Chris Mitchell
Life, Career and Professional Development Coaching for Artists and Creatives

Feeling stuck or at a pivotal moment? Are you struggling to determine your next steps, focus on your true priorities or lacking confidence to take your creative practice, business or career to the next level or a new direction?  

My coaching practice is focused on supporting artists and creatives like you including: emerging, mid-career and established visual artists, makers, designers, writers, musicians, filmmakers, performers, entrepreneurs with arts-based businesses and leaders of cultural institutions and initiatives. Essentially, anyone who is dedicated professionally or personally to artistic expression, creation or production.

Here's how I can help

As your coach, I work alongside you as a thought partner to facilitate your self-discovery, increase your confidence and refine your focus on what is most important in your life, your creative endeavours or directions.

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I understand the creative mindset and appreciate that there are many ways to build a career and life as a creative professional.

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I can help you to:

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• Clarify your vision for your creative practice, career or business;

• Strategize how to take your creative practice, career or business to the next level or a new direction;

• Set specific goals as an artist or creative, create actionable plans and take steps to achieve them;

• Prioritize and be accountable to finish projects and achieve milestones that move you forward as a creative professional;

• Develop habits, routines and mindset to support your success as a creative professional;

• Cultivate professional networks and personal relationships that support your endeavours;

• Understand and push past creative blocks and fears that stand in the way of your ambitions;

• Increase your confidence;

• Gain a better sense of control and accomplishment in your work and life as a creative professional.​

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Coaching with me is a creative and collaborative process! Every coaching relationship and session is uniquely created based on your needs and your desired outcome. Whatever your challenge, barrier or aspiration I’ll work with you to gain clarity, overcome hurdles and achieve your goals.

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I empower you to grow your creative practice, arts-based business or career from the inside out and build a more sustainable and fulfilling life as creative professional. 

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I work collaboratively with you to build our relationship based on trust, candour and action planning and ask questions to help you to identify blocks, challenges and opportunities in your life. Our coaching conversations are focused, thought-provoking and structured to support you to determine plans and take the actions that you decide are right for you.  My job is to support you to make better decisions and be stronger in your professional and personal relationships, provide a neutral ear, champion you and build in accountability to keep you on track to move forward toward your goals. I feel fulfilled when I see my clients are acquiring self-awareness and building confidence and strategies that will serve them far beyond our coaching relationship. My goal is for each of my clients to develop their creative practice, business or career in ways that make them happier and feeling more fulfilled.

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I coach virtually via phone, Zoom or in person. I am based in Toronto, Canada and work with clients across Canada, the U.S.A and globally.

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Services

My professional experience has evolved over three decades of working in leadership positions in small design and arts based businesses and non-profit arts organizations. I've dedicated my career to working side-by-side with artists and creatives to support them to strategize direction, realize creative visions, produce artistic programming, design products, negotiate collaborations and partnerships and implement business plans. Over the course of my career, I have collaborated with and mentored other creatives to achieve hundreds of creative and entrepreneurial initiatives.

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I am a creative myself and I truly have a special passion for working with creative people!

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Because of my own personal and professional background and experience, I understand the creative mindset and the contexts, challenges and possibilities of building a sustainable and fulfilling career and life as a creative professional. I've lived those moments when I've had to figure out what's next for myself or respond to bumps and curves and sometimes create my own opportunities along the way. My own experiences as a creative professional and working with artists and creative entrepreneurs prior to becoming a coach is in fact what lead me to pursue coaching artists and creatives at a professional level. 

I am an Internationally Accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) through the Co-active Training Institute® and a member of ICF Toronto.

Photo Credits: Cylla Von Tiedemann