luin joy
misc.
WHAT IS COACHING + HOW DOES IT WORK?
Coaching can take many different forms, with a wide range of focus areas based on a person’s training, lived experience, and specialties. I’m a Creativity Coach with lived experience as a professional artist, writer, facilitator, and musician. I believe everyone is inherently creative - it is in our nature. Whether you identify as a creative person or not, the fundamentals of living life, forming relationships, and making daily choices are all expressions of creativity.
I teach people how to better trust themselves, identify their strengths, honor their unique path in life, and take action on their desires. I do this by providing a non-judgemental, supportive space for us to collaborate as partners in the process. With my background and professional experience, I focus on using creative practices (drawing, writing, visioning exercises, somatic practices, sonic play, etc.) in conjunction with deep listening, as tools for transformation and clearing internal blocks. Every session is highly personalized and adaptable.
Our work together may look like...
-Turning your inner critic into a helpful accomplice
-Transforming fear into fertile ground
-Organizing a cohesive body of work or executing a specific project
-Identifying themes and patterns in your creative practice
-Taking courageous action
-Practicing self-appreciation, self-inquiry, and self-acceptance
-Applying creative tools to collective action and organizing
In contrast to therapy (the practice of working with a professional clinician trained in treating mental illness), coaching helps build mental fitness. It is generally focused on present-life challenges / habits / goals, and does not provide mental health treatment or diagnosis. Coaching and therapy are different practices and can be highly effective as separate parts of a multi-dimensional approach to overall wellness.
MY PHILOSOPHY
When we experience blocks in our creative channel, our entire energetic body and essential life force are impacted. These blocks can ripple into many areas of life and may be difficult to identify or trace. This can manifest as decision fatigue, overwhelm, avoidance, self-sabotage, self-criticism, frustration, and many other challenging emotions.
I have learned how to make my creative core into a stable and loving life-partner. We’ve been together for the past 17 years of my art career, with many major life transitions, transformations, and trials. My art practice is a companion that moves with me in all parts of my life and takes many forms. Like walking along the bank of a flowing river - it is always within reach, it is an active, living ecosystem and abundant inner resource. While I still encounter challenges as a working artist, I no longer hold a fear of running out of ideas or losing touch with my creative core.
When things get clogged, I have strategies for clearing the leaves, toppling the dams, and allowing things to flow as nature intended. This approach has established a bottomless creative well within me, and I believe that with the right tools, effort, and support, it can be learned, adapted, and refined by anyone.
Most importantly, my coaching style centers play, compassion, and curiosity. This work can activate difficult emotions and requires patience, gentleness, and heartfelt encouragement. My job is to witness, listen, and support you in accessing your most authentic, embodied self.
PRICING AND DURATION
$100 / 1.5 hour
$130 / 2 hours
Follow this link to schedule a session, or free 30-minute intro call:
https://calendly.com/luin-joy
I offer a limited number of sliding scale spots on a case-by-case basis, to increase access to my services. Please feel free to reach out and let’s talk possibilities! I wish to provide accessible coaching, while also balancing my operating costs, living expenses, and personal investments in specialized training, expertise, and master's-level education.
Additional info on sliding scales can be found here!
EDUCATION + QUALIFICATIONS
Luin Joy (he/him) holds a Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture and Performance (School of The Art Institute of Chicago, 2020), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Art History (Savannah College of Art and Design, 2015).
He has facilitated classes at School of the Alternative since 2017 focused on embracing fear and identifying creative blocks (Fertile Fear, 2022), establishing supportive and compassionate personal care systems (Daily Practice, 2021), finding joy through movement (Physical Education; The Joy of Having a Body, 2019), and developing a healthy relationship with self/gender/identity (Queering Masculinity, 2017). He has also served as a community care leader and on the Board of Directors for School of the Alternative.
Luin facilitates occasional virtual workshops; “Making Art as a Practice of Self-Acceptance”, and “Experimental Sound Composition”.
Luin has certifications in Compassion Cultivation (training program with Compassion It https://compassionit.com), Mental Health First Aid, and Trauma Support (professional development courses by Udemy).