Posted on January 11, 2011 by Stephan Wiedner

Career coaching is growing. Especially for creative people who struggle to fit into traditional office jobs.

The prevailing thought among many artists is that you will either be a massive success doing exactly what you are meant to do or end up flipping burgers at the local McDonalds.

Freelance writer turned career coach, Lee Weisser, thinks there’s a middle ground. Through her evolving career coaching practice, she helps people follow their passion and pay the bills.

Yes, it is indeed possible to do what you love and make money at the same time.

Below are the highlights of my conversation with Lee Weisser, principal of A Coach for All Seasons.

How did you come into coaching?

Coaching found me. Six years ago I went out on my own as a freelance writer and at a networking group I ran into Garry Schleiffer, the publisher of Choice Magazine ― the magazine for professional coaches. Garry was looking for a managing editor. My background includes workplace education and human resources, and it seemed to be a good fit. I was editor for two years.

Along the way, I met a lot of great life and business coaches and I thought it would be an ideal career shift for me. I wanted to help people one-on-one and in small groups.

What kind of clients do your career coaching services support?

I recently started working with a business coaching program through Your Planning Partners, and one of the exercises was to identify my ideal client. I realized I am most passionate about working with people who are creative or artistic, and don’t fit into a conventional career path.

If you look around you, you probably know people like this. They could be your neighbor, your family member, or even a co-worker. They avidly pursue creative outlets outside of their work. Perhaps they are congregating with like-minded people online, participating in arts associations, or struggling to find employers who value their skills.

It’s definitely a growing segment of the population. And since fewer and fewer full-time permanent jobs are now available, it’s a great time for people who want to combine their creative pursuits with contract and project-based opportunities.

How do you help creative individuals with their career goals?

I help my clients connect the many gifts and talents they have with what society is calling out for. The idea is to fill the gaps in the market place while at the same time fulfilling individual dreams. I offer a workshop and a 6-module group coaching program called Build A Successful Career on Your Own Terms.

It’s not enough to scour the job boards. Often, there isn’t a burgeoning market for the skills and talents of creative job seekers. I help my clients take a more proactive approach to apply their skills and generate revenue. They may even create their own job, either as a freelance business or within an organization. The idea is to develop skills outside their primary creative talents to enhance their opportunities to produce income.

I’ve made a number of career changes myself and I haven’t always fit the traditional expectations. Because of my life experience, I can offer clients support and encouragement. I help them maintain their hope, take action, and really be themselves through their work choices.

Can you give me examples of career developments for creative individuals?

Sure. There’s a musician and visual artist who has administrative skills and does bookkeeping for other artists. Or a photographer and sculptor who teaches other artists how to photograph their work to sell it. There’s also an illustrator who teaches drawing at the university level.

These are all examples of individuals who found a need and filled it.

What have you learned in your journey into coaching?

One of the things I learned in my coach training at Fielding Graduate University in California is that “all good coaching leads to home.” ‘Home’ is where the client connects with their core values, gets comfortable and positive about who and what they are, and moves forward from there.

What I learned it that there is no one way to coach. It’s not a technique or a formula. It’s not a word or phrase that must be used. Coaching is a conversation, and although these conversations can take different routes, the optimal outcome is always about new learning for the client. That opens up a realm of possibilities and opportunities to learn and grow, both for the client and the coach.

It’s common to talk about strengths for advancing one’s career. What about values? How do one’s values influence career decisions?

Values are at the heart of who we are. If the work we are doing is in conflict with our core values, we will not be satisfied, no matter how much we are paid. In mid-career, sometimes people are using strengths that they don’t enjoy using anymore. By examining their values, they can decide what is really important to them, and how they want to use their many talents and skills.

For example, someone who uses their organizational skills as an administrative assistant may one day wake up and realize that they don’t want to use these skills for other people anymore. They may want to use them for their own business or to try a career that uses different strengths.

So, looking at values may lead to a desire to play at a new level or a different game altogether.

How has coaching touched your life?

I love coaching! My clients give me so many opportunities for learning by sharing their successes and their struggles. They inspire me to stay hopeful and open to possibility in every part of life. I am thankful every day for the generosity my clients show me.