Process 064 ☼ Working with a Creative Coach

GIVEAWAY:a creative coaching session with Minnow Park

Jun 05, 2022

Dear friends,

This week I had a great conversation with creative business coach Minnow Park about some common creative blocks and challenges photographers run into and how working with a coach can help solve for those.

This week’s PROCESS GIVEAWAY is a one-hour coaching session with Minnow via Zoom during which you can dig into one of your current challenges and walk away with some practical tips on how to move your work and practice forward. BUT everyone else gets a personalized video reply with a tip specific to their challenge too.

Why I Work with a Creative Business Coach

For the past five months I have been working with creative business coach Minnow Park. He came recommended by a good friend and the reason that I reached out to him was that lots of great stuff was happening creatively but I felt overwhelmed on how to manage it all, stay organized, and focus on the right goals at the right time.

My book NOTICE had just been released successfully, I was establishing a new client network after freshly moving to Amsterdam, Process was growing and getting great feedback from readers who felt it was helpful and inspiring, and a few new projects that are still under wraps were coming along well. All good stuff but how was I going to make it all happen without losing my mind or missing these opportunities?

Working as a freelance creative is challenging but if the lifestyle suits you and you’d rather be your own boss it can be great. The good thing about not having a boss means no one tells you what to do. The bad thing about not having a boss means no one tells you to do. The knife cuts both ways!

If no one is telling you what to do and you don’t have to report to anyone about goals and your progress on a regular basis it can be hard to stay focused and organized. Some set up accountability buddy systems with friends, others work with a coach.

The further along I get in my career as a freelance photographer the more necessary it is for me to grow my team so I don’t plateau creatively or on a business level. From assistants to accountants, producers, administrative people, and most recently a creative business coach. Below is a conversation with my coach Minnow.

We talk about what it means to be a creative coach, how he works with his clients, and he shares a few of the most common blocks and challenges he comes across, including the imposter syndrome, how to grow your craft and business, and accountability and loneliness as a freelancer. I hope you enjoy!

After watching scroll down to the Giveaway because each Process reader who shares a current challenge they are dealing with will get personal video responses from both Minnow and myself with tips on how to move forward.

Handprint Update

In last week’s issue I walked you through the process of making a darkroom print and mentioned I will soon make available limited edition of signed handprints available for purchase from my 30 Days of Walking in Amsterdam project.

Below is the first that will be availabe in a small edition of just three handprints. Two out of three have already been reserved by Process readers since last week. If you’d like to reserve the last one before it goes on the shop next week just reply to this email.

This darkroom handprint is available for €325 (+ shipping), but Process subscribers receive a 23% discount making it €250. (After this first one the price will go up.)

Each print is signed and printed on 30.5 x 40.6cm (12x16in) Ilford MGRC Multigrade RC Deluxe Pearl paper and made in collaboration with darkroom legend Wim Dingemans of Silver-hands Atelier. These prints are large and perfect for your wall.

This diptych was created in-camera, no photoshop, on a 1964 Olympus Pen-F half-frame camera loaded with handrolled Kodak Double X cinema film.

All film was developed and scanned by my friends at Carmencita Film Lab. Use code “PROCESS” at check out to get a free size upgrade for your scans.

That’s it for this week! I am excited to hear about your current challenge and for everyone to get to learn from each other.

Next week: A dive into my archives and one of my very favorite street casting moments when I randomly met a fella I ended up doing many a shoot with since then.

Keep shooting and take good care of yourselves and others.

Wesley

Process Giveaway!

You already know Minnow Park is a creative business coach and what that means. He works with a variety of film makers, entrepreneurs, creatives and me!

This week everyone wins because Minnow will leave a personalized video reply to everyone who answers the following question:

What is a current challenge or block you have around your creative practice as a a photographer?

To enter go to the Process Flipgrid page and leave a response by June 11, 11pm EST.

This is for people of all skill levels, from total beginner to pro. No need to feel shy about sharing a challenge because we all have them, myself included. The more generously we share our own challenges, the more we can learn from each other.

What can you win?

Everyone who enters and shares a current challenge gets a personalized video response from Minnow and myself with feedback and tips on your particular block.

Additionally, one randomly drawn winner will receive a full 1-hour coaching session with Minnow to dig deeper and set you up with a strategy on how to make progress.

Remember that Process is a safe community to share in and learn from each other.

The winner will be randomly drawn and notified. This giveaway is for Process subscribers only. Subscribe by clicking the button below:

Check out Minnow’s coaching website here and follow him on IG here.

Shout out to the team over at Flipgrid for partnering with Process to make this Giveaway possible. You can enter on mobile via the Flipgrid app or on desktop in any browser.

Recent Winners

Major congratulations to the winners of the previous two winners of the Process Giveaway including Federico O who won the beautiful Hasselblad 500c courtesy of Fotohandel Delfshaven and ACR, as well as Hannah C who won the Kodak Ektar H35 courtesy of BuyMoreFilm. Cannot wait to see the pictures you both will make!

Also, make sure to check out the beautiful rural photography of Greta Rybus as suggested by Hannah C as part of her Giveaway entry.

Did you enjoy this issue? Share it with a friend who might love it too.

Share Process by Wesley Verhoeve

The best way to support Process is to order my photo book NOTICE.

Order NOTICE