Creative experiences release such positive energy: Interview with Alex Loewe
Our next Overnight Getaway is just around the corner and preparations are underway for another fantastic weekend! The theme this month is “What am I afraid of? Strong Roots, Brave Voice: Living with Virtue in a Complicated World” and we’re thrilled to welcome Alex Loewe as one of our speakers.
Siobhan Scullion, our online editor, caught up with Alex ahead of the Overnight to find out more about her strong musical “roots” and how that put her on the path she is on today. Alex’s creativity and enthusiasm are infectious and her advice and insights on how to “ponder and wonder” are not to be missed!
Alex, you're an incredibly talented mezzo soprano and were kind enough to share all about your love of music in your podcast interview with Hearts+Minds. I was struck when you spoke about music being connected to emotion and memory. How did you know you wanted to build a career around it?
Music was always a part of my family fabric, my mum was always playing classical music at home and in the car and would take us to concerts from a young age. My dad would bring us to our next door neighbour to play string quartets every Saturday. Music was for enrichment and relaxation and for gathering people together. I didn’t feel competitive or driven as a child learning the cello and piano and singing at any opportunity. I did feel very soothed and at ease in this beautiful world of colours and emotions!
I studied music at university and did a diploma in Performance and Communication Skills; I knew I wanted to deepen my knowledge of all types of music and experience different ways of making music; and then to want to create opportunities for young people to build their emotional expression around composing and performing music as a group. Those creative experiences release such positive energy and establish ways of communicating that never leave you. So for me, music making is an emotional journey that always evokes strong memories of my past and helps me connect to people. Music has always helped me process strong emotions and then that experience sort of lodges as a memory nugget I can go back to and find more meaning every time!
You wear many hats as life coaching is another aspect of your work. What led you down the path of life coaching? And especially with those who have ADHD/ADD?
I have always worked as a youth mentor and a facilitator alongside my professional work; then after studying a second degree in theology in Rome I took lots of CPD courses in spiritual accompaniment so have truly found a deep sense of purpose supporting people on a one to one basis. Then in 2004 I was diagnosed as ADHD and it explained so much of my enthusiastic and committed but chaotic mindset and my challenges and barriers in life. It took a long time to find strategies and support, given that adult diagnosis for ADHD was still quite rare and in women was practically non-existent!
So after 10 years of therapy and medication I felt ready to channel all that learning into a way of helping others. I trained as a Personal Performance Life Coach and when I wanted to train as an ADHD coach there were no options in the UK! So I called the ADHD Centre for advice and they invited me to join as one of their ADHD coaches and I’m still working there 7 years on! I am now training to be a Supervisor for coaches as part of my ongoing commitment to be up to date and fully accredited as an ADHD Coach.
You mention creative thinking on your website. What does thinking creatively mean to you and how is it a helpful tool in life coaching?
Creativity is a deeply human but also spiritual process of making sense of the things we see and the experiences we have. We let those sink in and savour their message for us. When we cultivate that innate capacity to look around, take time to observe, reflect on what strikes us, we notice patterns and meaning that really enriches our life experience. Seeing with depth and mindfully, becomes perceiving. Perceiving is an act of not just observation but a curious and caring impulse to seek truth and beauty and transform what we see into something that guides our feelings and choices.
It takes emotional maturity to foster this way of looking and it helps as a child to have parents and teachers that can share this wonderful way of pausing and appreciating beauty. But it can be fostered at any age, to the ability of each person’s openness. As a coach, when I ask open questions and not tell people what to think, the client has an opportunity to ponder and wonder about areas of their awareness they may not have had a chance to discover.
Awareness cultivates a more gentle and accepting way of interpreting the world around us to see the good things and to treat people with kindness. With that approach, we see answers to issues more clearly, and more often we gain insight that comes from allowing our experiences to mature and then reflecting on best ways to improve and enrich ourselves. This is what I call creative thinking.
When it comes to life coaching, what does a typical client profile look like? Who is life coaching for?
As we shift from education to work life we can carry around systems and mindsets that are no longer helpful. Moving from a family dynamic to independent living and from structured class-led routines to navigating fluctuating work meetings and deadline pressures, can raise a lot of questions about what choice and control looks like. Confidence can be shaken, life choices can feel confusing and relationships can be overwhelming. Coaching provides a safe and confidential space to explore practical strategies and formulate habits that better suit us at each stage of our lives.
We all go through moments when we need a cheerleader and an accountability professional to work out goals and objectives and clarify our minds on pressing issues. Whether it’s changing careers, losing weight or training for a marathon, having a regular meet up to see what’s happened well, what hasn’t worked, what’s got in the way and to celebrate achievements, is extraordinarily life affirming and often sets straight confidence issues and doubts around our own ability to steer our life. A coach doesn’t give advice or share their experience, they listen and ask helpful and open questions and every now and then challenge limiting beliefs!
You must have received some excellent advice and mentorship along the way in your own life and career; what would you share with our readers?
Ah the best advice so often comes from within us, when we stop and reflect on the example of those we love and trust! Often a guiding light emerges as we allow our values and desires to align! Some nuggets I’ve learnt unexpectedly are “choose to catch the ball of criticism or to let it drop,” “when you hit a dead end, turn back and follow the road once more,” and finally “we are created exactly as we’re meant to be for our own journey of discovery.”