Group coaching: In The Room

I signed up for Sheryl’s course feeling disillusioned, tired and scared at the end of a gruelling, year-long creative process.

She helped me to work out how to restart the business part of my practice in a way that was healthy and manageable, and encouraged me to find time to make things too. I can’t recommend this enough.

My intentions in joining the group were that I would be part of a team of creatives – I work on my own, but I really miss working with other people – and that I’d find a bit of clarity on my direction for the future.  I definitely got that – and more. I feel part of a team of the most amazingly cool people. And I really feel able to project myself in the right way, seek out the right work, and feel proud of what I do. I feel much stronger, more focused and clearer. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s stuck, looking for a creative community, wanting to join a gang of great creatives, or needing a creative lift.

The past couple of years have been pretty strange because of the flux that the world was in. So when I started the course with Sheryl, I was looking for a bit of reassurance, and for a way forward.

I was feeling a bit stuck, both creatively and in terms of how business was flowing. Sheryl has a wealth of information and tools available for her to share that gave me the pep I needed. I felt a renewed sense of purpose, I felt inspired, motivated, and well supported throughout the course and out the other end. And it was all done through kindness and a really strong sense of not being so hard on myself.

I will be recommending Sheryl’s courses to everyone, and I’ll definitely be joining her again at some point in the future!

This whole course was like giving my creative life an MOT. I just kept thinking, “Why haven’t I done this before?”

I loved this course. Sheryl ran each week in a constructive way, planning the theme and then letting the conversations develop. She was spot-on with her advice, allowing each of us to have a voice and then guiding us to achieve what potentially was possible. She listened. She guided. I think anyone would develop their potential after taking her course. I’ve now started to give advice to others with Sheryl’s voice in my head!

This was an incredibly rich and varied course, full of practical advice and tips for creative minds. Sheryl has a wealth of experience and an honest approach. She’s supportive, positive, and always keen to find a solution to a niggling artistic or creative problem, or even just give a friendly virtual hug if you’re feeling frustrated or lacking in confidence about your current creative output. The course enabled me to rethink the way I approach potential collaborators and the weekly group discussions and sharing of ideas has developed my confidence in talking about my own work and career to date.

I loved the down-to-earth and practical but fun coaching style and the people in the group – a testament to Sheryl and the tribe that she attracts. I was scared of ‘compare & despair’ when I signed up, but I’ve met the most wonderful set of humans. Even though we are from different creative disciplines and in different phases of our careers, we all benefited from Sheryl’s coaching and sharing our own experiences, learnings or challenges. It was interesting to see the similarities in what we experience even though we are all so different.

I cannot to express how much difference Sheryl’s coaching programme has made. It enabled me to take the scattered pieces of my creative life and build a tower: something I have been trying to do for a few years. Her highly enjoyable delivery and insightful instruction has given me a totally unexpected confidence, and a new sense of calm and strength. I cannot thank her enough. Her coaching is transforming!

A useful, practical course that looks at how you run your time, market yourself and treat yourself as a freelance creative. Each week allows you the space and time to look at how you work and how you can improve this. I loved the mix of different professions and geographical locations in our group. My biggest a-ha moment came when I realised that I was waiting for funding – for permission, really – to begin a major new art project. When there was nothing stopping me starting straight away!

The group sessions were fun and inspiring. As a result I have upped my day rate, I have a better relationship with my clients and I’ve realised that I am standing on the green grass! I’ve also made connections with other members of the group and given them a few assignments. Thank you for the ride! It’s been a pleasure.

The course changed the way I view my time and priorities as a creative. My mindset has gone from one of a hamster in a wheel, to realizing I have the power to control my own schedule. Instead of being ruled by an overbooked calendar and self-imposed deadlines, I’m making decisions that are best for me – energetically, as well as financially. Sheryl helped me refute my own negative self-talk or bad habits and see that I am not trapped or a victim of anyone else’s requests of me unless I allow this to be true. Thank you for giving me the space and tools to create my own best work systems!

Sheryl’s creative coaching course was packed with literally everything I needed to know to have a more prosperous and fulfilling freelance career. It was structured in a logical and easy to follow manner and covered everything from growing your income to marketing yourself to expanding your networks, as well as the importance of play and rest. Sheryl was an encouraging and supportive presence throughout and it was lovely to work with other creatives in the course and cheer each other on. I’d recommend her coaching to anyone feeling stuck in their creative career, or wanting to take it to the next level.

While delivering rich, insightful content, Sheryl mixes in personal stories with her long experience supporting creatives. She is adept at drawing out the contrasting experiences the group’s members, so that sessions are not lectures, but broad, discursive explorations of a theme. Even the areas of the course that were less relevant personally provoked fascinating insights and ideas, while Sheryl’s follow-up notes and resources direct your thinking beyond the session.  The content more than lived up to my expectations, and the group became a fascinating, motivating collective, providing insights into the ways other creatives work. We’ve even stayed in touch beyond the course and met IRL! I finished the course refreshed, revitalised and bringing new perspectives to my work and working life. Can’t recommend this highly enough!

“I now feel I am allowed not to be perfect, I am reminded that it’s OK to work in ways and structures that suit the creative psyche. Over the course of a creative life, we make many things: there isn’t one static moment of perfection. We are all allowed to develop.”

Being a creative is a lonely experience, made worse when the well of work runs dry. Sheryl generously shares her arsenal of life and work hacks that illuminate pathways to a happier, more stable and more positive approach to the creative ups and downs.

The course also gives you a VIP pass to an amazing and diverse cohort of creatives, all happy to share their time and experience to help each other.  It was invaluable, and I am a happier photographer for it. I no longer have to beat myself up when not shooting for money, as Sheryl helped me think of downtime as a creative resource, not a black hole of despair.

Joining Sheryl’s coaching group was the best gift I could have given to myself and my career. Her words of wisdom empowered me to be bold and unapologetic, to dream bigger, and most importantly, to rediscover the joy of creativity—a spark I had lost over the past few years.

I really enjoyed Sheryl’s course. I appreciated her down-to-earth style, and the support of the group was like a big hug every Tuesday evening. We’re planning to continue meeting up virtually and put the good ideas into practice.

From finding my creative focus and vision for the future, to developing my inner mentor and giving me the confidence to own what I do creatively and business-wise, the ten weekly sessions have been really helpful. I have come away brimming with ideas, little tweaks to implement – and the encouragement to “keep up the good work.” Thank you, thank you!