Hey, creative soul,

How have you been? ❤️

It’s been a few months since my last newsletter. And this edition is specifically written to remind you that even when the world is painful as hell, another future is possible.

When the world is too much

I just want to acknowledge that the world is a bit much at the moment. 💔 I feel the weight of it all in my body - the collective darkness descending on us all, Gaza starved at the brink of famine, Israel’s attacks on Iran, trans rights being revoked across the US with huge repercussions for their health, ICE agents en masse deporting and disappearing people across the US - including children being removed from foster homes by force. Are you also feeling the heaviness and grief?

You are not alone.

The inhumanity and rising fascism are heartwrenching. One might think it’s the end of the world, but it’s more likely that the empire is crumbling and gripping the world in a chokehold, in its last attempt at survival.

And, in the middle of it all, there are fierce movements of solidarity that gives me so much hope: the Madleen crew aiming to break the siege and deliver aid to Gaza, the sea of red (as for the red line) at the protests in Copenhagen and around the world, the LA community coming together to stand up to ICE…

Creativity as resistance

During this defining time, I am reminding myself - and you, that your creative spirit is not a “nice to have”, it is the very source of change that can create true resilience and transformation. And tending to it is an act of resistance in itself, and a gateway to new possible futures.

So, I’ve been hatching something new with another creative spirit, Chuva Featherstone, who is a brilliant design leader, artist and - also a coach.

She is also the first Black coach I know in Copenhagen (I’ve been trying to find people for a community of black creatives to no avail). I want you, especially the Black and brown people, to know about her, because I know some of you are seeking coaching that reflects your lived experience more closely. And because establishing her practice is the very act of representation and new possibilities.

Take me to Creative Church

So, Chuva and I celebrated this milestone last week - we went to a concert of the one and only Jon Batiste. It was electric, to say the least. From the moment he entered the room, he had us all with him, by his sheer essence and energy. The energy in the room was incredible. He said we were the Creative Church. And, you can take me to this church any day (I’m not religious, but...).

If you’ve ever watched any of his performances, whether on The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert, the Grammys, or elsewhere, you will know that his essence fills the entire room. It’s rare to see someone being so “plugged in”. I don’t know how to name the thing he’s plugged into, but I know it well, so I’ll call it creative spirit. Something overwhelmingly limitless, completely absorbing, existing across time and space dimensions, outside oneself, inside oneself and everywhere in between at the same time. ✨✨✨

When he’s playing, he is wholly connected to this creative spirit. He BECOMES the music and he does it with so much humility, presence, creativity and joy. He, to me, is Black joy embodied. And, for some moments during the concert, the entire concert hall became the music, together. And it reminded me of what I’m here to be - what we’re all here to be: unhindered creative expression.

Watching the American Symphony documentary (the film about his life, love and creativity on Netflix) after the concert, I realised that the only difference between his “genius” and other people’s might be his unwavering dedication to be true to this creative intelligence, flowing through. For him, it’s music; for me, it’s a lot of different things; for you, it may be something completely different. It doesn’t really matter, cause they all come from the same place.

I love what he says in the film:

The connection to “music” we all have, and some of us are aware of it, some of us can connect to it, and some of us can actually live by it. This is what my commitment is, after years of external conditioning about who I am and who I am supposed to be: to be fiercely committed to my creative spark, and follow it without question or delay. Not block it with resistance. Some days, it’s so damn hard.

Moments of connection

Seeing Jon play made me reflect on what those magical moments are for me, when I am so completely connected that I become the thing.

I know them well: running in my parents’ garden, playing in the forest, climbing trees, dancing freely (before I started ballet), playing the piano, painting and being in creative sessions with other people. These days, it’s when I’m coaching, fully present with the person or a room full of people, tapping into the creative genius that they all hold.

When I’m in these moments, I feel plugged in, my spirit free to move in any one direction as the process emerges from moment to moment. And, for me, what binds it all together is MOVEMENT. I process everything through my body, I am most creative when I move, I think best when I move, ideas and insights come to me when I move, and that’s when the signal is clearest, that’s when the contact with my intuition and my creative spirit is strongest.

I’m also convinced that it’s not all really mine at all; I’m just the doula who brings it into the world - in the service of life’s intelligence. And so are we all. I believe that we are the embodiment of Nature’s creativity, regardless of how it might express itself through us and our doing. And, if that is the case, it also means that it is unlimited.

And so it is with your creative spirit - there is so much more, always. Always there, seeking the unfolding. The question is, will you hear it, and will you become the music too, regardless of what the world thinks?

The symphony we’re meant to become

In American Symphony, there is another perspective shift he offers, which is so important and which I know many of you dot-connectors-who-don’t-fit-predefined-boxes-and-categories, will appreciate: transcending artificial categories and possibilities that the world has decided was possible for him as a Black man:

Breaking that canon at Carnegie Hall, THE institution of musical excellence and cultural significance in the world gave me the shivers. (You watch this short session of Jon with Pianote, where he talks about finding your sound and demonstrates exactly how he blurs the lines between classical and blues).

So, why is this so important during a time when the world as we know it seems to be collapsing? Because we are asked to honour the intelligence and creativity of life. It asks us to transcend categories, deconstruct hierarchies, racial and other, blur the lines, and erase artificial boundaries that separate us, so that we can become the most beautiful symphony together.

And so, the work is up to all of us, and it starts with unleashing our creative spirit from any and all constraints, so that it can be free to create - in service of life.
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In the spirit of this, Chuva and I are hatching a workshop on leadership, where we will explore how to embody your wild, creative genius and take inspired action - beyond the boxes, roles, and boundaries. Especially at times like these, because we believe being creatively liberated is essentially what can shift us into a new way of being and relating in the world. Wanna join? Keep your eyes on this newsletter.

And, here is his song Freedom, to kick you into gear, should you need it. 😉
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To the symphony we’re creating together,

Martina 🎶✨💃🏻

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Curious poke This time with a voice note, if you prefer that: ​​​​​Curious poke - Creative Church.mp3​ ​​​ When was the last time you felt truly plugged in - alive, limitless, connected to something beyond yourself? ​ What does it feel like in your body when you access that state? ​ If you completely transcended the artificial boundaries and boxes in your life, what would change around you? ​ What is the "music" looking to come into this world through you? ​

I am a fellow creative leader, a certified Co-Active coach and a strategic designer. I bring 20 years of experience and expertise in digital innovation, experience design, leadership and education.

I help stressed creative team leaders reclaim their creative confidence and self-belief to shape cultures and work that matters (and have fun with it again). Together, we create new possible futures. ☀️

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