Kevin had the unenviable task of joining on as my Creativity Coach at the end of a years-long project that had left me feeling drained and uninspired. Persnickety even at the best of times, I was not particularly receptive to having my process reexamined, despite it being so clearly unsustainable. Needless to say, Kevin deserves full praise for his unflagging patience and humor. What I’d thought of as the ‘only’ way to be productive was actually just a calcified collection of habits - some good, most bad - that had evened out to ‘functional enough’. They’d gotten me through, but at a cost.

Kevin listened attentively to my notions of ‘discipline’ and ‘productivity’, and made sure to have a full understanding of how all the pieces fit together before attempting to reinvigorate and streamline my approach. Kevin took me back to basics by reintroducing a sense of wonder and play into the process. He helped me remember that a creative experience can be measured by other metrics than output, and that going to a coffeeshop just to write down observations or doodle is just as validating - and necessary - as holing up for months to bang out another novel. He also helped me realize that I wasn’t married to my process: that I’d built it from scratch from a place of inspiration, and that I could do so again. And thanks to his insights, I’ll have a much better chance of avoiding the same traps and pitfalls when I do.