Focus:

1. Writers
2. All Creativity
3. Getting Unstuck
4. Motivation
5. Practice Building

​

Website:

www.laurencarter.ca

​

Location:

The Pas, Manitoba, Canada

​

E-mail:

lauren@laurencarter.ca

 

Phone:

204-623-5669

​

Philosophy:

All artists experience anxiety, perfectionism, procrastination, fear, and uncertainty around their work. This is part of the process, but these difficult emotional experiences can also get in the way. As a coach, I help writers examine their sticking points and learn tools for getting past these impediments in order to create more deeply and clearly. Together, we will work on setting goals, building a practice, moving past blocks, engaging fully with the work, and more, in order to hep you fulfill the deepest meaning of your life: working with words!

 

Methods of Working:

Email, FaceTime or Skype, Phone. In–person workshops, talks, and one–on–one “Ask a Creativity Coach” sessions. I prefer a combination of email and video chat.

 

Specializations:

Creativity Coaching
Practice Building
Getting Unstuck
Thought Analysis
Writing (see section on ‘Training and Experience, below)

 

Individual Services:

Coaching is basically an on-going conversation over email and video chat (depending on the package) about your practice, your goals, your ambitions and the obstacles that might be getting in the way. Through discussion, making plans, regular check-ins, and practical exercises, I will help you move forward in as real and lasting a way as possible.

 

Workshops:

Resuscitating the Writer (or Artist) Within: This workshop will help you tackle your resistances, begin dealing with creative anxiety, and start fulfilling your deep desire to create.

Breathing Underwater: Tools for Deep-Story Diving - Memoir writers, diving deep into the truth of their stories, need to breath, thicken their skin and tune in to their bodies, just like deep sea divers. This workshop teaches tools to help writers navigate through anxiety, grief, and fear in order to stay with the work and do what Hemingway advised: write hard and clear about what hurts.

Creative Revision: By revising creatively rather than with the stiff hand of the “editor”, we can connect more deeply with our stories and their most profound truths. This workshops guides writers through exercises designed to access the subconscious and listen to what their stories are trying to say.

​

Talks:

Writing By Instinct - this talk looks at the power of the subconscious in the act of writing and how our instinctual awareness of story can serve us, if we let it.
All workshops can be delivered as keynote addresses by adding in a discussion of the experiences of well-known writers and artists with the various techniques

 

Classes:

none

 

Retreats:

none

 

Training and Experience:

I have been engaged in my creative writing practice for over twenty-five years and have published widely in the realms of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. I also hold an MFA in Creative Writing, have taught writing workshops across North America and am currently training towards my certification in Creativity Coaching.

 

Publications:

• Swarm (a novel)

• Lichen Bright (poetry collection)

• Short stories, poems, non-fiction articles in several publications from

• National Geographic Traveler to literary journals.

 

Pricing:

A variety of affordable packages for email and/or video-chat coaching are available depending on your specific needs and budget.

Please visit www.laurencarter.ca/workwithme/creativity-coaching for the latest offerings and if you would like to create something custom, please email me at lauren_at_laurencarter.ca. I look forward to working with you!

 

Availability:

I am currently seeking individual or group clients, and am available to teach workshops and do one-on-one 'Ask a Creativity Coach' consultations at writers' festivals or other arts events.

Additional Comments:Testimonials:
“Lauren created a safe space for me to work through my fears and anxieties." – A. Kienlen
“Lauren is a personable, astute listener-teacher who gives thought-provoking challenges and exercises." – M. Guymer
“Lauren provided excellent instruction, exercises and a trusting positive environment in which to explore and grow." – J. Lore