I’ve been thinking about different stages that exist in an artist or maker's practice and how the state of mind that takes a deep dive into a new idea or material is very different to the one that makes project plans or writes an application, or sets up an online...
People have been asking me about whether to choose coaching or mentoring. The definitions I use are: a COACH works with their clients by helping them identify and achieve their own goals (internal answers) a MENTOR shares their own experience so the other person can...
In this week's blog post, I'm talking about how I came to be coaching artists and makers. And what I love about seeing people fully occupy the core of their making practice. The name Herding Fish happened in 2011 shortly after I finished art school in Brighton. I was...
Melody Vaughan has been posting on Instagram this week about Coaching and Mentoring in Craft. In her work as a creative consultant, Melody brings a depth of experience to this field. She enjoys relationships with 'makers and their objects' and supports the work of...
[Re-Fresh] offers a one-off 1hr session to help you filter your existing options and focus on what you really want to do next. The past 18 months may have left you unsure of the direction your practice is going. Coaching could help you refocus. You may not have been...
Johnny Cash would have been 89 this week and Letters of Note marked the date by sharing this delightful list in the master’s hand. Personally, I’m probably a bigger fan of lists than Mr Cash seems to be here. I love getting stuff out of my head and onto the page - it...
Somewhere in the middle of last year I realised it had been a long time since I’d enjoyed anything very much. Every day had a to do list as long as my arm and every day it got rolled over and over and never got cleared. I knew I really needed a day off, to get up to a...
With lockdown days and weeks becoming a blur, the benefits of stopping to rest are more important than ever. Whatever your spiritual framework, setting aside a day that’s different to the other six offers an essential space to re-frame the seemingly endless swirl, and...
Would you rather be helped or heard? Sometimes we need expert advice but often we just need to unpack our thoughts without interruption. So when a version of this question popped up on one of my social media feeds this week it struck me as really highlighting the...
Welcome to the Herding Fish Blog! Last year I trained as a coach with Relational Dynamics 1st who focus on creative, cultural and non-profit settings. Their training is something I’d wanted to do for some time, and because it shifted online in 2020, it slotted nicely...