Starting at the end of last fall and into early spring, I was a participant in the Terra.do “Learning for Action” program to further my education in climate solutions, and connect with like-minded individuals wanting to dive deeper. It was through this program that I laid the tracks for “Climate Coaching as a Creative Practice” and it helped me recognize and solidify my desire to support people in connecting to their creative voice. As a personal development coach, I’ve led coaching groups before, and for most of my adult life, I’ve identified as an artist/ entrepreneur/ environmentalist in various ways, but this was the first time I created a course that brought together all three of my passions: coaching, arts and creativity, and climate. Designing the course was an opportunity for me to practice learning by doing in real-time – a very revealing process in creating a curriculum as I put it out into the world. What felt most different about this process was leaning into a burning desire to create a course that I myself so desperately craved, coming out of a very heady, deep dive into climate solutions (albeit a wonderful cohort of people from all over the world). All I wanted was to go spend time with the earth, to lean into my creative wisdom, to make art, and to support others in finding their voice and calling in climate through creative acts. Education is certainly important; how we engage with that information is even more so. Here are my biggest takeaways and key factors in bringing the course to fruition:
1. Community and belonging- The terra.do community gave me the structure, platform, and support to create this idea, and by default, what I was craving in taking the Terra.do course itself- to transmute the knowledge, allow it to process and integrate through creation. I also took a course with Kelsey Ley in designing and creating a course curriculum which was extremely helpful. This work isn’t meant to be done alone, community is so important, as is a sense of belonging.
2. An act of trust/taking risks - Bringing this idea out into the world required me to listen in ways my normal life didn’t always allow- I realized early on that I needed to make the space in my schedule to go lay in the grass and be with the earth and listen to what might emerge. Trusting myself to lead, to hold space, to create value. Trusting others in showing up and seeing value for themselves (and the first cohort of CCACP was an amazing group of climate leaders and creatives!!).
3. Create create create- Creativity thrives with consistency- and what if showing up to the page, the easel, the dance floor, and the planet consistently go hand in hand? As an act of love for yourself AND the planet? Following the thread of desire and what wants to come through~ What if leaning into a creative expression is the guiding light? The role of creativity, communicating complexity, radical imagination, and possibility are all crucial when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. As Tony Cade Bambara states, “the role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.”
So here’s an invitation to listen and lean into that creative desire, the desire you have for yourself, your community, and the world, no matter how big or small it may seem.
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