Your creative life
matters, too.

I'm Marla. I help writers, artists and musicians realize more of their creative potential, from the inside out.

Let's Talk
Let's Talk

You lead a full life.

But there’s another life you want to be living, too.

Maybe you've been longing to give your own creative work more of your time, attention and devotion. You want to deepen your craft and develop a body of work. Perhaps it's time to finally finish your project and bring it into the world.

But year after year, the work that's truly yours keeps getting pushed to the edges of your attention, your schedule and your life.

Why?

You're capable and accomplished.

You know how to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

You show up for others and fulfill your roles and commitments.

So why is it so difficult to make the time and mental space you need for your own writing, art or music?

Especially when there's no deadline, paycheck or anyone else expecting you to do it?

Your creative life is worthy of your devotion.

Many of us grew up believing that creative practice is secondary to “real life.” So we fit our creative work in around everything else, rather than treating it as something inherently worthy of our time, attention and devotion. These beliefs are reinforced by a culture that tends to reward what can be measured, packaged or sold.

Our souls, though? They simply do not work this way.

Our writing, music and art deserve our finest efforts.

We need space, time and structure to follow our curiosity, give our best attention to our craft, and experience the deep satisfaction of finishing what we begin.

We need to discover and trust our own ways of working, pursue the work that matters most to us, and lead our creative lives with wisdom, compassion and practical savvy.

Over more than twenty years of working with writers, artists and musicians, I've developed a practical approach to helping people make room for their creativity, grow as artists, and bring meaningful work into the world.

I call it the Art of Creative Stewardship.

This is the path we’ll take.

Your Creative Self
Enliven your creativity.

Play. Experiment. Follow your curiosity. Generate original ideas and learn to trust your creative instincts.

Build a creative practice that is consistent, alive and genuinely your own.

Recognize and shift the habits and beliefs that keep your creative life perpetually sidelined.

Your Visionary Self
Choose what matters.

Listen deeply for what has life: the work you want to make and the creative life you want to build.

Choose where to place your creative attention. Sequence your goals to build momentum toward the creative life or career you envision.

Make room for your creative identity alongside your personal and professional commitments.

Nourish your creative work with the time, attention and mental space it deserves.

Your Creative Manager
Finish and share your work.

Develop the habits, structures and accountability your work needs. Navigate obstacles and find resources.

Move meaningful projects from idea to completion.

Bring your work into the world. Submit, publish, perform, exhibit, record, release or share your work.

Protect your creative momentum as you navigate the demands of your life.

You'll start leading your creative life

with confidence, purpose and authority.

  • "It’s rare, as a writer, to collaborate with someone who understands both the delicacy of the imaginative process and the management tools needed to finish a work of art. I can’t imagine having finished this novel so quickly, and so well, without her guidance."

    Daniel Schifrin, writer and teacher

  • “Working with Marla is transformative. She helped me see the big career picture and how all of my disparate pieces fit. A year later, I have an agent, a book contract, and an editor who wants a second book.”

    —Christina Boufis, Ph.D., former director, SFAI Writing Program; writer and content strategist

  • "Marla is a subtle magician. When I began working with her, I felt my inner artist and writer were trapped.... Just a little over one year later, I have created over one hundred pieces of art from a place of flow and authenticity."

    —Andrea Lee-Zucker, interdisciplinary artist and social entrepreneur

  • "Marla didn't tell me what I needed to do. She empowered me by helping me figure out what I needed to do to discover and commit to my vision... Two years later, I've gotten three essays published in The New York Times and I'm working with an agent on developing my first book."

    —Andrew Reiner, author of Better Boys, Better Men, writer and university educator

  • "I worked with Marla because I wanted to write. I am now a writer. It makes all the difference."

    — Matt Roche, CEO, Extole, Inc.

You already know you’re capable.

You know how to think deeply, solve difficult problems and get important things done. And you have real creative ability, developed over years, perhaps decades.

But if your creative life and work feel invisible, neglected or barely expressed, I'm here to help you change that.

Private Mentorship

Six months of one-on-one creativity coaching,
strategy and support.

We start wherever you are.

You may want to establish a serious creative practice, develop or finish a project, or make more room for your identity as a writer, artist or musician alongside the other important parts of your life.

We begin with a 90-minute Deep Dive to understand where you are now, what you want and what's getting in the way. Together, we'll find the right place to begin.

From there, we work closely together as you:

  • create more consistently

  • produce and finish work you’re proud of

  • submit, publish, perform, or share more of what you make

  • build a creative life that feels genuinely your own

Our work is guided by the Art of Creative Stewardship, an approach I’ve developed through more than twenty years of working with writers, artists and musicians.

I work with just a handful of private clients at a time so I can offer you generous attention, availability and support.

Let's Talk

Hi! I’m Marla.

I'm a creativity coach and strategist. I'm also a writer and musician.

For more than twenty years, I've helped writers, artists and musicians develop their talents, deepen their creative practices and bring meaningful work into the world.

My work is informed by thirty years of meditation practice and a life that's taught me a great deal about resilience, uncertainty, attention and what truly matters.

I know from experience that a fulfilling creative life isn't simply about making things. It's about how we live, what we choose to give ourselves to, and how we care for the work and the person doing it.

I bring this understanding to my coaching, working with you as a whole person.

Together, we’ll cultivate the freedom creative work requires and develop the structure, strategy and sustained attention that help your writing, art or music, and your life as a creative, flourish.

I hold an MFA in creative writing. I've worked with writers whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Nature, as well as Oprah Book Club authors. My clients have included journalists, professional writers, executives, scientists, attorneys, entrepreneurs, professors and artists.

My own creative work lives at Lively Future, an online living notebook where I share stories, photographs and original music.

Maybe you already know.

Maybe there's a book you've been wanting to write, music you've been wanting to make, or a creative project you'd love to develop or finish. Maybe you're ready to take your writing, art, or music in a new direction. Or maybe you don’t quite know what’s next.

Tell me what you've been thinking about. Dreaming about. What you're making, what you want to make, or where you might want to go.

I’ll read every word, and if I think I can help, we'll set up a time to talk and see if working together makes sense. Click the link below to get started.

Marla

Let's Talk

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