STEVEN
EMERSON
CREATIVITY EVANGELIST
WE ARE ALL BORN CREATIVE
Creativity is an innate ability we all share. Yet, for many who feel the urge, the curiosity, the longing to create, the creative act remains just out of reach. Between the impulse and the action stands an obstacle course rooted in the complicated, cluttered lives we lead.
Some barriers are practical: the lack of dedicated time, physical space, or mental/emotional room for the work. But there are deeper obstacles that aren't so obvious—limiting beliefs we've internalized about who gets to be creative, and profound fears of being vulnerable, of embarrassing ourselves.
All of those are very real, and legitimate, and challenging.
But when we do commit to showing up, and facing whatever comes up—the messy, confusing, unarticulated parts of ourselves—it changes us: we learn things about who we are, about other people, about life.
We grow.
The world may or may not need the things we create, but it absolutely needs the person we become by making them.
ABOUT ME
I am a work-in-progress who has spent his life exploring creativity in many forms.
I’ve toured the U.S. and Europe as a member of the indie rock band True West, released three solo albums, scored feature films, done stand-up comedy, and wrote, directed, and acted in a film that screened at multiple festivals.
Over the years I’ve filled countless notebooks with journal entries, stories, and essays, many of which I shared in a blog I posted on every day for two years.
Maintaining a creative practice is what nourishes me, and showing up, over and over, is the only way to stay connected to this essential part of who I am.
It hasn't been easy; it’s required a conscious commitment and, at times, sacrifices in other areas of my life. But I can't imagine a life without it.
The creative act—bringing something into existence, be it a song, a poem, or a painting—is the closest thing to magic I’ve ever experienced. After four decades, I still find it exhilarating.
“Steven moves through life with a level of openness, honesty and vulnerability that is rare and admirable. Those qualities, along with his natural curiosity and empathy, make him an ideal guide for anyone looking to connect with, or further their creativity.”
— David | musician, publisher at Apple Music
WHAT I DO
I help creative people stay creative (we're all creative people).
My work is centered around one-on-one sessions designed to support you in building a sustainable, nourishing creative practice.
I work with anyone who feels the undeniable urge for more creativity in their lives. This includes:
• Experienced Creators who have lost touch with an expressive part of themselves they once knew.
• Those who have always imagined a creative life but haven't yet been able to start or sustain it.
• Anyone who feels they have a book, an album, or simply a feeling that needs to be expressed.
Beyond getting your creative work done, a creative practice can become a sanctuary: precious, meditative time reserved for you to return to yourself. My goal is to help you build that space—whether it involves writing a novel, making music, or drawing in a sketch book—so you can tune out the noisy, impatient world and reconnect with the essential, expressive part of who you are.
WORKING WITH ME
The process begins with a free 30-minute introductory call. This is a no-pressure space for us to connect and explore your current creative aspirations and obstacles.
If it feels like we're a good fit to do this work together, we’ll begn the sessions withidentifying where you are, and what stands between your creative desire and the act of creation. From there we develop a personalized plan to move through those obstacles
Schedule A Call
INVESTMENT & LOGISTICS
Sessions are typically 60 minutes, held either weekly or every other week. To ensure you achieve real momentum and lasting change, I structure the work around a three-month minimum commitment.
In addition to the scheduled sessions, I provide email support to help you stay connected to your practice and move through resistance as it arises.
OPTIONS FOR WORKING TOGETHER
Sessions Every Other Week • Six sessions over 3 Months
Total Investment: $1,500
Sessions Once A Week• Twelve sessions over 3 Months
Total Investment: $2,600
If neither of these options align with your current needs or capacity, please don't hesitate to mention it during our introductory call so we can discuss alternatives.
HOW I GOT HERE
I started out as a drummer in an indie rock band when I was in my early 20s. Our albums did well on college radio, we toured, we got a lot of good national press - things looked promising, and it seemed like this would be what I did for the foreseeable future.
That should have made me happy, but there was something missing. I realized that if I this was what I was going to do this with my life, I wanted to be involved with the creative side. I wanted to write songs, which was something I'd never done, or even tried.
So I started to write. I had some decent music ideas, and I knew I had something to express, but the lyrics I wrote were terrible and embarrassing, so I decided I better start reading poetry and develop some skills for writing lyrics.
One of the books I bought was 'Intimate Journals', a collection of writing by Charles Baudelaire.
Baudelaire, after hearing Edgar Allan Poe proclaim "Any person that dared write a book with complete frankness would produce a masterpiece", committed to writing as openly and honestly as he possibly could, and began a book called 'My Heart Laid Bare'.
That made a huge impression on me, and I adopted that goal for myself: To write as openly and honestly as I possibly could.
I had no idea at the time how hard that would be. So much fear! So much resistance! What started as a desire to write songs became the lifelong work of becoming my authentic self. It's been a painstakingly gradual process.
I used to chase success, fame, and validation. Now I know the only thing worth chasing in any creative work is the truth.
I always come back to the same place: "What are you afraid to say? Say that."
THE INVITATION
“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.”
– Oriah Mountain Dreamer
