Testimonials

Nov 2020

“Although my art career started 30 years ago, I had never spoken with an art coach before. I felt quite nervous and vulnerable before the 1:1 session. Opening up to anyone is difficult but sharing your very personal inner creativity angst is another level. I have to say I need not have worried. I also feel insecure about Zoom style meetings. Sonia welcomed me so warmly and naturally I felt as though I’d known her for years. She was able to identify the ‘Catch 22’s’ and Creative blocks that have prevented me from moving forward with my practice. As a creative practitioner we weave a transcript between our inner and outward expressions. Within our first session I could identify my sticking points and felt a new enthusiasm to work  at undoing them and a confidence to move forward. Thank you” J. P

Dec 2020

“Sonia drew on a wealth of expertise to get me to think deeply, to encourage me and challenge me… I came away with some practical things to do straight away, and some big new ideas” R.T

May 2021

“I can heartily recommend Sonia’s services as an artistic facilitator. I’m a writer, working on a novel, a process which can be slow and halting, especially if like me, you’re prone to bouts of procrastination and doubt. What I found most useful working with Sonia was that she set me concrete goals and provided a framework within which I could write, with lots of useful suggestions about how to improve how I worked…what I got was encouragement and advice which really helped me improve my methods of working. After each session I found it easier to concentrate on my writing, so I spent less time being distracted and spent longer doing what was important to me, with Sonia really working at finding the root causes of why I let myself get side-tracked. So I’ve found I’ve been able to get much more done since taking Sonia’s sessions; I’d recommend them to others who really want to get help with achieving their artistic goals, especially if they’re struggling for motivation. It helps enormously having someone providing encouragement and really useful practical advice, whatever you’re trying to achieve; something that’s particularly useful at this uniquely difficult time.” H.D (writer, TV producer)

June 2021

“Sonia has a wealth of knowledge of artists, materials and techniques that she drew on to help me re-ignite my making process. She introduced me to supplementary creative practices that helped catalyse my primary interest which is ceramics. Having a full-time job and family can be a challenge but Sonia coached me through my blocking points to help carve out the time I need to pursue my creativity.” C.C

July 2021

“I began receiving Art Coaching in November 2020. I was at a low within my creativity. I was isolated within my working, which, I didn’t realise at the time was seriously affecting my self esteem. The only direction I had was my Distance Learning MA. Which, although, feeding my creative process felt only part of what I was aiming to achieve. I had never received Art Coaching before. I’d studied Fine Art in my early 20’s, had a family and life, although I had never completely abandoned my creative output. Reentering Higher Education at 50 and trying to identify my direction wasn’t easy. So last November at the very beginning of Coaching I assessed my Art Practice as 3/10. Sonia immediately put me at ease. I felt very comfortable in speaking with her and discussing ideas. Sonia was very quick at relating to me and my work. Her knowledge and experience of both Art and Business is enviable and she uses this to develop ideas and to show what is possible. So eight months on……. My Art Practice is a 10/10 and has been for the last month. I have now finished my MA with a high result. I feel confident and excited to be moving on to a Creative Career. I have learnt how to develop my thought processes, work through my ideas process and to trust myself. I will definitely be continuing my Coaching, it is now an essential part of my Creative Process.” JP

Aug 2021

“I was severely lacking in confidence and had just come out of a very abusive marriage. I didn’t have much
work experience and left school early, so had not sat my GCSE’s. Over the years I took various different courses to try to improve on my employability, but without the work
experience, I felt I had nothing to offer.
Since my separation from my ex-husband, I had begun casually looking for work. However, I was very doubtful and half-hearted about it. I would take one look at a lengthy application form, and in an instant tell myself there was no point and shut down my
computer. This disheartening feeling around my search for work, had begun to consume me.
I was stuck in a rut and I saw no way of being able to help myself out of it.
This is when I spoke to a friend about my thoughts of inadequacies in the working world and how debilitating they had become. She suggested I meet Sonia just for one session at
least, to see how things go. That first session was a monumental moment for me. Sonia knew I lived in Southwark and that I had previous work experience as a home care assistant.
So, she came prepared. She had brought along a hefty application form for a job at
Southwark Council in health care. I was qualified to apply with my previous care experience.
Now, this was a gleaming example of the type of application form that I would usually not
have considered, as to attempt it – in my view – would have been a waste of
time. But Sonia was able to help me tap into a part of my mind that all others had tried and failed. She showed me how to take apart this application form (in a way I understood) and digest it in sections, covering each of the job requirements in my answers. I have always enjoyed writing but, had never put this skill to use before. Well, that would change from our first session. Now I had a reason to use my writing to my
advantage and I became quite creative with my answers in these application forms. As long as I answered the questions and covered the job requirements, I could dazzle them with my writing skills, and I was firing away with as many as three application forms a day. I had completely mastered the art of tackling an application form and with this sudden boost in my self-esteem, I was treating the search for work as a full-time job in itself.
It felt as though Sonia had awakened a part of my brain, that had lain dormant for decades, beneath layer upon layer of self-esteem issues. Gradually, and at a pace that
suited me, we worked through these layers, until finally I discovered my inner essence, the person who I was always meant to be before life’s struggles had taken over. Somehow,
Sonia had enabled me to completely maximise on my full potential and develop on skills that I didn’t even know I had. I was awake for the first time in years, in a way I had forgotten
possible.
Before long, the interviews came in by the dozen. I cannot put into words how much this
improved my confidence. I was completely amazed. But I felt so nervous about the pending
interviews, as public speaking has always been very tough for me. So, with Sonia’s help and
encouragement, I even managed to perfect my ability to speak with confidence and without
the threat of my anxiety cropping up. I did extremely well, to the point where I stunned myself.
I have been offered a few positions since, but the job I have taken is in a school, which enables me to take my son to school in the mornings and pick him up in the afternoons,
without the need for childcare. It also means I get the school holidays off, to spend this quality time with my children.
I owe Sonia a great deal of gratitude. I had felt so lost and trapped beneath my own hang-ups and I could never envision a way out, but Sonia helped me to change that. She brought me right out of my shell and even encouraged me to show off my talent in writing. It is through Sonia that I came to appreciate that the way in which a person learns is no reflection of their ability to understand, apply and retain information. For we are
all different and that is what makes us special and unique and enables us to be of value to ourselves and others.
It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Sonia and I would highly recommend her services
to anyone. She is an amazing person, who will only see the best side of all those she meets.
And she will help you to focus on your capabilities, enabling you to be the very best version of yourself, as you use your skills and qualities to their full potential.”
AS

Jan 2022

“The Art Coach was incredibly insightful and a good listener. She asked thoughtful probing questions to determine the nature of my challenges and then suggested proactive solutions. She was friendly, understanding and very approachable.” RC

Dec 2022

“Sonia has offered me valuable help to kick start my career transition in art and design. She is always there for my questions, diligently sets goals and actions and helps me stay on track. I also had a chance to take some art classes from her, it was really fun too. I’d definitely recommend her if you need an art coach.” SL

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