Okay so maybe you’re thinking… Emily, that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Hiring a life coach to write a comedy album? What about all the money you could have spent on things like studio time? Accordions? More accordions? And at first I can totally see why it wouldn’t make perfect sense. But hear me out.
I need accountability. Like, I need the kind of accountability that isn’t just a note on my calendar saying “write a blog post about your progress on your comedy album” (which is actually why I’m writing this right now, and not earlier this week). I full on need the accountability of something that costs me money. Like going to school to learn a specific skill – I traded money for my training in baking and pastry arts. Do I still know how to bake? No! But the investment held me accountable so that I could actually finish the program and theoretically… do pastry arts. Here is a picture of said pastry arts for the record:
Do people even read blogs anymore?
Anyway. Accountability. That is why I hired a life coach to help me write my comedy album. Specifically, I hired Karen Choi, who specializes in coaching artists.
We actually met when she was asking me about starting a podcast, over at The Ultimate Creative. She was describing her show to me (to be launched VERY soon) and I was like “holy fuck I literally need everything you’re describing.” So the next day we got on ANOTHER call to talk about what life coaching would look like together. Immediately I was like “SIGN ME THE HELL UP” because within that first 30 minutes of talking, I knew right away that I was going to get the help I needed in a few areas:
1. Healing my inner child – she needs some frigging love. And she can’t speak right now because my stupid other negative voices are telling her she’s not funny or fun or anything and it’s really annoying.
2. Recognizing areas that I can be more authentic. AKA not putting on an act – which I realize sounds counter-intuitive, because I am effectively putting together an “act,” but it’s more like… art needs to come from an authentic place. And I have spent a significant portion of my life masking my true spirit. If you know me well, you probably have seen that mask lifted. But if you don’t HOLY FUCK GET READY BECAUSE HERE IT COMES.
3. Being my own best friend – I consider myself to be a very good, supportive friend (unless you cross me and then forget it). But I really don’t give myself that kind of love. I’m extremely hard on myself. And I need help figuring that out.
4. Collecting my thoughts + future vision – I need structure along with accountability. I think that’s why, despite ADHD, I did pretty well in most school situations. Not university, that was way too loosey gooesy for me. What, I’m supposed to just READ A BUNCH OF STUFF with ZERO PRACTICAL APPLICATION? Right. Besides the point. Collecting my thoughts and a future vision of who I am when I’m finished writing the album is SO important. It’s like… the missing link of the start point and the end point. I know that I really don’t need to know the how, as long as I have a clear vision of what I’m working towards. The how just follows. It’s science. Or nature. Or quantum physics. Take your pick.
And I’ll share a secret here because I have a feeling that next to no one will read this, but the few who do will need to hear what I’m about to say because it will likely be true for them as well, and I want you to know you’re not alone in this.
I have a very deeply rooted belief that nobody likes me. But like actually. Because growing up I was the fat kid with undiagnosed ADHD. In my adulthood I was the difficult bitch that was always calling out injustices and making problems for neurotypicals because I had no idea what the hell their stupid systems meant, or why I should follow their rules. And people have, throughout my life, actively told me that they don’t like me. Ex-family included.
HOWEVER. Back to the inner child here, like, I know objectively that’s not true. I just need some assistance believing this new reality that I find myself in, where people DO like me, and they DO find me funny, and I have a shitload of love and happiness in my life, right here, right now in this moment!
So you can see why hiring a life coach to actually write my comedy album is a good idea now, right? Like, it’s fucking serious shit happening here. FUCKING SERIOUS SHIT. And it’s totally worth the $3000+ I’m dropping on this 6 month program. Why? BECAUSE I FUCKING BELIEVE IN ME! And I know that this is the right path for me to take.
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. I am seriously excited, our first session last week was amazing, and I truly can’t wait to see what comes next!
So far I’ve started actively switching my daily schedule to edit podcasts in the evenings, and work on music during the day. It was a very clunky first week and I’m exhausted BUT, let me tell you – I got more done this week than I would have in a month, if I had continued to only write the album during evenings and weekends when I really seriously need the rest. And my other business work got done, I just prioritized the main vision I have for myself instead.
It sounds like a simple shift, but it’s not, it’s work, like anything. It’s the ongoing relationship work I need to do with myself, that we all do with our partners, our families, our friends. I gotta be my own dang best friend! And if I could facilitate life coaching for all my friends you bet your ass I would do that, so why not for me too ?
KAY THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK! MUSIC COMIN’ ATCHAAAAA SOOOON! LOVE YOU BYE!