We had the good fortune of connecting with Jill Allison Bryan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jill, why did you pursue a creative career?
Creativity is an essential part of who I am. I grew up writing, acting, singing, playing piano and being drawn to creative people, places and things.

Throughout highschool and college I acted, sang and wrote. I majored in advertising journalism and always had side gigs singing and acting.
My professional career began as an advertising copywriter right after I graduated and landed my first (and only!) 9-to-5 job at what was then the largest advertising agency in Nashville.

About three years later I sold everything I owned, moved to the Virgin Islands and found work on a private sailing yacht.

Then I moved back to Dallas and was a freelance copywriter and singer/songwriter for several years, eventually joining a band and marrying the lead singer.

Fast forward a decade to me as a mom dropping my daughter off at kindergarten for the first time and having a bit of an identity crisis. I’d let a lot of my creative passions fall by the wayside while staying home with her and helping my now ex-husband run our business.
After working through the book The Artist’s Way, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of creative ideas I wanted to pursue and stuck because I didn’t know where to begin.
That led to my working with a creativity coach which changed my life in a multitude of ways ~ one of which was to introduce me to what turned out to be my true career calling ~ creative life coaching.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about? How did you get to where you are today professionally?
One of the things that makes me so effective as a creativity coach is I practice what I preach. The tools and techniques I use with my clients are the very same that I’ve been using for years to grow and create success in both my personal and business life. I believe fully in the power of coaching to help transform lives for the better and I feel like I’m a living example of that.

Working with some of the best coaches in the industry, learning and practicing a variety of coaching methods have helped me to:
* Earn my Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching certification and later be chosen as one of the first Master level KMCC coaches
* Start my Creative Oasis Coaching business in 2008
* Write, record and release my solo CD, “Dancing In Limbo”
* Create and host “Infinite Possibility ~ A Night of Music, Art & Women Helping Women” ~ my CD release/benefit event which featured a concert, silent art auction with works by 13 female artists inspired by the 13 tracks on my CD plus a huge raffle ~ all of which raised more than $10,000 for Women for Women International
* Blog consistently for over 10 years
* Coach hundreds and hundreds of people all around the world to help them make their creative dreams come true.

What I want anyone out there with a million creative ideas whirling around in their brain (multi-passionate creatives!) is that if I can do it ~ you can do it! There are absolutely ways to move past procrastination, perfectionism, inner critic voices and overwhelm and make your creative dreams come true!

To help you get started, I created the Magic Action Masterclass and I invite you to visit my website to request your free copy!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there a person, group, organization, book, etc that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? 
Jill Badonsky is an author and the founder of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching and was my first ever coach.
Back in 2006 she helped me bring consistent creative joy back into my life through my music. I began writing and performing music again and that was only the beginning.
I’d also love to give a shout out to Creative Mornings ~ both globally and specifically the Dallas Chapter. I’ve had the opportunity to connect with, learn from, teach and coach some amazing creative humans via this innovative organization that promotes creativity, diversity and inclusion.
Though my main focus is coaching my one-on-one clients, I continue to teach several workshops a year at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas which I have since 2010. They’re a fabulous creative resource for DFW and offer a wide variety of classes taught by some of the most talented artists and teachers in the metroplex.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc. In your view what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places or things to check out?
I have several places I refer to as my “Creative Oasis Spaces” that I like to share with out-of-town guests.
Kalachandji’s is always a favorite place to go for a delicious, vegetarian meal and to visit the beautiful Hare Krishna Temple.
“Late Nights” in the Arts District is a fun way to spend an evening exploring art, listening to music and eating and drinking at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher and walking around Klyde Warren Park.
A trip to the Dallas Arboretum is a lovely way to spend an afternoon that combines nature and art and sometimes even music.
A visit to the Bath House Cultural Center and walk near White Rock Lake is a special East Dallas experience.
It’s always great to catch a concert at The Kessler or The Granada or The Majestic Theater.
And having brunch at the Dream Cafe with Austin Tacos and mimosas is a must!

Website: https://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativeoasiscoach/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillallisonbryan/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativeoasiscoaching

Image Credits
Vonda Klimaszewski of Vonda K. Portraits

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