK

imagerytoolbox.com . A great site to, “Mobilize your inner resources when facing cancer, chronic illness or crisis.” Actually lots of great creative ideas.

Lucywillis.com . Lucy Willis RWA is an award winning painter ( BP Portrait Artist of The Year) and printmaker living and working in the West of England. Great painter of light.