Coaching, mentoring and consultancy
I offer a range of support for artists, photographers and cultural workers in developing their practice. I also offer support to small cultural organisations in project design, delivery and fundraising.
Coaching and mentoring
I offer support for artists, photographers and cultural workers to help develop your practice and achieve your version of success. Finding your way in our fast-changing culture is a significant challenge for many aspiring creatives. Many practical and mental obstacles often stop us from clearly seeing what’s happening and moving forward in life and practice. These can include
- Confusion about what it is we want to achieve
- Feeling stuck and experiencing a creative block
- Difficulty in accessing or navigating the world of funding available for creative and community projects.
- Feeling held back by the stories we tell about ourselves and a general lack of self-confidence
I offer a blend of personal coaching and mentoring that help you identify and overcome obstacles and difficulties, gain deeper clarity, and move forward.
Coaching is where we work together to engage your innate curiosity, creativity, and resourcefulness to find your own questions and answers that are true for you. It’s a very open and fluid approach that supports you to really get the heart of the matter and start to find usable solutions. We can use a range of powerful practical coaching tools and techniques that can help to bring deeper insight and clarify that lead to the way forward.
Mentoring is where we call upon my own practical experience, insight and knowledge that is specifically relevant to your situation and will help you progress. This can be around creative development, project design and delivery, fundraising, networking and much else.
If you are interested in learning more about how I can help you then Please get in touch here.
Support for community groups and small organisations
I regularly work with small creative and community groups and charities to offer practical support, coaching and consultation. I specialise in working with groups that want to clarify and improve aspects of what they do and how they do it. This can be around developing a clearer ‘mission and vision’ which is vital to ensure everyone in the team is working towards a common purpose. It can be around practical aspects of how to improve the breadth and quality of community engagement projects and how to make the right things happen. Or it can simply be to provide a different lens through which to look at a particular issue or area to help you gain clarity, and insight and develop the right solution. I can help you clarify what it is you are doing and how you are doing it, and work with you to become more effective in what you do.
If you want to find out more or arrange an exploratory conversation with me about how I might help you, get in touch with me here.
My Experience
I am passionate about supporting others to develop learn new skills, develop their practice and achieve success. I have over 25 years of experience working in the creative, cultural and education sectors in various roles, including educator, mentor coach and consultant. I have taught and mentored undergraduate and postgraduate students at several universities and worked in 12 different primary and secondary schools supporting staff and students as part of the Creative Partnerships programme. I now regularly work with individuals, community groups and charities to support them through mentoring, coaching and skill sharing.
I have substantial experience in multi-partner project design, delivery, reporting and evaluation. I set up and managed The Living Memory Project CIC and as part of this led several large-scale community projects. I am an experienced fundraiser and have raised over £300,000 in funding for various projects. I have co-authored, edited and produced three books and curated over 30 exhibitions and public events.
Testimonials
If you've got stuff going on in your work, business or personal life that's bothering you, get in touch with Geoff. He helped me so much in just 3 sessions. It's a no-brainer, just email him and set something up.
Kim, Corporate ConsultantGeoff is a good supportive coach. He is warm and engaged and has good listening & observational skills that support the process of clarifying and understanding what the key issues are. Very easy to work with and again, I felt in a very safe environment
Sharon Jenkins, AdvocateWe feel the process had a good arc, that we worked through lots of areas, felt encouraged, and developed things like the vision and mission statement. We reached a point that we can move on from. Thank you for the chance to have the sessions as I feel they were very much needed.
Alarum TheatreWorking with Geoff was exceedingly helpful as we grappled with restructuring our company. His observations, advice and probing questions gave us the confidence and the incentive we needed to clarify our aims and move forward. As a result, we feel better able to recognise our successes rather than focusing on the huge challenge of working through lockdowns and Covid restrictions.
Alarum TheatreHe is very encouraging and got our heads out of the 'To Do' list!I was stuck with certain aspects of my creative life and Geoff was able to offer some excellent tools to move forward. He asked questions that made me reflect on why I feel limited in moving forward and also to challenge these limitations and demystify them. I think coaching would work for short and long-term issues/help that is needed.
Mel Tomlinson, Artist
Get in touch
Drop me a line about what kind of support you are looking for.