Creative work can be a solitary path, and while there’s nothing to beat the sweet satisfaction of an idea brought safely out into the world, there’s equally nothing quite like the grim sludge of creative stuckness.

Sometimes, it helps to have help. I’ve been coaching informally for as long as I’ve had creative friends, and I started doing it more formally in 2014.

Maybe you haven’t done anything creative in a while, or maybe you have a solid practice that’s in need of a boost. Maybe you’re planning something bigger than you’ve done before, maybe you’re thinking of taking a new direction, or maybe you’ve hit an obstacle in a complex project that you can’t quite figure out.

Whatever your particular circumstances are, you’ve run into trouble, and you’re not sure what to do next.

I can help. We’ll work together to get you through that grim sludge, wherever it oozes across your path and whatever strange form it may take.

There are a few ways to go, depending on where you’re starting from.

Your first step, regardless, will be to book a free introductory call with me to discuss your situation. (You can go ahead and click here, if you’re ready to do that now.) We’ll talk for around half an hour, and you’ll give me a sense of what you need help with.

These are the areas where I can be most useful:

1. You’re just … stuck

Whatever the reason, you’re not making your work. It’s been that way for a while. You feel disconnected from your creativity, and it’s making you miserable.

Maybe you know why you’re stuck, or maybe you have no idea. Regardless: it’s time to get unstuck, and you reckon a session or two will do the trick.

We’ll talk, I’ll help you unpack your situation, and we’ll identify what your obstacles are and how to get past them.

I booked my session because I wanted to know why I haven’t woven in a year and a half. How did I feel about weaving? Completely stuck and unmotivated. Just trapped in amber and unable to get out, move freely, do something. You helped me realize how logical it is that I stopped weaving, and that I had never given myself permission to start again. After my session I fixed a bunch of broken warp ends and wove 3 inches of fabric! Huzzah! I’d say that this was a completely and totally worthwhile investment. —Darcy Prince

2. You need help staying on track

You’re happy enough with the work you’re making, but you tend to get distracted and lose motivation.

You’d like planning help, constructive accountability, tips on managing your time and space, maybe even some assignments if that feels appropriate.

We’ll work together over half a dozen sessions to get your creative engine humming and build some good habits to take forward into your next phase. (If you’d like to break your hours down differently – half-hour sessions or two-hour sessions, for example – just ask.)

I think the most useful thing was the idea that what I do is not avoidance, but slow entry. This morning I pottered for 1.5 hours doing this and that, and then sat down and wrote 1300 words and finished off the current short story 1st draft. That is a productive morning! What we talked about has helped me carry on shaking bits and pieces loose, which is really useful. I would totally sign up again. —Juliet Kemp

3. You’re undertaking a specific project

You might be embarking on an art series, developing a performance piece, or putting together a collection of poetry. You want someone to support you through the whole arc of that project.

Maybe you have a deadline, maybe you don’t. Maybe we’ll talk twice a month, or maybe we’ll do one session to start you off and then check in quarterly until the work is done.

This is a custom service: no two situations are the same, and we’ll design it to meet your needs.

4. You’re working on a novel

As a novelist myself (with a double literature degree and an MPhil in creative writing), and the sister, daughter, granddaughter, and close friend of many more novelists, I’ve been deeply thinking and talking about the writing of novels for several decades now. I have a lot to say on the subject, and over the years I’ve given intensive, detailed feedback on several novels that went on to be successfully published. If you’d like help with yours, we have a couple of options:

1. Novel detangling session: You’ve run aground at the planning stage, or part way through your draft, or when faced with a tricky rewrite. You can tell that all is not well, but you’re finding it hard to pinpoint the problems, let alone go about solving them.We’ll talk about your story structure, character arcs, plot and subplots, openings and endings, scene construction, point of view, pacing… Basically, whatever is giving you trouble, we’ll nerd out about it until your next steps are clear.
2. Hire me via the one-to-one mentoring programme at the Irish Writers’ Centre to critique a portion of your draft (you don’t have to be based in Ireland to avail of this service). You’ll find me on their list under my super-sneaky nom de plume, Léan Cullinan. Instructions are at the foot of that list.

Pricing and Logistics

A one-off coaching session costs €150. Packages work out cheaper than that per hour. You’ll get a better idea of what you can expect to pay during our introductory call.

You’ll book your session(s) straight into my schedule using TimeTrade, which has a very simple interface (you don’t need an account, just an email address). At the appointed time I’ll call you by phone, Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime (video optional – your choice!). If you prefer, we can rattle out our conversation in good old IM, like it’s 1999.

We’ll talk for an hour, you’ll tell me where you’re stuck, and I’ll use my considerable skills of listening and pattern-spotting to shine a powerful light on your situation. You’ll go away with some concrete ideas for next steps, as well as increased clarity, motivation, and connection to your creativity.

After my session I felt hushed awe and subterranean excitement. The biggest change that came out this for me? The massive, fuck-off perspective shift that I want my life—all of my life—to be a creative project. —Reba Puente

Questions? Gimme!

Says you: What if I have to cancel or reschedule?

Says me: When you book your session, I hold that space for you. Nobody else can have it. I prepare myself to meet you there. With that in mind, my cancellation and rescheduling policy is as follows:

• Up to three days in advance of our appointment, you are free to cancel for a full refund or reschedule at no cost.
• Up to 24 hours in advance, you may cancel for a 50% refund or reschedule at no cost.
• Anything closer than that, I’ll decide on a case by case basis, but I reserve the right to charge a €20 rescheduling fee. Contact me and we’ll discuss it. I’m human: I understand that life gets in the way of the best laid plans, and I’m not going to be pissy about it.
• Lastly, if you simply don’t show up to our appointment, please understand that I offer no refund under any circumstances.

Says you: But you’re in Dublin, and I’m on the Moon! How can we make this work?

Says me: I have appointment slots available to suit a range of time zones; I’ve coached clients on three continents (nobody on the Moon yet, to be scrupulously frank – maybe you can be the first?). If you don’t see a time that suits you, contact me and we’ll sort something out. I work odd hours – mornings, evenings, weekends. It’ll be fine.

Says you: What if I have a burst of enthusiasm after my session, and then it all falls apart again?

Says me: Sometimes it seems as though all our grand plans have come to nothing, and we’re right back where we started. Just like the last time. And the time before. I know. I’ve been there, more times than I care to recall. It’s unpleasant.

I’d say three things:

• First, you never go all the way back—that’s not possible. There’s always forward movement. They can’t take that away from you. This process is, at its core, an exploration of your relationship with creativity, which is ongoing and endless. Everything counts.
• Second, if you approach it with curiosity and willingness to learn, a negative “result” can be just as helpful as a positive one. Rather than berate yourself for a lily-livered weasel, ask, “Am I ready to notice what’s useful about this experience? What’s here? What worked? What might I try next time?”
• Third, depending on the circumstances, you might consider investing in another coaching session with me (or – gasp! – with someone else) to tease out what’s going on and help you change your patterns.

That’s for down the road, though. For now, we’re talking about helping you move forward with your creative work, starting from where you are today.

Your Next Step

If you think a coaching session with me might be helpful, click here to book your free intro call. I can’t wait to talk to you!

My aim in all of this is to help you overcome the obstacles between you and your creativity – to help dissolve your stucknesses faster than you can alone – to get you making the work you need to make.

Your art matters. Time to let it out.