If you’re an artist, designer, or any kind of creative person, there’s a good chance you’ve signed up for a course at some point in your journey. Maybe it was a drawing class, a UX bootcamp, or a course on how to market your art.
Courses are everywhere. They’re easy to access, affordable, and often packed with useful information.
But if you’ve ever found yourself mid-course wondering why you still feel stuck, you’re not alone.
Sometimes what you really need isn’t more information — it’s momentum.
That’s where coaching comes in.
Let’s be clear: I’m not anti-course. I’ve taken plenty myself, and I even recommend them to my clients when the timing is right. Courses can be fantastic when you want to learn a specific tool, technique, or method.
They’re structured, often self-paced, and can give you a quick boost of knowledge.
But here’s the catch: most courses are built for the masses. They’re not designed around you — your unique creative process, your career path, or the personal blocks that might be holding you back.
And when you hit a wall or start feeling overwhelmed, there’s usually no one there to help you figure it out. That’s when the course quietly fades into your bookmarks folder.
Sound familiar?
Coaching, on the other hand, is built around your specific needs.
It’s a conversation, not a curriculum. A space to ask questions, get real-time feedback, and figure things out with someone who’s been through it. Whether you’re trying to finish your first art portfolio, prep for a design job interview, or reconnect with your creativity after a long break, coaching is flexible enough to meet you exactly where you are.
It’s not about following a step-by-step process. It’s about co-creating the process that works for you — based on your goals, pace, and personality.
A course gives you a list of things to do. Coaching helps you actually do them.
This is especially important for artists and designers who are feeling stuck, second-guessing themselves, or trying to navigate a career shift. The last thing you need is more content to consume.
What you need is:
That’s what coaching provides.
Coaching is ideal when you’re:
It’s for those in-between spaces — where you’re not starting from scratch, but you’re not where you want to be yet.
It’s also for creatives who crave thoughtful conversation, not generic advice.
As someone who has spent over 35 years in both the design and art worlds — building accessible digital products, exhibiting encaustic paintings internationally and mentoring creatives across disciplines — I’ve seen firsthand how powerful coaching can be.
Many of my clients come to me after trying courses that didn’t quite stick. They’re full of potential, but stuck in their heads. They need structure, support and someone who gets it.
What they leave with is clarity, confidence and a plan they actually want to follow.
That’s the real value of investing in coaching: it helps you move forward faster, with more intention and less guesswork.
If you’re looking to build a technical skill or learn a new tool, a course might be the right call.
But if you’re tired of going in circles, struggling with motivation, or unsure how to get from idea to execution — coaching might be the support you didn’t know you needed.
And if you’re reading this because you’re feeling some creative friction? That might be your sign.
You don’t need to have everything figured out to ask for help.
You don’t need to be in crisis to deserve support.
You just need to be ready to move forward — and willing to show up for yourself.
If that sounds like you, I’d love to chat.
You don’t have to do it alone. Let’s get you from stuck to studio — together.
© 2026 From Stuck to Studio
Len Collins | Art & Design Coaching | Calgary