Sheryl Garratt
Bio
Sheryl Garratt is a former editor of The Face and Observer magazines, and has written professionally for more than 30 years. She is also a coach working with creatives of all kinds. Find her at thecreativelife.net
Stories (64/0)
Madonna was my mentor
Madonna was my life coach. In the 80s, whenever I felt stuck and unsure what to do next, I asked a simple question: what would Madonna do? As a shy young journalist and later as a fledgling magazine editor, it guided me through awkward situations, and allowed me to borrow some of her courage when I had none of my own.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Motivation
You're awesome. So collect evidence to prove it.
It’s been a while since I read The Book of Awesome But last week I really needed it. I’d written a short feature for a magazine, and it came back with edits from the person who had commissioned it. They were all perfectly reasonable requests, and I did them.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Motivation
Sophie Kinsella on writing routines
I interviewed Sophie Kinsella in London in 2015, just as she was about to publish her first foray into young adult fiction, Finding Audrey: a witty, readable, and above all very recognisable tale of teenage angst and parental foibles.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Interview
Morning pages: writing to unblock and guide creativity
I slept badly last night. Bad dreams and hot flushes, noise in the street outside. So this morning I stagger groggily out of bed, feeling grumpy and out of sorts. I brush my teeth, drink a glass of water, do some stretches. Then I go make a coffee, sit down at the kitchen table and open my journal to do my morning pages.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Motivation
Keep Going: sustaining a creative practice
Austin Kleon’s books are tiny things. Little square volumes, they’re heavy on illustrations and light on words. Even if you read them slowly, savouring every sentence, you’ll probably be done in 90 minutes. And yet… you’ll keep pulling them off the shelf, diving back into them, because they are kind and funny and very wise indeed about creative process.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Motivation
The Best Books For Creatives
The best way to get good at any kind of creative work is to do it. To do your verbs. Write. Paint. Play. Sculpt. Sew. Design. Make. Shoot. Cook. Direct. Produce. Create, create, create. No matter how messy and imperfect it is, at first.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Journal
The trouble with goals
When I trained as a life coach, it was all about goals. Setting them. Attaining them. Then setting some more, in a relentless cycle of achievement. This is effective for some people, and it's certainly better than bumbling aimlessly through life with no direction at all.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Motivation
How to get featured in the media
You have products or a service to sell. A shop, an event, a course you want to draw attention to. Or you’re a musician, artist, writer or other creative trying to grow your audience. Getting featured in the media can change everything.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Journal
Five Ways To Start Strong With Your Creative Project
It can be lonely embarking on a major new project. A book. An album. A new product, business, course, menu, exhibition, film.. The early days are full of hope and excitement, but they’re also a time to protect your ideas fiercely. They are fragile at this point, with very little flesh on their bones. It’s easy to lose faith in them, to give up.
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Motivation
Why Creators Only Need 1000 True Fans to Make A Good Living
“To be a successful creator, you don’t need millions. You don’t need millions of dollars or millions of customers, millions of clients or millions of fans. To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur or inventor, you need only thousands of true fans.” – Kevin Kelly
By Sheryl Garratt2 years ago in Journal