Celebrating Milestones:

How milestones shape confidence, momentum and identity in creative careers.

This month, I'm celebrating 10 years of coaching artists and creatives professionally.

It feels like an important milestone. One worth pausing to acknowledge and celebrate. Reaching this point represents not only a decade of coaching, but also the culmination of many years spent building a creative life and career. Alongside my coaching practice, I've navigated multiple creative career chapters  over four decades: product designer and brand strategist, multidisciplinary arts project creator, creative collaborator and leader. Which has me reflecting on the milestones that shape creative careers, the markers of progress, pivotal moments, and shifts in our sense of our professional selves that often go unnoticed while we’re focused on our day-to-day work.

One of the things coaching other artists and creatives has taught me is the importance of recognizing progress as it happens. Taking the time to acknowledge moments of growth and development in my own career is something I've come to appreciate more deeply through supporting others in theirs. Looking back on this ten-year milestone, I'm also acutely aware that it would not have been possible without the many smaller milestones that marked the way. The first times, the learning opportunities and accreditations, the scaling of projects and responsibilities, growing sense of competence and impact in various roles and career chapters. And in this recent decade, the number and range of artists, creatives and organizations I have had the pleasure of working with, the evolution of my writing and newsletter,  and the growth in my confidence as a coach and self-employed creative.  Each milestone has contributed to the person and professional I am today. 

Yet celebrating milestones is something I know many artists and creatives struggle to do. I know I certainly did. For years, I would move quickly past achievements, already focused on the next goal, the next project, the next challenge. I see the same tendency in many of my clients. We become so focused on where we're headed that we rarely stop to acknowledge, nevermind celebrate, how far we've come.  We often overlook how these moments and markers of growth contribute to our confidence, our sense of momentum, and even who we are becoming as creative professionals. Now, I find joy in identifying and celebrating them.

This month I’m inviting us to do more of that. Reflect on the journey, recognize our growth, and consider the milestones (big and small) that have shaped our creative lives and careers. 

For me, developing my coaching practice over the last decade has contributed to my personal and professional growth in ways I could never have anticipated. Working with artists and creative professionals across disciplines, industries, and career stages has continually shaped and expanded my understanding of creativity, creative work, and what it means to build a meaningful and sustainable career.

After 10 years, what keeps me here is the same thing that brought me to this work in the first place: artists and creatives are my people. In my experience, they are among the most thoughtful, imaginative, and inspiring people to work with. Supporting that journey, the practical realities as well as the personal dimensions of creative life and professional development, continues to be deeply meaningful work. I have immense gratitude for every artist, creative, and cultural worker who has trusted me to be part of their journey over the past decade.

Photo Credit: Michael Evans

Heading into a new decade of practice, I am excited by the momentum I’ve generated and look forward to continuing to support artists and creatives in building careers and lives that feel sustainable, meaningful and aligned.

What have been the milestones - be they moments of achievement, breakthroughs, turning points or significant events in your creative career journey to date?

How have they shaped you as a creative professional?

Later in the Month — For Paid Subscribers,

I’ll be elaborating on 10 takeaways from 10 years of coaching artists and creatives and sharing ten practices that have helped me navigate my creative career over four decades.

Special Anniversary Offer!

This month also marks one year since I moved my newsletter to Substack, and I want to celebrate with you.

As a thank-you for being part of this community, I'm offering 25% off monthly and annual paid subscriptions to Ways To Be A Creative for a limited time.

Join by June 30 and lock in this discounted rate for as long as you remain a subscriber.

When you become a paid subscriber, you'll not only support the next chapter of this work—you'll also get:

• Exclusive monthly posts featuring deeper dives into the ideas, trends, and challenges shaping the creative community

• Bonus resources, tools, and practical guides to support your creative growth and career development

• Full access to the archive, including every paid post published to date

• The ability to join the conversation through subscriber-only comments and discussions

I hope you will join me in this next chapter.

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