About Bean

I’m an award-winning artist and writer, and a professional coach with extensive experience in supporting my fellow creative workers. I first started coaching back in 2007, after becoming a certified Critical Friends Group (CFG) coach to co-run a cohort for educators at Portland Community College. In 2009 I moved to San Francisco to get my MFA at California College of the Arts, where I also worked as a part-time academic coach; after graduation, I became an MFA advisor and an undergraduate mentor. From 2012 to 2017, I penned an arts-advice column called “Help Desk,” publishing more than 100 installments that demystified professional practices in the arts. And in the last few years, I’ve been working with artists to produce successful applications to funders such as United States Artists and Guggenheim—all while conducting my own studio/writing practices and pursuing opportunities (such as two Fulbright Fellowships and an Andy Warhol Foundation Grant) that sustain my creative life. Three years ago, I decided to refine all of this experience into a precise methodology by studying with the Academy for Coaching Excellence (ACE), an accredited school that emphasizes compassion, generosity, and social change. I hold a professional certification from ACE, as well as an ACC credential from the International Coaching Federation.

Encouragement and assistance has been invaluable to my life as an artist, and coaching is a way for me to contribute to our field by supporting creative folks who are ready to take risks in the studio and move forward with their careers.