When Elizabeth Miller gave me the opportunity to work with her as an assistant teacher, I was nervous at first. I knew how much I loved poetry and art, but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to tune in to every student. However, the second I entered my first class, I felt oddly relaxed. The anxious energy calmed down and I looked around to see kind, passionate, and intelligent elementary schoolers, each with their own unique artistic presence and creative style. I learned how to talk to each person, not by using the same approach for everyone, but by tuning in to where they were at, how they felt, and where their interests lay.
Last spring, working with elementary students, I saw the power of poetry and film from a new perspective and it clarified my own direction.
My path into classrooms began with a nine-month fellowship in creativity and leadership awarded by Pseads (seeds), a Bay Area nonprofit. As one of fifteen fellows, I was challenged to design a passion project that contributed to the community. I partnered with Elizabeth Miller, director of Pseads, to co-lead a narrative writing and filmmaking initiative focused on hope and creative vision. Together, we guided elementary school students to write original poems and then integrate them into short films.
What struck me most wasn't just their creativity, but how the process gave them courage to take risks and share new sides of themselves. I listened closely, sketched storylines, taught students how to use storyboards and drafting tools, recorded their voices, and collaborated to bring their visions to life.
One moment that stays with me was helping an especially reluctant student, let’s call her Jenny, rally five classmates to act in her film. The group rarely got along, yet through the project, they found ways to collaborate and trust each other. Jenny's film went on to win an award from a council of filmmakers, scientists, and humanitarians who reviewed over a thousand student films.
Through mentoring students, I’ve helped foster confidence, curiosity, joy, and connection. To me, community means building environments where people feel safe enough to express themselves and grow together.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved art. When I was six, my dad asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I answered, “Who I am now, an artist.” When he asked what kind, I said, “Everything.” One of my earliest memories is sitting with him as he played piano, my small fingers following across the keys. That moment sparked more than a love for music; it began a way of seeing and expressing the world that continues to shape my life.
My longtime mentor and good friend, Elizabeth Miller, has nurtured my creative spark and without her support and encouragement, I would not be where I am today. Even in early elementary school, I remember how much I loved sitting at my desk and writing a poem as Elizabeth would read it and describe what she loved about it in such beautiful detail that I felt truly seen.
I didn’t realize it then, but feeling seen from a young age can build a foundation for success in the future. And by success I don’t just mean appearing successful, I mean feeling passionate, authentic, and alive.
Creative coaching is my way of taking a value-focused approach to connect with an artist’s views, ideas, and original perspectives. I do not want to shape you, I want to help you shape yourself into exactly who you want to be, just like how Elizabeth helped me.
Through creative coaching, I will not only prepare young people for the next phase of their lives, but I will help them assert themselves now as the unique, authentic, and wonderful people they are.
Whether I’m writing, filming, or teaching, I’m most alive when I’m creating or helping others find their voice. For me, creativity isn’t a pastime, it’s a way of being. It reminds us what it means to be human and gives each of us the power to shape the future.
Email lizzie@lizzielamorte.com to find out if creative coaching is a fit for you.
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