The Awakened Creative Co

A lot of us have a good reason for doing what we do. As a coach I aim to fill the knowledge gaps that I wish someone had helped me fill, to give people a level of support I never had, and to offer more in terms of accessibility and flexibility relative to what’s been available to me in the past.

As an artist, you’ll have a good reason for doing creative work. You might already know it, or you might think, “I just love to do it.” But there’s always a deeper reason. Being creative scratches some itch, and if you dig deep enough, you’ll find it. And when you do find it, share it with people - because that’s the kind of thing that forms deeper emotional bonds between people. You’re meeting people beneath the surface where you’re all vulnerable - and there’s a lot more connection to be made under the surface.❤️

Why do you do creative work? 🤔

PS - If you’re looking for a detail-oriented, super supportive, accessible and flexible helping hand, DM me and we can talk about how I might be able to help :)

There’s someone out there for you ❤️

Are you struggling to find your audience or do you think you’ve found them? 🤔

For those of us who have been afraid to take the next step, this coming year is the year of no more hiding.

I’m going to be taking a lot of big steps next year, and a lot of them have to do with you. I’ve been hiding from big opportunities, not consciously (most of the time) but when they’ve been presented I’ve had ‘legitimate’ reasons not to pursue them. Not anymore. I’m going with my intuition, with my professional help and with everything I’ve got to explode my progress next year.

What are you going to stop hiding from next year? 🌋🌋

Want to strengthen your brand next year (or any year)? I highly recommend these:

🎥 Getting on video can be super uncomfortable, but it does wonders for helping people to get to know you better, faster, because they can experience more of you in a shorter time and in a way that stimulates them more. It took me about 2 years to work up the courage to get on video, then I fell off, then I got back on it. It’s uncomfortable, but worth it - and becoming less uncomfortable every week. ❤️

🌊 Digging into the depths of why you create and what it means to you is another super powerful way to strengthen your brand and your connection to your audience. We love to hear about this stuff from other people - it gives us a chance to connect on that next level down, and stronger emotions are tied to stronger memories and associations. That’s a win for you as an artist! Make sure to share what you think is appropriate and nothing that will hurt the brand image you’re trying to cultivate.

❓Your why is the solid slab of concrete on which everything you do and everything you’re about is built. As an artist, having a strong and authentic purpose beyond “I just love creating” not only gives you more drive and appreciation for what you’re doing, but your audience will feel that too.

Hope this helps! What’s the next thing you’re going to do to strengthen your brand? 🤔

Is next year your year? 👊🌋

How often do you feel let down by what IG can do for you? There are times when I seriously question whether it’s on my side.

I’m in the middle of it right now. Things have changed, posts aren’t reaching people in the same way, engagement is all over the place, & life on IG is harder in general.

I had a brief period of being seriously disheartened by how things have unfolded, but I’ve realised that this is an opportunity. It’s allowed me to become more adaptive & focus on what really matters on this platform for me to achieve my goals.

This is what I’ve been doing to get back on top of it:

✅Experimenting with frequency & posting times. You might’ve noticed I’m posting more lately & at different times – this is why, to see what happens (spoiler: it’s working).
✅Going deep into understanding my audience & adjusting my communication (content), meaning that even if my posts don’t reach as many people, they’re having a lot more impact & driving more action (attracting new followers, enquiries, etc.).
✅Going even deeper into my brand strategy & asking the real questions about the connections I want to make with you.
✅Learning to use my time more effectively on IG so adapting to these changes is doable (spending almost no extra time on it).

You know what? It’s all good. Crisis averted. Things are different, but they’re no worse. Just different. Maybe even better.

Takeaways:

💡Understanding your audience and your communication with them is the single most important thing that will get you to your goals. It’s about how well you get the message across, not the engagement it garners.
💡Consistency is still up there, but it’s not #1. Things change, & consistency is not a standalone solution. (But to be clear, still be consistent!)
💡Staying awake to what’s happening with your online presence is actually fun & keeps you creative.
💡The better you understand your brand, the clearer your path forward on IG.
💡IG is only a tool. It’s YOU – the one wielding the tool – that will make things happen.

This stuff happens a bit but it doesn’t have to kill the dream. If you’d like to see how I can help you use IG to hit your goals, check out the 1:1 coaching link in bio ♥️

Artists, chasing growth hacks is not the solution to having no one respond to what you’re doing.

Sure, tripling your Stories views or something means you get more eyes on your stuff, but if the people who are seeing it already aren’t responding, it’s likely these growth hacks are going to end up meaning you have even more people who ignore you - and this is gonna hurt you even more both emotionally and regarding your growth.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t try that stuff out - you should for sure. BUT none of that stuff is a solution to the problem of people not being into what you’re doing. Work on these first:

✅ Develop your brand strategy. I say it all the time because it’s so important. You need that clarity on who you are, what you do, why you do it and how you can communicate it all to your audience in a cool way.

✅ Fix you content. Check your insights - if people are seeing your stuff but no one is actually enjoying it, that’s a problem. If you’re confident you’re speaking to the right people, your content might be lacking. Ask yourself for every post: would anyone actually get anything out of this post?

✅ Build your relationships. I’m so sick of getting messages from people who have made no effort with me who send me links to their music. The reason I ignore these is because we have no connection. For the people who do make that effort, I love to listen! :) don’t be that artist who just expects things - earn your asks and make real connections.

Hope this helps ♥️

Do you ever go chasing growth hacks? I do sometimes… and it’s usually not the answer to my problems! I have to pull myself out of it 😅😅

Are you gonna take what’s yours? 👊🌱

Every single one of us needs help to get to the next level. You’re not weird if you can’t do it by yourself; there’s not something wrong with you if you’re struggling with your goals. This is a normal thing for all of us, despite the odd exception to the rule or the people who don’t let on that they had any help to get where they were.

I’ve received help from many, many people in my time working in the creative industry and before that.

When I was much younger I worked with two professional pianists to hone my skills because I wasn’t quite at the level I wanted to be.

When I was in uni and while working as a music producer/composer, I had a mentor and studio partner who helped me understand the industry in my city and my field. He also helped me get work, and build my reputation as a reliable and high quality service.

When I needed to get more serious online, I worked with professionals to assist me, spoke to a lot more and spent a ridiculous amount of money and time on other trainings (more help).

Now I’m working with someone else to help me take the next step and to bring you all something that scratches your itch in a way I haven’t been able to do before. It’s exciting.

I wouldn’t have been able to do any of the stuff I did without outside help. Or at least it would have taken me infinitely longer to get there.

Don’t be afraid of help. Embrace it as a non-negotiable if you want to carve out your own path in life, rather than letting the world push you around and tell you what to do.

Are you seeking help when you need it?

♥️

If you had the audience you wanted, what would you do with it?

Would you share your work with the intention of impacting as many people in that audience as possible? Would you sell your work or your services? Or would you leverage it to get further in your career? Or something else?

Regardless of what it is, audience matters. Your audience is the second piece of a two part puzzle. Whether your goal is to create impact, sell, or something else, you need that other side to help you get there. And they need you.

Some want to reach more people. Some just want to find a small group of the right people. Some are looking to see what can happen when a bunch of likeminded people gather in the same place. Again, whatever your goal, an audience is an essential part of the plan.

What do you want from your audience?

There are lots of reasons why we don’t get to where we want to be, and lack of talent is rarely the problem.

For those willing to overcome their fears & are ready to do what it takes to move forward, there are still two more important barriers to work through:

🔘 They need to learn what to actually do to achieve their goals.

🔘 They need to overcome their beliefs that it may not be possible for them.

If you want to make progress, you start with the second barrier. You see how it can be possible, and then you learn how to actually do it.

The belief that it might not be possible for you could stem from a whole bunch of things:

Maybe you think you don’t have the time, or that you need a certain set of skills, or you have to be someone you’re not.
Maybe you don’t think you can stay consistent.
Maybe you think you need to sacrifice something you’re not willing to sacrifice.
Maybe you just don’t think you’re the kind of person who deserves to have that thing you want.

^If any of these resonate with you, know that these are common beliefs - very common - and people with less talent, skill and time than you have done everything you think you can’t, while staying true to who they are.

These people were determined to keep growing - like you - and so they learned how to get around the walls that were keeping them locked in place. And once they were able to see how things would work for them, they were able to learn what to do and take action that resulted in success.

When you’re walking down a path and you can’t see where you’re going, everything feels hard, or impossible. But when you can see where you’re going & you can see every pothole you’ll have to deal with AND you can see how to deal with them… you’re set.

There IS a way to make it work. You don’t need all the time in the world, or crazy skills, or to sell out. You can make it realistic and you CAN be the person who deserves it.

It’s just about taking it step by step, learning to see how it can work for you, and learning what to do to make it happen. That’s something that’s absolutely possible. ♥️

PS - That’s something I can help you with, too! DM to talk 1:1 coaching 😊

If you’re stuck right now, know that it gets easier - you just need to get through the muck. It’s still hard on the other side but the results you see are worth continuing on, and it’s not AS hard as it might be now. Don’t give up.

If you’ve been stuck for a while and you’re feeling lost, confused and not knowing if the light is going to come back on, DM me to talk about working together and we’ll get that light to come back on💡 ♥️