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"I empower artists
and creatives 
to maximize their personal and professional potential."

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How I Can Help Artists an 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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How I Coach Artists an Creatives

How I Coach

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

Services for Artists and Creatives

Individual Coaching for Artists and Creatives

Customized, results-oriented collaboration and partnership to help you to:  Clarify your creative, personal and professional goals | Cultivate confidence, mindset and habits | Explore a new direction | Navigate obstacles and change | Enhance your personal fulfilment | Build a sustainable creative career and balanced life.

Career Coaching for Creative Professionals:

Explore opportunities for career direction and professional growth | Assess your strengths, talents and passions | Strategize a path forward | Establish action plans and accountability | Take your creative practice and career to the next level.

Leadership Development Coaching for Creatives:

Identify and focus on your key priorities | Build your awareness of your authentic leadership style and your impact on others | Increase your effectiveness.

Business Coaching for Creative Entrepreneurs:

Clarify and articulate your vision | Identify goals and opportunities | Focus on priorities to move forward | Develop and implement strategies to build your arts based business and income  | Market your artwork, products and services authentically.

Packages and Offers for Customized Individual Coaching:

Ready to take your creative practice/career/business to the next level or a new direction? I can help!

I offer package options for a set number of 1:1 sessions over three or more months or a monthly rate for bi-weekly coaching sessions.

Group Coaching Programs for Artists and Creatives:

A series of customized one hour small group sessions structured around specific topics or themes determined in collaboration with participants. I bring activities and stimulating questions in response to the topics identified to facilitate self-discovery and discussion with colleagues in group and break-out formats. Format includes weekly check ins and goal setting/action steps to support specific individual goals and projects. Limited to 6 participants. Register as an individual for upcoming dates on offer or contact me work with your organization or group to set up a customized program.

Stay Tuned for 2023 Group Coaching Program Dates

Professional Development Workshops for Artists and Creatives:

Interactive workshops designed to empower artists to build their capacity to move forward in their independent creative practice or arts-based business. I host workshops independently and more often in partnership and collaboration with arts-based organizations.

During Covid-19 all workshops will be presented on-line.

My Background

My Background    

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. 

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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.

Testimonials

Testimonials

"No matter where you are in your career in the arts sector, Chris can help you refine your personal brand, and create an action plan that is unique to you and your needs. Chris is a great listener: she asked about my career goals, my strengths, and my personality, and used these as the foundation for my personalized coaching. I mentioned in an early session that I'm a strategic planning nerd, and sure enough, she had me create a strategic plan for my career. I loved it! The result is that I feel well-equipped to take advantage of professional opportunities as they arise, and to use my strengths to lead with confidence."   Barbara
“I started working with Chris at a time when I was experiencing insecurity around the trajectory of my artistic career. During a few months of coaching, meeting every other week, I have made some major moves. My new path is set in a direction I feel very confident with. Chris asks the right questions leading me to focus and prioritize. She is a phenomenal listener and her keen observations have helped me look at problems in different ways encouraging me to activate solid decisions. I am a better artist today because of the coaching I received from Chris.”  Irene
“Chris' coaching helped me develop and redesign my art practice. More importantly, I was able to turn inward to understand my own values, and strengths. As a result I feel a permanent shift in my outlook and perspective. This shift has allowed me to become confident and purposeful, and has empowered me to take control of my career as an artist. I feel now self-guided in a direction that is fulfilling, honest, and in line with my values. Chris is an amazing coach and the results are absolutely invaluable."   Justine
“I worked with Chris Mitchell for the last year and found her help and guidance exceptional. She helped me hone in on things I wanted to change about my work environment and how to re structure not only the format of my workplace but how to re think and adjust my perception of it so that I could embrace what was happening with a more positive mindset. She also helped me clarify my goals as an artist and own my potential and expertise in that field and own my accomplishments. I would highly recommend working with Chris for Business or Artistic aspirations to set clear goals and have an incredibly positive and insightful guide by your side."   Sarah
“Chris Mitchell brings a winning blend of listening, compassion, insightful questions and imaginative strategies to her  coaching practice.
Working with her, I have been able to develop new perspectives and map out practical goals as I embark on new creative ventures."   Mark
“I thoroughly enjoyed working with Chris and left with a more focused direction, a sense of "I can make this happen" and a plan to do so. Chris's extensive background working with artists/creatives in a variety of disciplines gives her a greater understanding of our practice(s). I find her kind and patient (with a great sense of humor) , and great at motivating me to look inwards and move forwards. A great investment in you! "    Sheri
“Working with Chris Mitchell has been a very empowering experience. Holding my long-range aspirations in mind, she has helped shape immediate goals into a series of sharp and focused tasks and bolstered my performance by gently pushing me to reach just beyond where I might have stopped otherwise. Chris is an incredibly attuned listener who brings powerful support in a gentle and humble way. I am very fortunate to have her in my corner.”   James
“Chris' coaching was invaluable at a time for me when I had totally lost touch with my creative pursuits. With her help, I not only reinvigorated my love and passion for creating music, but also was able to overcome the anxiety I carried from feeling out of touch with my craft. For me, her coaching carried affirmation, encouragement, and support and I always felt at my best after a call with her. She will help you self-actualize the solutions to your problems, but also help you realize you had the ability all along.  Emma 
“I am deeply thankful for the productive time I have shared with Chris. Her compassionate and insightful methods helped me to galvanize, clarify, understand, and implement meaningful growth in my art practice. Moreover, her guidance in deeply connecting these actions to my personal values and aspirations has revolutionized my approach to teaching and I am newly able to imbue this excitement and deep connection in my pedagogy."  Donna Szoke
“I found Chris at a time in my life when I was really struggling to see a clear path forward for myself-- I'd been acting for over twenty years, had jumped from job to job to make ends meet during that time, and was tired of the lack of consistency in my life. But, I also couldn't see a way for me to get that stability without either giving up on my art, or completely compromising in my day job. Chris really helped me to gain clarity on all the skills and tools I'd been building and using as an artist all these years, and helped me figure out how I could apply them to my professional career, and even to my life at large. For the first time I was able to see a way forward into stability that didn't have to crush my creativity, or require me to give up on being an artist-- instead, Chris helped me to use my experience and knowledge to find or build something that would allow me to have both, and honour all the time I'd put into honing these skills all my life. If you are an artist looking to find new and creative ways to apply your skills to new ventures, want help overcoming imposter syndrome, or are simply looking for great advice and a roadmap on how to be a better business person as an artist, don't hesitate to talk to Chris! "  Katie
"Working with Chris has been one of the best decisions I have taken. I knew where I wanted to go with my art career but was not sure of how to get there and was having some mindset issues that kept me from moving forward. During my six-session package Chris and I worked over my strengths, values, time management, how to seek opportunities, and mindset. What I love the most about Chris as a coach is most of the time I would show up with many things on my mind but not a clear statement of what exactly I needed coaching on that session, however, Chris would always listen to me and read between the lines and show me exactly what I was looking for and help me reframe things, and understand what actions I needed to take. After my package ended, I have a clear sense of what I want, what I need to do to achieve it, how to analyze my progress and actions, and which strengths I have to make things happen. I look forward to working more with Chris in the future but recommend to anyone seeking a coach to have a discovery session with her as I did." Maria S. Llamozas
Contact

Contact    

Send me your questions or contact me to set up a free 30 minute 1:1 private conversation to learn more about coaching and explore if we are a good fit.

Thanks for connecting!

Photo Credits: Cylla Von Tiedemann
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