A woman wearing glasses sits at a table painting. There are tree branches hanging over her.

Routinely Creative

My one-on-one creativity coaching sessions are for people who feel they've lost some of their creative juju and want to get it back. It's also for those who wish to go deeper with a creative practice or to complete a creative project, though something may be blocking them.

When you feel drained, distracted, and like you're an observer of your life, it can be really scary because you wonder if you’ll ever feel your creative self again.

Feeling refreshed and renewed doesn’t just happen. It takes reflection and a willingness to see things in a new way. Science says (which means it’s fact) that people need routines and structures to make stuff happen. And yes, even creativity and intuition ask that we make space for structured and deep play from time to time. Yet before this, it's important to uncover the reasons behind why you're not moving forward. What are your creative goals and how can we build a pathway so you can achieve them?

My creativity coaching sessions focus on reconnecting to your creative fire through building rituals into your life. Through discussion, meditation, and some generative writing exercises you can rediscover--and take back--your creative power. In our sessions, I help you to confront any roadblocks that may sabotage your creative process.

Creativity isn't something that comes in waves that you ride once a month or twice a year. It's a daily practice of getting out of your own way to let creativity do its thing.

Please contact me if you'd like to sign up for a tailored creative coaching session or to commit to a package or 3 or 5.

This photo shows a woman from the knees down, her arms loosely wrapped around her legs. She wears a long red dress or skirt and is seated barefoot on a parquet floor with toenails painted blue. Her laptop computer, smart phone, teapot, a half-eaten apple, teacup, notebook, muffins on a plate and black high-heeled shoes surround her on the floor. She sits by her coffee table that is mostly hidden from view. The table is low, sits on a tan shag rug and is made of rustic wood painted white.

You’re always dreaming about how one day you’ll draw, knit, dance, sculpt, write, fashion, sing, build, design.

A woman holds a sparkler. The light is dim and all but her hands are indistinct. She wears a beige sweater that is long in the sleeves and ends at her knuckles. She raises the firecracker in her hands, her fingers cupped lightly over the stem. She has long hair, is smiling and wears a white T-shirt.

You feel like the fire that once burned inside you is dull due to a lack of creative inspiration or confidence.

A girl with long light-brown hair tucked into her blue coat and brown knit scarf stands in front of a fir forest, her back to the viewer. The trunks of the trees are very tall and straight. There is an opening like a hallway in the forest right where she is standing. She has a hood on her cotton jacket and her hands that are concealed are in front of her.

You'd like to run away from your life for a while and sit in the peace and tranquillity of a forest.

This image shows a subway escalator from the bottom looking up. There are people on the escalator that are blurred as they move up. Ads line the walls on both sides and lights at the top near the domed white ceiling produce a yellow glare in the angled tunnel.

You’re tired of feeling tired, disconnected from yourself and your surroundings.

This is a photo of a woman standing on a hill in a snowstorm. The image shows a side view of her looking into the distance. She wears a red parka with a fur fringe on a hood that is over her head. Her hands are at her face and it looks like she might be holding binoculars. She wears black pants and black mittens. There are some leafless trees behind her and dead grasses poke out from the snow around her.

You recall a time when you felt in your element, yet need the mental and heart space to get that feeling back again.

You feel you're ready to go wherever your creativity longs to takes you yet something's in your way.

Here’s what I imagine for you...

A positive feeling that every day you use your intuition is a gift from the Universe, God, or your Cosmic Cookie Jar.

An acknowledgement that you see progress being made—even if it’s only small steps.

Each day you become happier and more grounded in the present as your cup of creativity fills up, flowing into other areas of your life.

The blockages that once stopped you up are manageable now.

You have the tools to weather the down times, yet also keep your creative fires burning.

deep knowing

This course can help you become more aware of your creative impulses and to create from a place of deep knowing using your intuition to guide the creative process.

safe space

Creating can build a sacred and safe space for connecting to your authentic self.

authentic creating

You'll learn to recognize the resistance within you that stops you from creating.

What Will you Learn: A Sneakpeak

Build Your Fort

All creative people need a space to call their own. When I was a kid I made mine out of bedsheets and sofa cushions; brought along a flashlight, the book I was reading, a notebook, teddy bear, doll, and of course, my well-worn blankie. Here, you’ll learn how to construct your own fort, and determine what you should bring along. Then of course there’s carving out your mental space, which follows a similar process.

Set Priorities

I'll help you to develop practical tools for regular creative practice. You'll discover that the previously dull everyday world you lived in is now much more eye-catching and inspiring. You will get the goods on how to keep to a daily creative practice, set a vision for what you want, making sure that you factor in the big picture, as well as the small stuff.

Understand How Creativity Works

Everything you need to know to get creative so that the feeling doesn’t pass you by. When you understand a few simple truths about the nature of creativity, then the process of creating becomes a whole lot simpler and much more fun.

Procrastinate Later

I'll teach you what I’ve learned over many years kicking my inner Goof Meister’s butt. You know, the one who doesn’t want to create because she’s too afraid. Doesn’t think she’s good enough or just plain wants to play hooky and avoid hard work. I'll help you to identify your personal resistance and offer some tactics to make you unstoppable. You'll learn to detect when your mind is tricking you into not working on a creative project. I'll help you create some simple mantras and lessons to befriend your procrastination without letting it dominate you.

Make Your Creative Time Non-Negotiable

Lessons I’ve learned about setting boundaries for others and yourself. I'll help you to get clear on what’s important so that your creative practice becomes consistent and you actually do show up.

Connect With Your Tribe

Figure out whom you can rely on, who gets you, and whom you can call when you feel like you want to throw in the towel. Let's brainstorm and get your a creative support possy!

Keep it real

Humour is an important part of creating. I'll help you to enjoy the process, laugh (albeit lovingly) at yourself, and bust a move with that badass part of you that just wants to play, play, play.

What the Big Guns Say

In our sessions, I'll share my favourite resources by artists, writers, artisans, designers, dancers, photographers, chefs, jewelry designers, and all-round creatives. This module also includes some inspirational memes that you can share with others to show just how dedicated you are to your daily practice; sharing these will continue to keep you on your toes—creatively speaking.

FAQ

Why would I work with you when I’m already intuitive and can probably figure it out for myself?

I’m intuitive too, and feel like I access this part of myself when writing, yet I’ve needed loads of help from so many sources—books, my tribe, my mum, life coach, business coach, craniosacral therapist, artists, yoga, meditation, online courses, raw chocolate, good shoes, hairstylist—to get where I am today. Sometimes getting a little help is just what you need to clear the cobwebs and catapult you to the next level. I'll work with you to develop tools tailored to you.

Are these sessions only for writers?

Although this course can help writers access their intuition and ultimately become better writers, it will also help visual artists, creators, and anybody else to live bigger and with a more grounded sense of purpose.

Is this stuff I already know?

No, unless you already feel completely fulfilled and energized each day with how creative you are. Our sessions will teach you some things about following your intuition and being alive and present in the world that may be new to you.

Can I really learn this from working with you?

Think of me as your guide. Really, you're the one doing the work. I just take you through the steps I’ve learned over my many years writing every day, using the body to fuel my creativity, and super-charging the rest of my day with creative aliveness.

Hey, will I actually be able to put into practice all this theory about using my intuition to fuel my writing or other creative practice?

I won’t throw much theory at you; it will be more like exercises and meditations that allow you to deepen the connection with your body, and steps on how to use that connection to access your creative source.

Who should sign up for a session?

This is for you if you:

Want to develop a regular creative practice.
Want to figure out where you're stuck so you can move forward on a particular project.
Feel at a crossroads with your creative work and want to figure out the next step.
Need help coming up with a workable plan for completing a project.
Feel uninspired
Experiencing serious self-doubt about your creative project

What will I learn in the sessions? What is the cost?

Ways to strengthen your creative practice.
Exercises that encourage you to consistently show up and create.
Practical grounding techniques that unite you to your creativity.
Insights from me gained over several years’ writing and doing creative work.
Strategies for how to approach your creative practice so you don’t get in your own way.
Tools to integrate creative work into your life so it becomes a habit.

The cost is $115 US). Or sign up for 3 or 5 sessions and get preferred pricing. Please get in touch with me if you're interested in signing up for a session. Just hit the sign-up button below to send me a note. I look forward to hearing from you!

The photo is of Lissa M. Cowan, Writer, Creator and Storyteller. She stands in an alleyway in front of a brick wall that is painted beige-pink. She smiles and gently clasping her hands. She has brown, shoulder length hair, dark eyes and eyebrows. She wears a metallic 20s style dress with a short-sleeved V-neck covered one third up by tan mesh. She wears long earrings that are geometrically shaped and with a black and white design.

About Lissa

I’m the Inspired Ringmaster, Chief Firestarter and Big Sister behind Routinely Creative, creativity coaching to help you develop a creative practice that you can use for life.

I’ve learned the hard way that accessing your creativity isn’t about waiting for the muse to show up. It’s about you showing up that makes the cake, the painting, the purple pantsuit, the bestselling novel, the ceramic bowls, and the tie-dye lingerie. Yet even though deep down I knew I needed to work hard and work consistently, it took years before I learned how to access my creativity in a deeper way.

I used to beat myself up when I didn’t write. Or I’d take to heart what friends and family said about how there was no money in writing or art in general, and how unproductive creative play was for adults. Even though my heart was crying out to be creative, the shame I felt related to something so deeply ingrained in who I was, eventually crippled me. And not metaphorically.

I got sick and then had to take a few steps back to realign with my purpose for being on this planet. I quit my high-stress communications job in government, went on a writing retreat and began to live and breathe creativity into every aspect of my life. The changes I needed to make in my life for my creative practice to take hold didn’t happen overnight. They took many months and years of dedication and searching. Yet without the tools and understanding about how to access my inner resources, I would still be sitting at my desk waiting for the muse.

That’s why I launched Routinely Creative. I want you to stop searching in the wrong places for that secret magic and come home to yourself intuitively.

Here's what a previous client said about working with me:

“Through creating intentions and relaxing to the point of reaching a deeper discussion with my own body, Lissa increased my understanding of what’s going on inside of me and allowed that inner self to come out and be free. Letting the body tell its stories through feelings we may not have been fully aware of, touched me beyond the limits of writing, ultimately changing how I see.”

— Diana Condolo, Web Expert