COACHING FOR CREATIVES

ADAM LANCE

BEST OF TIMES WORST OF TIMES

THERE’S NO BETTER JOB, AND ALSO, IT’S A BRUTE OF A THING.

GETTING PAID TO THINK, BANTER, SOLVE, CREATE IS A TRUE GIFT. BUT WITH IT, THE SUFFERING; DEADLINES, NEGATIVE FEEDBACK, SELF-DOUBT, JOBS CANCELLED, BUDGETS CUT, DO-OVERS, DO-OVERS OF DO-OVERS, FAILURE, FRICTION, ARGUMENTS AND THE DEPLETED WELL.

I’VE LIVED IT. ALL OF IT. FROM AWARD SCHOOL TO ECD.

I WON’T LIE. IT TOOK TIME AND IT TOOK ITS TOLL. I MADE HEAPS OF MISTAKES. I SUFFERED AND I CAUSED OTHERS TO SUFFER.

BUT I’M GRATEFUL TO HAVE EXPERIENCED IT. ALL OF IT. IT MADE ME A BETTER CREATIVE, LEADER AND COACH.

THINGS CREATIVES DEAL WITH(THINGS I HELP CREATIVES DEAL WITH)

AFTER THREE DECADES IN THE INDUSTRY, I KNOW THE PATTERNS. THE HIGH-FUNCTIONING CHAOS. THE UNSPOKEN PRESSURE. THE SLOW CREEP OF BURNOUT.

OVERTHINKING, DEADLINE OVERLOAD, DRY WELL, IMPOSTER SYNDROME, PITCH STRESS, PEOPLE PLEASING, MESSY BRIEFS, NAVIGATING EGOS, POLITICS, POOR LEADERSHIP, CREATIVES THAT ‘DON’T GET IT’, UNHELPFUL FEEDBACK, WORK-LIFE BLUR, LACKING MOTIVATION, BRILLIANT ONE DAY - BROKEN THE NEXT, CAREER LIMBO, SALARY LIMBO, STOLEN WEEKENDS, SELF-MEDICATING, THE BURNOUT YOU KEEP CALLING A ROUGH PATCH…

HOW WE WORK TOGETHER

THIS ISN’T THERAPY, NOR A PEP TALK. IT’S AUTHENTIC SUPPORT FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE JOB, THE PRESSURE, THE POLITICS—AND KNOWS HOW TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE ALL THREE.

MY APPROACH IS PERSONAL, GROUNDED, AND TOTALLY TAILORED TO YOU. WHETHER YOU’RE KNEE-DEEP IN CHAOS OR QUIETLY ASKING, “WHAT NOW?”, WE START FROM WHERE YOU ARE AND WORK TOWARD WHERE YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO BE.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE:

  • ONE-ON-ONE COACHING | SESSIONS BUILT AROUND WHAT YOU NEED.

  • CLEAR-EYED CONVERSATION – HONEST, STRATEGIC THINKING TO HELP YOU SEE YOUR WORK AND YOUR SELF MORE CLEARLY.

  • TOOLS THAT WORK | FOR MANAGING PEOPLE, TIME, FEEDBACK, FOCUS, ENERGY, AND THE NOISY INNER CRITIC.

  • ACCOUNTABILITY WITHOUT PRESSURE | YOU’LL GET SUPPORT, STRUCTURE AND A SUBTLE KICK UP THE PANTS WHEN NEEDED.

  • ROOM TO THINK | SOMETIMES WHAT CREATIVES NEED MOST IS A CALM SPACE TO HEAR THEIR OWN THOUGHTS OUT LOUD.

YOU BRING THE BRAINS, THE TALENT, AND THE CREATIVE CHAOS, I’LL BRING THE CLARITY, THE FRAMEWORKS, AND THE FIERCE BELIEF THAT YOUR CAREER CAN WORK FOR YOU—NOT AGAINST YOU.

REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS FUN? LET’S FIND THAT AGAIN.

WHO I WORK WITH

AN AWARD SCHOOL HOPEFUL

A JUNIOR TRYING TO NAVIGATE A NEW WORLD

A MID-WEIGHT UNSURE OF HOW TO GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL

A SENIOR CREATIVE TRYING TO LEAD WITH LESS SUFFERING

A FREELANCER FEELING ADRIFT

A HIGH-PERFORMER WHO’S QUIETLY BURNED OUT

AN ACCOUNT SERVICE PERSON WANTING BETTER

OR SOMEONE SIMPLY WONDERING, “IS THIS IT?”

WHY ME?

I’VE BEEN WHERE YOU ARE. FOR OVER THREE DECADES, I LIVED THE BEST AND WORST — TIGHT DEADLINES, BIG WINS, TOUGH LOSSES, BRILLIANT TEAMS, MESSY POLITICS, AND THE CONSTANT TENSION BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND COMMERCIAL PRESSURE.

I’VE BEEN A COPYWRITER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ECD, PITCH LEADER, CULTURE BUILDER, AND THE GUY WHO WENT HOME AFTER A FULL DAY OF MEETINGS JUST TO START DOING MY WORK UNINTERRUPTED.

I’VE SEEN WHAT BURNS PEOPLE OUT, AND I’VE LEARNED WHAT BRINGS THEM BACK.

I’VE LED, TAUGHT, MENTORED AND COACHED MORE THAN 200 CREATIVES. NOW I AM SHARING WHAT I’VE LEARNED AND SERVING YOU ON YOUR PATH.

I GUESS I SHOULD ALSO ADD THAT I’M RECENTLY OUT THE OTHER SIDE OF STAGE 4 CANCER.

THOUGH I WOULDN’T HAVE CHOSEN IT, (CLICHE INCOMING) I WOULDN’T CHANGE A BIT OF IT. IT TAUGHT ME A PROFOUND LESSON IN PROCESSING THINGS IN A MORE MINDFUL, HEALTHY AND TRANSFORMATIVE WAY.

OH, AND IT’S GIVEN ME SOME ‘STAGE 4 WISDOM’ TO SHARE. “YOU COULDN’T PAY ME TO LISTEN TO ADVICE FROM A STAGE 3. STAGE 4 ONLY!”