I recently ran across the opportunity for a brief conversation with Jill Badonsky, author and illustrator of The Nine Modern Day Muses and a Bodyguard, and most recently (run out and buy it now!), The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder. Jill is also an internationally recognized workshop leader, keynote speaker, creativity-coaching pioneer, multimedia artist, storyteller, humorist and the founder and director of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching. Thought it would be fun to share a little of it with you ...
ME: What did you do before you began creativity coaching and writing?
JILL: I've written for fun for as long as I can remember. For income though, I was an occupational therapist in mental health for 10 years and eventually lost my way and ended up in middle management, which is soooo not me. Occupational Therapy in the expressive arts was a good background for creativity coaching because I was able to witness the healing and transformative power of the creative process and because I needed interviewing and group facilitation skills. I got my masters degree in Educational Media and Instructional Design which clued me into how to set up training programs so my company The Muse is In specializes in facilitating creativity.
ME: How did you end up doing creativity coaching and speaking, since you are one of the first in the field? Was it a gradual awareness that there was a niche to fill, or were there specific events that sent you in that direction?
JILL: I went to a life coach to get help writing a play and my book and I noticed that her linear goal-oriented, strict approach blocked me. I started telling HER what she needed to tell ME in order to avoid kicking up my rebelliousness and resistance. I wondered how many creative people were being blocked by life coaches, so I began to develop my own model called Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching which includes play, compassion, non-linear approaches, creative experiences and guided imageries – all the things that helped me get through my blocks and helped the people in the groups I was facilitating. I noticed when I was coaching I felt the deepest sense of well-being I had experienced aside from being engaged in writing or art, so I knew I was in the right place.
ME: How did you happen upon "The Muses" to give a life and identity to your message(s)?
JILL: I actually wasn't familiar with the Greek Muses and in my exploration of myth and the creative process there they were… nine of them. So I decided they would be a great bunch of girls to overhaul and to provide a personification and fun to the creative principles I discovered. But since I had ten principles I added the controversial Bodyguard to come up with The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard). The Farmer's Almanac became a wonderful inspiration for the structure of The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder.
And speaking of the The Awe-manac, Jill sent this excerpt along for me to share with each of you ... enjoy your Feb. 10!
To see more of Jill, please check out her Awe-manac Blog, The Muse Is In website, and of course, her wonderful books.
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