There are many barriers to developing a creative career but for some those barriers are much more significant than others. In 2023 the Virgin media series ‘Second Chances’ invited me to work with a guest of theirs who was looking to find the middle ground between their artistic aspirations and their physical limitations. As a part of the Minding Creative Minds service we worked together over a number of career coaching sessions, one of which was filmed and aired on Irish national TV.
'What does it mean to live well as a creative in the world today?' As a career coach for Creatives this question sits at the core of my work. In the light of Covid-19 I decided to take this question to creatives of every kind, right across the industry and share our learnings.
Encompassing 21 interviews with artists and creatives of every discipline from all over the UK & Ireland. The Creative Career Talk series is a project set up to investigate and unpick the myths about a life in the creative industries that hold people back from engaging or continuing in a creative profession, while also seeking the insights that have allowed many professionals to succeed in the face of the challenges to a creative life.
I am indebted to the artists, actors, choreographers, writers and educators who have given their time and learnings to the project. Thank you.
Playlists is a nine part series of programmes exploring different musical genres produced by the Irene Taylor Trust and presented by Andrew Macklin. The Irene Taylor Trust work with some of the most vulnerable and excluded individuals in our society, inspiring them through the creation of new music. Our projects support NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) young people, ex-prisoners rebuilding their lives on release and people of all ages in prisons.
Each episode explores a different musical genre through interviews with musicians working in the style, the origins of the genre as well as a discussion on how musicians can begin to incorporate elements of it into their own style.
Coaching Uncaged is a podcast that takes a running jump into all things coaching and unapologetically pushes the boundaries of how we think about the art of coaching.
In this thought-provoking episode of Coaching Uncaged, Animas Centre Director Robert Stephenson is joined by actor, coach and domestic violence and sexual harassment prevention trainer Andrew Macklin. Robert and Andrew thoughtfully explore the topic of domestic violence, and how it might show up in the coaching space, particularly for those coaches that work within a relationship coaching context.
Andrew draws on his experience as a domestic violence prevention trainer and coach as he shares this world from a coaching perspective, touching on patterns of behaviour, the notion of identifying what makes a relationship healthy or unhealthy, and the importance of building an awareness of the early signs that show up around domestic violence that can be key in its prevention.
Andrew also shares that while a recognition of when someone needs professional support is paramount, the held and heard space of a coaching session can be key in supporting those that are facing domestic violence by helping to rebuild feelings of agency and competence.
Listen to the full podcast here.
One of the things that has really helped me feel connected to the creative world while in lockdown has been Andrew Macklin’s series of videos entitled “Creative Career Talk” where he talks to all kinds of creative people about what it means to live well as a creative in the world today.I knew Andrew was an actor, and that he has worked with companies like The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Abbey Theatre and The Old Vic, but I hadn’t realised until very recently that he is also a career coach.
We chatted about:
The importance of building and sustaining a group of people you are inspired to work with
The need we have to progress and develop
Being the arbiter of your own medium
How the concept of going “all in” is highly seductive, but has its own drawbacks
The problems with New Year’s Resolutions, and some better alternatives
Listen to the full podcast here.