Lisa Pontoppidan, M.Ed.
Creativity Coach

I am a singer/songwriter, and have been since my early teens. I play mostly folk and perform locally. While my current creative focus is music, I have also done visual art - ink drawings, pressed flower art, and nature collages. I have designed brochures and created board games. I occasionally write poetry and make documentary films and short videos.

Let me tell you a story.
Many years ago, I had a workplace injury and ended up with bad chronic tendinitis in both my arms. I couldn't do most activities of daily living.
What was much more difficult: I couldn't play guitar or do art work. 
After more than a decade of struggling with this, I learned some important lessons. Take them to heart, because we all need them:

• You are beautiful, interesting, lovable, & magnificent just being you. This doesn't depend on anything that you do, make, create, or give. As the saying goes, "You are a human being, not a human doing."
• You can persevere! Life doesn't go according to your plan, but you can find ways to do things, be creative, and move toward goals despite your physical limitations, or any life setbacks.
• You are actually a very strong person. Part of being strong is adaptability. You may not be unbreakable, but your spirit is like a tall pine tree, firmly planted in the earth, swaying in the wind. 

I believe in following your love and passion and being joyfully imperfect. 

I have always been an artist, starting with childhood cut-outs of creatures and made-up songs to the sea. While creating comes naturally to me, it hasn’t always been easy to believe in myself. I know how that inner critic can slow down and sometimes completely stop the creative process. I know about being a shower singer and living room performer - listening to the old voice that says, “Who would want to hear my songs?”
 
I’ve found various ways to talk back to that insidious voice and choose empowering beliefs instead. I’ve found techniques that make an end run around the ready critic and towering brick walls of fear. I’d like to share them with you.

 In addition to coaching, I have taught lessons, classes, and workshops in unlocking creativity, music theory, songwriting, singing, nature art, and video production. I also teach English as a Second Language at a program of Boston University, where I often encourage creativity in my students.  I have a BA in Television Production, A Master's in Teaching, and I am trained as a Creativity Coach by Eric Maisel and the Creativity Coaching Association.

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“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness
​has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”   - Goethe