THE BACKGOUND STORY

For several years I wore two hats. I was either a coach who also painted or a painter/gallery owner who also coached. It comes down to the fact that I am blessed with huge curiosity and a mind that seeks making connections (some call it creativity).

I had begun to marry the two aspects of my work by giving “Visioning Through Collage Making” Workshops. I had also produced two successful solo shows of paintings that depicted personality profiles: The Reiss Desire Profile and the MBTI (Myers Briggs type Indicator). But I wanted to do MORE.

My idea was to convene a one time Board of Directors to bring together people from the business/consulting world and people from the arts. I invited 8 people. Six board members, Lesley Parrott the leader of my Mastermind Group to facilitate and my husband so he could get a new glimpse into my dreams and plans.

Deciding who to invite was the first of many interesting exercises. I learned a lot about what I respect and what I aspire to through this simple step. Planning an evening that ONE captured the spirit of what I was trying to achieve, TWO gave value to the participants and THREE netted me a concrete result was also a large part of my learning.

Just because it’s who I am and what I do…I made small abstract paintings of each Board member as a thank you.

After an evening of very lively and sometimes heated debate complete with walls filled with flip charts and two very concrete 3 step action plans. I expressed my gratitude and passed out the paintings to cries of “Wow that’s me – tell me the story of why you did it that way.” As I explained what the colours and shapes said about the individual behind the painting… one woman had a “Eureka” moment and said “This is IT – this is how you combine your art, your coaching skills and your knowledge of personality.”

Doing these portraits is such a pleasure and a privilege. I get to meet interesting people and get invited into their world. What a delight!

We are so oriented to the end product that having a process that plays an important role in the whole experience is not on everyone’s radar screen. Nevertheless it is the part that I love the best.

Please email sandymcmullen@sympatico.ca if you have an idea for an “Insight Portrait” that you would like to discuss.