About me

I’m Clare Travis, a coach who specialises in working with creative practitioners to help them achieve their goals. I’m based on Whadjuk Noongar land in Boorloo/Perth, Western Australia, and work online with creatives anywhere around the world.

I started my coaching journey in 2018 when I completed a Certificate in Professional Coaching at the Neuro Coaching Academy in Perth, under licence from The Performance Solution in the UK. This qualification is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (the international coaching industry body), which means it meets high industry standards set by the ICF around coaching methodology and ethics.

So why coaching? With undergraduate studies in Arts and graduate studies in Business, I’ve had a range of career roles, from international investment attraction to helping not for profits grow their services. Despite enjoying these roles, I had a lingering feeling (you know the type!) that I wanted to contribute something at a more personal level. Eventually it became clear to me that my skill set and temperament were well suited to helping people achieve changes in their lives. The qualities and skills I bring to my coaching practice include compassion, a non-judgemental approach and a deep interest in people and what makes us tick. I have a keen ability to listen deeply, help clients draw out new insights and celebrate successes. I’m also a nifty workshop facilitator and public speaker (which I mostly put down to my experiences teaching energetic English language learners in Italy).

And why creatives? When I first reached out through my networks for coaching clients, I was thrilled to find that above all, the work I did with creative practitioners tended to lead to rich and fruitful outcomes for my clients. The reason I was thrilled is that creativity is something that matters deeply to me, and also something that I spent close to 20 years denying. I loved creative writing as a child and teen, and the future looked promising when I won first prizes for poetry and prose in the West Australian Young Writers’ Competition in my final year of high school. But after I reached university, my emerging writing practice lost momentum and was effectively silenced by my inner critic as I started comparing myself to published authors. By the time I was in my early twenties, I was no longer writing at all. Years later I enrolled in a creative writing course once I had young children, but I found the juggle too difficult and ended up withdrawing. So when creative clients reached out to me, it was incredible to find that creativity was not quite done with me yet, and at the same time to realise that the struggles to express creativity are shared by many of us. These days I call myself a “recovering creative” and am enjoying experimenting with writing, music and retro crafting projects!

So the reason I focus on working with creatives is because I get it. I get that sometimes creativity feels like the most meaningful thing in your life, and the least sustainable. I get that creativity helps connect you with the world but sometimes makes you feel you need to withdraw. I get that sharing your art feels important, yet sometimes incredibly risky. And through my coaching I’ve seen the difference that having someone in your corner makes to your confidence and willingness to embrace and celebrate your unique creative voice.

If you’re interested in learning more about working with me, please see my Work with me page.