More thoughts on creativity and coaching:
I've written book-reviews, articles, and done editorial work
for writers of non-fiction, and I've usually been paid for it, though not in
the case of friends who sometimes ask me to comment on something they've
written or for advice about problems. The question of coaching or being
coached within Minciu is difficult for me to answer:
Being coached is not something I feel I need or want. Challenged, yes!
And as for coaching others, my only income is from my own work so I can only
take on a limited amount of 'free' work, but this isn't because of a
materialistic
approach - there just isn't the time or space!
There's an odd attitude among many people towards creative work,
as if it doesn't come under the category of 'real' work. Nobody would dream
of asking a plumber or an electrician to come and work for them without
expecting to pay an appropriate fee (not to mention doctors, lawyers,
accountants etc!). Yet in the area of creativity, the question of
remuneration
becomes blurred. You can say (or have your agent say): I want
X-amount for this painting, this book, this play, this lecture or this
workshop, etc. But how do you quantify creative thinking and coaching or
advice? It takes much longer, to become a creative thinker/ artist etc. than
it does to become a skilled plumber, accountant, etc.
I know that there's now a fashion for hiring 'Life Coaches': people you pay
to
talk to you (mainly on the phone, it seems) and motivate you to achieve your
goals, whether it's to lose weight, make a million, write that novel, or
whatever.
Well, this used to be called 'a good friend' or 'a good teacher'.

So this gets me back to Andrius' question about public and private research
and how to decide when to charge for creative 'services' and when to make
them available for free? It needs a lot more discussion.

Natalie