Consulting
Why: No one ever needs to work with me. If your organization is in top form and your creativity is perfect, great. If you don’t want to take a hard look at why you’re underperforming, great. You don’t need me. But, if you have an inkling that allowing a li’l more creative thinking and creativity — in all its messy glory — might help move the needle, I’m here for you.
Where: For the past 20 years, I’ve worked with organizations, individuals, corporations, start-ups and non-profits interested in unbreaking their creative processes. I’ve spoken about creativity to CEOs, neuroscientists and researchers.
How: I’ve managed hundreds of writers, led writing competition winners, performed stand-up comedy, and made my living solely off writing and creativity (and, now, teaching) for the past 25 years. I’ve learned a thing about what our creativity actually needs in order to thrive, and it looks absolutely nothing like what work (or school, or society) offers us today.
What: Forget team-building exercises from corporate types. We’ll work with some pretty deep shit — on the third layer — where our brains are doing the lasting work. This isn’t about the bottom line, productivity or efficiency. Sure, those things can happen, but this is about creating a better world where humans get the chance to develop deeper skills using their own joyful creative process. Through creativity, we might work on collaboration, deep listening, problem-solving, or innovation. If each person on your team hasn’t received at least one life-changing insight, I haven’t done my job.
Logistics: I work with teams as an ongoing consultant, anywhere from one hour a month to 20 hours a week). I also do one-off workshops upon rare occasion.
My toolkit involves creativity, editorial strategy, and masterful facilitation. The goal: To target a specific block or growth area that your team may face by moving into more creative modes of thinking.
Walk away with:
An unbreakable foundation for climbing the ladder toward concrete, lasting change that helps you stand strong when inevitable difficulties arise.
A changed company culture that prioritizes the ladder: safety, curiosity, and creative bravery.
New approaches to inciting innovation and collaboration.
More kind words…
“I attended Alex’s creativity workshop at the end of a very difficult day. I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to focus or enjoy it, and was I ever wrong! Alex’s prompts and exercises helped me un-block in a way I never would have expected, and they are simple and universal enough that I’m convinced they would be useful to anyone. I got so much out of my time with Alex, and have been writing and creating much more regularly since. Alex is a warm and thoughtful facilitator and I’d recommend her workshop to anyone!”
“Alex has brought into my life and work a perspective that I could not have gained in my roles in corporate world or in government. In my first encounter with Alex’s workshops, she took me to areas where I was not used to experiencing. In that dimension and going deep (third layer), there was a realm of ideas and creativity. I have introduced her to many in the corporate world, with great success. Thank you Alex!”
“I got to sit in on [a workshop] that blew my mind. We did the ‘Mathematics of Joy’ list beforehand. Then, we talked about how to bring those and other moments into our lives. She has a specific way of mapping it out that was really fun. I started to see things I was drawn to, and why. Most of my answers were about creating connection and space daily, while building in pockets of joy-filled experiences, going on adventures and finding new ways outside of writing to be creative. Like, paint more, even if it’s my front door. ”
