The art field demands a lot from us: creative work under time pressure and financial bottlenecks, bubbling ideas between bureaucratic hurdles and time-consuming jobs, fresh, creative energy between sleep hacks for the next generation and project deadlines. Not to mention our inner critic, who likes to keep us awake at night. The crises of recent years have led to additional pressure for many. We don't want to be irritable, burnt out, listless and dominated by feelings of futility, exhaustion and anxiety. This workshop therefore poses the question: What is my professional attitude in a rapidly changing, increasingly digital world, and how do I treat myself kindly so that I can remain sustainably creative?
The workshop sheds light on the particular challenges that freelance creatives face and identifies points of contact. In addition, the workshop offers practical assistance with a number of exercises and prioritization models on how we can integrate more mindfulness into our day-to-day work in order to improve our well-being. Together, we will take the topic ad absurdum with a playful guide to "being uncreative" and examine wishes, dreams and spaces of possibility. The aim is to examine one's own attitude towards artistic creation and personal boundaries - for a benevolent approach to oneself.
Sophia Pompéry (artist, founder and coach) works at the interface of art, philosophy and physics. Her works have been exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum, ARTER Istanbul, Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Neue Nationalgalerie, Akademie der Künste and Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, among others. In addition to her artistic activities, which most recently took her to the Villa Serpentara (Fellow of the AdK) in Rome, she led the seeup program for creative and entrepreneurial qualification at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee between 2017 and 2024. www.seeup.de. She regularly holds workshops at institutions such as the Bundesakademie, BBK Munich and the KulturBüro Baden-Württemberg.
She has been particularly influential in teaching adult education for cultural professionals at the CGM Goethe Center Antananarivo, Madagascar. Based on her practical experience, Sophia Pompéry supports other creative professionals in strengthening their confidence in their profession, maintaining their mental health, developing strategies for the visibility of their work, building networks and getting fit in terms of communication.