Kindling Calls for Creatives
There’s no doubt about it, the world needs what the creative industry has to offer, now more than ever. The creative work you do matters so darned much.
Having spent most of my career supporting small businesses and being creative, nowadays I love to support other creatives in designing and sustaining a life they love – one which is fulfilling, meaningful and loves them back. If you’d like to read more about the twists and turns which led me here, take a peek at my career, here.
One way I support creatives is through these Kindling Calls – dedicated 1:1 online sessions where I meet you where you are, and we figure out the way forward, together.
I’ve noticed a bit of a rhythm to these Kindling Calls, which seem to fit into three common themes:
1. GROWTH AND EXPANSION
We can explore ways to leverage your existing creations and ideas to increase and diversify income streams to ensure you’re not just reliant on one source of income. Sometimes creatives reach out when they’re going through growing pains, and together we find ways to expand that are intentional, meaningful, and sustainable. Kindling calls are also a great space to develop business plans or marketing plans, figure out routes to market, and explore options for representation in your industry (whether that’s a literary agent, talent agent, manager, or other professional support).
2. NAVIGATING THE BORING BITS
Oftentimes, creative careers start as a side project. Carving out a career from our hobbies, talents, and interests can bring with it more administrative burdens than we ever could have imagined. From contracts, customer service, websites and invoices to marketing, hiring and taxes, the nitty-gritty can quickly feel overwhelming. We’ll look at ways to simplify, automate or outsource these “boring bits,” create manageable systems, and free up your time and energy for the work you actually love, y’know, the creating bit of it all.
3. STARTING A PROJECT OR SEEING ONE THROUGH
Doing big and bold things can be difficult to see through on our own. Having someone there in our corner can make a big difference to the completion and success of a project. We might start with a goal and reverse engineer it to create an action plan, our calls can help keep you on track, stay focused, and provide support if you stumble. I’ve helped people start businesses, hire teams, write books, start podcasts, launch products and services, and so much more. It’s always such a privilege to celebrate brilliant ideas go from concept to being out in the wilds.
I’m *so* Glad You’re Here
Really, I am. You see, you don’t have to go it alone <– that’s something I wish I’d figured out yonks ago. Everything is smoother, brighter, better, when we’re supported. Us creatives? We often feel as though we’re swimming against the tide, juggling ideas, admin, deadlines, self-doubt, comparisonitis, to name a few… all while trying to keep our sparks burning without letting them burning out.
That’s exactly what Kindling Calls are for. Think of them as a place to tend to your creative fire.
So, These Kindling calls…How Do I Book One?
Each 1:1 session lasts 60 minutes and is followed up with an email outlining my notes. The investment for a Kindling call is £55.
If you’d like, we can start with a short, free 15-minute chat to get to know each other. It’s just a chance to see if we click and for me to understand where you’re at. After that, you can decide if you’d like to book a full session. Click here to book a 15-minute chat.
Ready to book? Click here to schedule your Kindling Call. If you have any questions, or just want to say hello first, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – I’d be delighted to hear from you.
How I got to here
1999 – 2007: ACCOUNTANCY
During this period (part from a stint at university which I quickly regretted and dropped-out from), I trained towards my AAT and worked as an account assistant, supporting SMEs. From 2005, I worked in-house for an electrician, on credit control, invoicing, payroll and other accounting duties.
2007 – 2009: DESIGNING, MAKING + SELLING WEDDING JEWELLERY
Working in practice wasn’t quite right for me but what it did provide was tons of examples of people who were doing life their way. Something about that really took root. My husband and I, very randomly one day, decided to have a go at designing and making wedding jewellery. We’d host jewellery parties, attend craft fairs and even saw our designs hit the monthly magazines. This business grew quickly alongside our new bookkeeping business and so we downed tools and focused our efforts there instead. There’s always been a part of me that regretted that a bit.
2008 – 2014: BOOKKEEPING + BUSINESS SUPPORT
More numbers! But, this time, self-employed and my first foray into what it means to run your own business. I got to do lots of client-facing work; supporting SMEs through a recession was incredibly rewarding and by far the part of my role I enjoyed the most. Clients would joke that the sofa in our office was more of a therapy couch because they’d come in feeling defeated and leave feeling more hopeful and empowered.
2009 – 2011: BLOGGING ON THE SIDE
By this point, I’d been struggling with depression for 5 years. My mum bought me a journal to encourage me to get back into writing. That journal became a blog, a blog which grew really quickly. Creating and managing a blog was a lot of fun, and my confidence in my writing increased massively. This is where I learned allll about WordPress coding, building communities on social media and I even ended up running my first half-marathon. This blog would later underpin my mental health advocacy work – well done, mum!
2011 – 2022: MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY
What an eleven years this was! I founded a CIC with the sole goal of raising awareness and understanding of depression. To finance the work we did, I developed and curated a self-care subscription box (later with the help of a team). We supported over 100 schools and worked with some pretty large companies along the way: Ubisoft, Cornwall and Devon Police, Reed Employment, Spotify and the IOPC, to name a few. This role taught me a lot of skills like marketing, collaborating and project management.
2016 – PRESENT: WRITING
Oh, the fond memories of my sister and me, tip-tapping on our typewriters as kids! The love of the written word has never left me, and I’m proud to have had several books traditionally published. The publishing industry is one that often seems shrouded in mystery, and it was quite a learning curve! Book proposals, contracts, book marketing, royalties, and representation, so much to learn and contend with.
At present, I’m taking part in Cornwall Createch with a Children’s Television Programme idea and looking to broaden my writing skills with a screenwriting course.
2024: SUPPORTING CREATIVES
In 2024, I started these 1:1 calls and, while they’ve taken on other guises at times, it all comes back to helping people get unstuck, find clarity and move ahead in a considered way. When I reflect on my career to date, it feels as though it was all pointing me to here and I feel blessed to have worked with clients who have written books, expanded their business, started side hustles and one has even launched their own subscription box.
