Selkie Coaching

The first anniversary of my mother's death was last week. In this month's scrapheap, I consider how memories are shared, lost, and held by the collective. (Link in bio) Tomorrow, on Mother's Day, I'll remember my mama by sticking my hands in the earth. Dirty fingernails, compost-smeared cheeks, and a sore back seem a fitting homage to her. . . . #creativeprocess #healing #scrapheap #journaling #memory #mothersday #substack #davidwhyte #stories

I had such a fun time on the podcast The Sparking Entrepreneur. We talked about my philosophy and work as a creativity coach, building community, and using the creative process as a tool for healing--plus so much more! Link is in bio--check it out! It is weird to think of myself as an entrepreneur, but as our conversation unfolded, I realized that in the past year, I have slowly stepped into this role. I'm learning how to be an entrepreneur in ways that fit my own values, ways that, I hope, work to dismantle the cultural narrative that productivity must look a particular way and is the measure of success. In the past year, I've met so many folks who have shown me that there are lots of ways to subvert patriarchal and late-stage capitalist ways of running a business. It takes a conscious effort and the support of community. Thanks to everyone who is helping me learn and grow in so many new and challenging ways. . . . .#sparkingentrepreneur #selkiecoaching #creativitycoaching #creativeprocess #creativityheals #creative

In my latest Scrapheap post, I contemplate that place in grief where I feel the pull towards writing and the desire to resist that pull, and I'm thinking about walking as a creative act, as something that can become a threshold for understanding transitions and learning to accept uncertainty. Link in bio. PS: if you are contemplating becoming a part of Weaving the Net: Creative Coaching in Community, our first session starts next Thursday--there's still plenty of time to register! Jennifer Berney and I are facilitating this group that meets in downtown Olympia on the first and third Thursday evenings of the month. If you are knee-deep in a project and need some support, if you are looking to return to your craft after a hiatus, or if you have the beginning seeds of an idea and are seeking fertile ground, this group is designed to serve you. For more info and to register check out the link in my bio. . . . #caminodesantiago #caminofrances #creativeprocess #creativecommunity #thescrapheap #writingyourgrief #substack #substackwriter #writetoheal

Check out my latest Scrapheap post where I contemplate feeling unmoored and needing to connect with a creative community in order to start reconnecting to my creative projects. (link in bio) If you are also in need of a creative community, or know someone who does, there is still time to register for Weaving the Net, a creative coaching community, facilitated by @jenn_8_berney and me. To register or get more info about the group, email JLBerney@gmail.com. . . . #substack #substackwriter #creativity #creativeprocess #artistgroup #scrapheap #journaling #artistsupport

At the @olyphant_artsupply community board, Selkie Coaching is flier buddies with @pressingonfitness (I’m also a client! If you want a safe, friendly, supportive experience getting stronger, these folks are IT!)

Exciting news! @jenn_8_berney and I are doing a thing together and you might wanna be a part of it: Weaving the Net is a creative coaching community designed for people looking to establish or recommit to a creative practice. If you are knee-deep in a project and need some support, if you are looking to return to your craft after a hiatus, or if you have the beginning seeds of an idea and are seeking fertile ground, this group is designed to serve you. We will meet weekly to: ● Set individual goals and create flexible accountability within community ● Explore both inspiration and blocks: what helps and what gets in the way? ● Generate new material with the help of creative prompts Facilitation of these meetings will be flexible and responsive, designed to meet the specific needs of the group’s members and support whatever challenges arise on the way to our goals. The focus of the group is to generate work and discuss process; this is not a critique group. This is a three month long session with a possibility of becoming an ongoing community. We will meet Thursday evenings at 5:30, running from February 8th to April 25th. For more info or to register, contact JLBerney@gmail.com . . . #creativecommunity #creativitycoaching #creativeprocess

@jenn_8_berney latest Scrap Heap post. Link is in bio--join the conversation and become a part of the Scrap Heap community.

If you’re scooting through downtown Olympia today, pop by @deernicorn and visit my Selkie Coaching booth. Write a six word memoir, snag a selkie coaching sticker and business card (made by @thesherwoodpress ) and buy some gorgeous handmade products by local artists!

Thanks for this print, Themba Lewis. Cascadia Supports Palestine. . . #ceasefirenow🇵🇸 #cascadiasupportspalestine

I am so fortunate to be a part of this group of diverse, passionate and compassionate E4E 2023 graduates. This Thursday we will celebrate our accomplishment! Thanks to @agathafrye @china_star_artist and @erika.naf for all your support through this process. 💞💞💞 If you or anyone you know is thinking about starting a business, Enterprise for Equity is an amazing resource for Western WA folks. Please spread the word and check out the 2023 graduation on YouTube. . . . #communityresources #enterpreneur #smallbusinesssupport #creativitycoach #enterpriseforequity #triplebottomline #graduation

In a few days, I get to go hang out with my newest niece and her mama and papa. I can't wait to sink into baby bliss and sister lovins. My latest Scrapheap post ponders the juxtaposition between my sister and I: she's just starting the mama journey, and I'm stepping into the longing and liberation of empty nesting. It also looks at putzing as a tool for creative process (except for when it becomes a way to procrastinate scary and uncomfortable things that need doing) and slides into some recent discoveries about mothering and the tectonic shifts that are rumbling as grief and the uncertainty of what's next collide. (Link in bio.) . . . #creativeprocess #healing #thescrapheap #journaling #journal #procrastination #mothering #emptynest #substack #substackwriters

Working to build a relationship with our creative selves can be uncomfortable and scary. Prioritizing our creative projects means allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. What might we discover when we allow ourselves to listen for and follow our creative impulses? As a creativity coach, I ask my clients to trust me, to share their tender creative selves with me. In an act of reciprocity, I am offering my own tender creative self to my fellow Olympians. Since the third grade, I've known myself as a writer. When @olympiaartspacealliance asked me to write towards the art installations for this spring's Art in Olympia's Storefronts project, I was excited about the creative potential of exploring others' artistic creations but terrified to create my own installation. "I'm not an artist!" I thought. Talk about vulnerability! I decided to do what I ask my clients to do. I trusted my creative self; I followed my creative impulses, and guess what?!?! I was still felt nervous and vulnerable, but I'm also proud of the installation I created. And, I am especially proud to be part of this project and share a creative space with so many talented artists. That thing happened that always happens when folks follow their creative impulses and share a goal: four separate creations have become a cohesive commentary on the past three years of pandemic life. If you're ready to push your own creative edges, or just peek into the possibility of exploring your creative process, contact me to set up a free consultation: www.sarahtavis.com. . . Olympians, take a stroll up 4th Ave and around the corner onto Capitol Way to experience the full impact of this collective creative experience! . . Thanks to @erika.naf for the hands on support and @gentry.lucy for reminding me that I am an artist. The lovely night images were taken by Tracy Jamesons. . . #creatvitycoaching #creativeprocess #vulnerabilityisstrength #olympiaartswalk #publicart #selkiecoaching