Interview: Alex Kingsmill of Upstairs

By Andrea McArthur

Have you ever met someone who lives each day to its fullest potential, who has clear direction in their life and career?

With guidance you can also sculpt your life into a more authentic one and become the person you really want to be. Alex Kingsmill is a Creative Women's Circle member with a difference. She does not create with her hands but she moulds with her words. Alex is the founder of "Upstairs" an evidence-based Coaching and Counselling Consultancy. In short Alex helps thinking women work out who they are, where they want to go and how they want to get there. She is a designer of sorts, helping women design great lives.

What led you down your current path?

I had always lived a ‘should’ life, doing what I thought was expected of me. I did well at school, I went straight to uni and studied law because I had the marks and I got a ‘proper’ job even though it was boring and the people were uninspiring. I was doing everything I thought I should do but I was dreading getting up in the mornings.

So I started to look more closely at how I really wanted my life to be, at who I really wanted to be. And I transformed almost everything: I met new people, I moved to a new area, I re-trained, I quit my job and I set up my own business. Now everything is the way I always wanted it to be and I feel really happy. My coaching work focuses on helping other women transform their lives in similar ways.

Who do you admire?

There’s not one single person who I turn to for inspiration. I just generally admire people who live truthfully, folk who have the courage to live a life that is really truly them, one which will make them happy and allow them to be the best person they can be.

It sounds super cheesy but my partner is someone who does that really well. He’s completely honest in who he is; he lives authentically. He also has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He’s a constant reminder for me, of how to Live Life Well.

What has been the biggest / most positive / successful change you have seen in a client?

My clients often amaze me with the exciting and bold steps they take: leaving soul-destroying jobs, starting businesses, pursuing positive relationships, travelling to amazing places, igniting creative projects.

These achievements are inspiring but the most powerful changes I see are the internal shifts: when a client starts to know herself better; like herself more; grow in confidence. I think it takes a lot of courage to really look inside and ask yourself what is needed, to become the person you want to be. So those are the changes that I find most exciting.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

There were lots of things I hated when I was working a nine-to-fiver but the biggest ones were having no flexibility and working in a grey office. Now I love my days: I work from home in an office that has art and books and flowers and that looks out onto the street – I like watching people walk by.

On a typical day I’ll spend my mornings seeing clients, responding to emails, reading books and writing my blog or an article. Mid-morning I always break for coffee and cinnamon toast and usually get distracted by Twitter, Facebook, Instagram... In the afternoon I might swim or go for a walk or meet a friend – something to clear my head and make my heart happy. Then I see more clients, after they finish work.

What future plans do you have for your business?

I am crazily excited about the future for Upstairs! I am looking forward to meeting more clients, developing group projects, writing a book and hopefully, forming a collaboration. I’m not sure yet who it will be with or what form it will take but I have a feeling it’s taking shape!

5 Questions in 5 minutes

Getting Personal

Studio Sounds, what's playing? It’s super nerdy but I actually work best when it’s quiet… so nothing’s playing!

What are you currently reading? My bedside table is always piled with self-help books… but it’s ok and Not Creepy because it’s for my work! At the moment I’m reading Hugh Mackay’s "The Good Life" which was recommended by a friend, as well as "How to Change the World" and "The School of Life" both by Paul Flintoff.

What are you looking forward to? I just had a little baby girl and I am ridiculously excited about all the changes she’s going through. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.

Can you share your go to resource for motivation? Whenever I’m feeling flat or unmotivated at work, I drink good coffee and watch a TED talk www.ted.com. It always gets my brain firing again. Otherwise, I hang out in the psychology section at Readings Bookshop in Carlton.

What is your local areas best kept secret? My local best kept secret are the junior entrepreneurs who set up on the bike path near Edinburgh Gardens during the last school holidays. They make their chaperone (Dad) sit (sort of) out of sight, behind the bushes while they sell Chocolate Crackles and Honey Joys to folk who pass by. They drive a (hilarious) hard bargain but their produce is top notch.

Take some time and ask yourself are you living truthfully?

You can contact Alex through the following channels: Email: alex@upstairs.net.au Visit: www.upstairs.net.au Like: www.facebook.com/UpstairsCoaching Follow: twitter.com/Upstairs_Coach

 Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. Andrea works as a freelance graphic designer in Brisbane by day and lectures in graphic design by night. You will find her sharing design related goodness via @andyjane_mc

Bricks and Mortar: Total Balance - Kate James

By Catherine Harvey Kate James loves working with people. In particular, her clients are generally 'creative' types who have reached a point in their lives where they need to do something differently but don't know how to do it on their own. In many ways, I wonder if this is the nature of a lot of creative people and their insatiable desire to improve themselves and strive for perfection.

I, myself, am a perfectionist and through this character trait I also know that it causes a great deal of angst and introspection to ascertain what will actually make me happy. With all people - women in particular - I can understand that there is a level of difficulty in finding the correct balance in your life. From juggling your career, your family, social life, exercise and general wellbeing there seems to exist a constant pressure of having to do it all - and be happy.

This is the area of expertise that Kate identifies with and provides her clients insight into. The notion of deciphering what you value in life may seem quite simple, however, I think when each of us actually tries to articulate this, the answers become far more complex than we first realised. It's quite easy to say that we would like to be happy but actually achieving this is another story. For example, Do you believe you would be happier if you were earning more money?

Having recently attended a Happiness Conference, Kate discussed with me that studies have indicated that financial happiness reaches its peak at around $50-60,000 per year and that even when you receive more than this there is a marginal difference in your levels of happiness. This reminded me of the stories you hear about people winning Tattslotto and that shortly after their elation of the increase in money their happiness levels return to their previous state. So, if we all know that money doesn't create happiness then the next important question remains - what does?

Kate's approach to assisting her clients is to take on a mentoring/coaching role. Her methodology is to uncover the answers that you already have. With eleven years of training behind her, I can tell you that even from the short time I was there I noticed a difference in my own desire to discover what I most valued in life and how I could actually achieve my dreams. As a creative myself, I know that I need to dream. It keeps me sane to imagine a different reality. I think the challenge in this lies with assessing where my strengths actually are and being practical about what I want to do and how I can achieve this.

What Kate offers isn't the traditional 'bricks and mortar' retail experience. It is, however, an exploration of the mind to truly ascertain what you value, what your dreams are and also creating a situation where you are accountable for taking actions to achieve these goals. Sometimes all you really need is someone to listen for you to uncover the answers. And really, if you can achieve this then surely you have found something that money can't buy.

Total Balance - Career, Business and Life Coaching 454 Collins Street Melbourne 3000. P 9505 0424. totalbalance.com.au

Catherine Harvey lives and breathes design. Working at one of Melbourne’s top studio’s, she is rarely ever away from her computer. She loves to keep up to date with the design industry in a global and local context and follows too many blogs to count! You can follow her findings here.

Fashion and the Law with Sharon Givoni: Monday 24th June

 

The area of intellectual property and brand protection is crucial to fashion designers, textile designers and the like.

Sharon Givoni (who ran our very popular Intellectual Property Protection event earlier this year), will speak at a seminar on Monday at Box Hill Institute. It's a must for everyone who wants to make it in the fashion/design world & wants to learn how to protect their valuable ideas and products.

Sharon will speak and answer your questions about:

• When & how to protect your designs, patterns, brand names and more
• What to do if someone copies your label
• Differences between fashion ideas & protectable IP
• Copyright
• Design registration
• Trade mark registration

When: Monday 24 June 6pm-7pm Where: Room W1.162, Box Hill Institute, 465 Elgar Rd, Box Hill,VIC, Cost: Free

You're invited to our next event!

Hi everyone!

Our next guest speaker event is coming up on Saturday 6 July.

Join us to hear jeweller and founder/director of boutique jewellery stores Pieces of Eight and Edition X, Melanie Katsalidis, speak about her career as a maker and shop owner, the delights and challenges of mixing creativity with business, and surviving in the niche retail landscape.

After Melanie's talk we'll have morning tea, and you can meet likeminded ladies in our community. What an energising way to spend a cold wintery morning!

More info & tickets are available here or see more of her beautiful work (pictured below) over at Pieces of Eight.

Organise Me: 5 Tips for Keeping on Top of Social Media

By Dannielle Cresp

I love social media for how it’s grown my business and brought new friends and acquaintances into my life. But, there’s no denying that without some organisation, it can take over your life. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to find that balance between time spent on social media and time spent away from it now that it’s such a big part of many of our lives and businesses.

Here are 5 things I’ve found that work for me:

• Set a time limit - know how and when you’re going to allocate your time to social media and stick to it.
• Just log out - as difficult as it is, I’ve taken to logging right out of social media sites so that I’m less tempted to just open the browser for ‘a moment’ and get lost in there.
• Know why you’re logging on - if it’s for fun, or if it’s for your business - that’s cool, just be honest and know why you’re on there and spend the time accordingly. I’ve found I spend less time checking out of habit now I think about why I’m checking each site.
• Set a goal to work towards - I’ve found that setting a follower goal or looking at the engagement of my followers when it comes to my business and my projects helps me to see the value of spending time there.
• Delete the app - this one may be extreme, but if you find that the apps are distracting you from doing your to do list or from creating something amazing, consider deleting the apps during the week or only logging on when at the computer. It’s amazing what I’ve achieved now I’m not constantly waiting for the facebook app to load.

Some days are tougher than others to stay on top of this, but I’m loving having just that little more time for fun projects and not feeling that sense of guilt when I do log on to catch up with friends. I hope they are helpful to you too.

Dannielle is a blogger, serial organiser and passionate traveller. She has a secret love of 90s teen movies and can often be found on Twitter. In 2013, Dannielle packed up her life in Melbourne into one suitcase and moved to Canada to make her crazy dream of a more adventurous life happen. But she quickly found the inspiration she was searching for was in Melbourne and has recently returned home. You can find out more on her blog.

Book Review: The Confidence Workout by Michelle Landy

by Janine Fitzpatrick How confident are you? Are you assured in every circumstance? Or do you second-guess yourself regularly? Quiver at the thought of the unfamiliar?

No matter how talented or skilled you may be a lack of confidence can inhibit your capacity for success.

Michelle Landy is a personal coach, university lecturer and presenter and she's written a book that might just help those of us who under-estimate our capability. The Confidence Workout takes you through 17 steps to help you feel more confident at work and in your life.

Landy succinctly outlines some of the obstacles which limit our ability to believe in ourselves such as the inner voice of criticism, the fear of failure, the negative nellies surrounding us. Most importantly though she outlines simple strategies to overcome these obstacles.

Each "workout" gives you an element to focus on in building your confidence. Instructions like "keep your own word" reminds us how important it is to set realistic goals.

"Not doing what you say may seem inconsequential, but it isn't. It will silently erode your confidence".

Setting progress markers in your attempts to introduce new skills will help you to remember just how much you have managed to achieve.

"Having a sense of progress nourishes our confidence. In turn, this motivates us to keep going".

Using real-life examples this book gives a clear guide on how to bring up your confidence levels. It sets you very easy tasks that help to improve your self-esteem and it offered some "ahaa" moments that may be blindingly obvious but are easy to forget in the hustle and bustle of modern life.

"The easiest way to keep our confidence alive is to do our pursuits in a regular rhythm, without large breaks in time. Breaks in time disconnect us from our flow and from our self-belief".

The Confidence Workout is a handy resource which provides a step-by-step outline to helping you face the world with a new air of determination.

CWC readers can get 30% off Michelle's book at her online store! Enter code promo37 at checkout to redeem your discount.

Janine Fitzpatrick blogs at  Shambolic Living where readers get to feel far happier about their lives when they experience the chaos of hers. She is coming to terms with being the mother of two teenagers, has given up on the dream of a tidy house and still plans to write a book one day.

Women in Art: Press photography - then & now

By Liz Banks-Anderson Recently I attended ' Press Photography: then & now', where Photographer and Bowness Photography Prize People’s Choice Award Winner (2010) Melanie Faith Dove discussed with fellow photojournalist Bruce Postle their experiences of working as professional photographers for The Age and how photo journalism has changed in the last fifty to sixty years.

Photojournalists manage to capture in one image many things. These can include the subtleties of emotions and relationships between people, moments of grief and hardship or political statements. Moments in life that can define an era, in one single shot. In an age where anyone can take a camera or their smartphone and press 'capture', the mark of a true photo journalist is an image that is truthful in its spontaneity and resulting authenticity.

The images shared at the talk provided insight into a world past and shed light on issues we continue to confront in the present and will become all the more significant in the future.

Melanie’s work comprises press photography as well as feature work and portraiture, book and magazine covers, to photo essays and news features.. She says to be a photographer, “…you almost have to be a bit nuts.”

Throughout the talk, each photographer shared images from their portfolio that displayed different elements of artistry, be it theatrical, realistic, political or pure fun.

In additon, both Melanie and Bruce offered their perspective on a dynamically changing industry, transformed by new media, digital technologies and the advent of the 24/7 news cycle. They shared the view that in an age flooded by user-generated images, the role of the photojournalist is important “…in shining a light on issues that need to be explored, exposed or preserved for now and future generations. They assist in educating the broader public and perhaps bring about transparency and change,” says Melanie.

The impact of technological advancements on the industry and its work practices has been transformative. With the help of an iPad or the smart phone, press photography is now more accessible to the reader than ever before. But accompanying these new technologies is also the expectation for the professional photographer to be ‘jack of all trades.’ Press photographers can work remotely, with jobs being emailed to them, resulting in, to a degree, a loss of camaraderie and sharing and learning from each other. Melanie says that this has been addressed in part by developing networks elsewhere.

However, new technologies have meant new opportunities as well, producing a variety of images for different purposes, such as online galleries.

What became clear is that behind each photographer’s method, as well as obvious talent, is an element of serendipity. Stumbling upon the perfect shot was all in the timing with stories ‘coming out of left-field.’ There is also an element of self-determination in seeking the perfect image, by placing yourself in the right place at the right time, “I have often given myself jobs, because I want to see and experience things,” said Melanie.

More information about Melanie Faith Dove and her portfolio can be found at her website, and an exhibition of Bruce Postle's work entitled Image Maker is at the Monash Gallery of Art until June 30.

Liz is a communications professional and freelance writer from Melbourne. Liz’s own blog will be launched soon…In the meantime, she’s happy being a twit.