How to Motivate Creative People (Including Yourself)
A Workshop with Mark McGuinnness — Cockpit Arts, Holborn, London
This workshop is now SOLD OUT. If you’d like to join the waiting list in case a place becomes available, e-mail Mark.
There are still a few places left for the workshop on Time Management for Creative People. And if you’d like to be first to know next time I run the Motivation workshop, you can join my mailing list.
Wednesday 14 July 2010, 6.30 – 8.30pm
Photo by alexsey.const
“Made me look at how I work and why I work, in a completely different way.”
Sarah Turner, turnerink.co.uk
Motivate yourself to overcome obstacles and create amazing work – and a sustainable career.
- Boost your motivation
- Spark your creativity
- Balance your creative and career ambitions
- Influence others
- Stop suffering for your art — start enjoying it!
The writer Isaac Asimov loved his work so much that he couldn’t wait to sit down at his desk in the morning and had to be dragged away from it at night.
What difference would it make to your creative work — and your career — if you were fired up by that kind of motivation?
Let’s face it, creative work is difficult. It takes a particular kind of persistence to keep chipping away at it day after day, week after week, year after year. Motivation is often the critical factor that separates those who succeed from those who fall by the wayside.
The same applies to your career. Whatever we do for a living, all of us have days where the challenges seem overwhelming and we ask ourselves “Why am I doing this?” — so we’d better have a good answer ready!
And the research on creativity demonstrates that motivation is crucial to creative performance. Most creatives are motivated by a combination of love of their work and professional ambition — get the mix wrong and you risk blocking your creativity and stalling your career.
This practical workshop will help you understand the four most powerful types of motivation and use them to achieve creative and commercial success.
Topics covered include:
- Why motivation is crucial to creative success
- The four fundamental types of motivation
- What Iggy Pop can teach you about work
- Why focusing on rewards can harm creative performance
- How to write 47 novels before breakfast
- Why some people seem so weird — and how to deal with them
- The positive side of peer pressure
This workshop is based on my e-book How to Motivate Creative People (Including Yourself). While the e-book was written for managers, this workshop will focus on your needs as a creative practitioner, using practical activities to apply the principles of creative motivation to your own work.
How the Workshop Works
Numbers will be limited to 25 places.
1. Tell me what you want to learn
Once you’ve booked your place, I’ll e-mail you some questions about your current challenges and what you want to learn. Based on this feedback, I’ll tailor each workshop to address the challenges that are most relevant to the group.
2. The workshop features:
- Practical skills you can start to use immediately
- Stories and real-life examples
- Activities to help you apply the ideas to your own work
- Questions and discussions – ask me what you want to learn!
- Networking and learning from other interesting creative people
3. After the workshop
I’ll send you my motivation e-book as well as articles and links to help you digest the material and apply it to your work.
Who for?
This workshop is for creative people of all kinds — artists, creatives, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and anyone else who takes their creativity seriously.
Who with?
Mark McGuinness — I’m a poet who earns my living as a coach and trainer for creative professionals. I’ve been coaching and training creative people for over a decade, and have worked with organisations including the BBC, Channel 4, The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Arts & Business and Cockpit Arts. I write two popular blogs about creativity and business: Wishful Thinking and Lateral Action.
What Do People Say About this Workshop?
“This was nothing like I expected and much better than I expected. Made me look at how I work and why I work, in a completely different way. Mark has a very laid back style which is great.”
Sarah Turner, turnerink.co.uk“The group size was just right. The distinctions worked well, and gave me a different way of thinking about motivation. The material is interesting and well presented. An enjoyable and worth-while workshop!”
David Stevens, musicforspecialneeds.com“I really liked the way you related the issues of the talk with stories which you almost acted out! It was interesting relating problems which you experience yourself to other people who have succeeded – it made it seem more achievable! I really enjoyed it, a really comfortable atmosphere was created and the group seemed to get on well. Thank you!”
Candida Bradley, candipops.com“I liked your presentation style. I think it was the first time in a long while when I actually was captured by a presentation and the content and listened to what you had to say.”
Kim Robertson
Where and When?
Cockpit Arts in Holborn, London. Click here to download directions to Cockpit Arts.
Wednesday 14 July 2010, 6.30 – 8.30pm
How Much?
- How to Motivate Creative People (Including Yourself) Workshop: £25
- Special Offer: Time Management for Creative People (7 July) + How to Motivate Creative People (Including Yourself) (14 July): £45
P.S.
Once you’ve booked your place, don’t forget to answer the questions I’ll send you via e-mail – they will help me tailor the workshop to address your specific needs.