We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynn Downey Braswell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

My journey of creating Work of Art Coaching, which offers holistic support to creative professionals, has been so filled with ease, I know I’m stepping into my calling. It’s not that there aren’t challenges or fears that come up, but I feel deeply aligned serving my fellow artists by creating space to heal and grow.
See, I’d never thought I could run a business alongside my acting career. I’d worked side jobs for years and almost all of them were for female entrepreneurs, or entrepreneurial couples. It was amazing to see, but I didn’t know if I could do it!
That changed for me in June of 2020. The slowdown of quarantine helped me reflect on some huge changes I’d made in my own life, and recognize I was ready to give back.

Around my ten year mark in LA as a working actor, I’d booked commercials, a couple TV shows, and done a ton of indie projects. I’d created a cooking show, produced comedy sketches, and adapted a book into a award-winning play, touring SoCal in the lead role. I’d even met and married the love of my life! But still…

I hit a wall. The truth was, I was artistically and professioanlly heartbroken. I couldn’t see all I had accomplished in the shadow of all I hadn’t.

I realized I had to do this acting career thing differently, or I needed to do something different.

As I began to look for solutions, I found the help I needed through receiving life coaching. I discovered I had ownership over my experience of my life. I coudln’t control what happened, but I did have authority over what I made it mean.

As I implimented the what I learned on the inside, the exernal results started to show up! I signed with a new agent, I booked my first guest star role, followed swiftly by my first pilot & recurring role in a series! Whoa!

 Friends started asking about what I was doing, because they could see the change in me. I began to share with actors what was working. I asked if this kind of support would be something they’d want and I was met with a resounding, “Yes!”

I wanted to bring all of what worked for me to my people. And Work of Art Coaching was born. I’m a little over a year in with no end in sight!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Work of Art Coaching empowers actors, artists, and creatives to see themselves as Works of Art while equipping them to create aligned relationships with the business, their craft, and themselves.
I work with creatives in one-on-one and group settings, supporting each individual with tools, space, questions and compassion to work out the small kinks that can create big blocks in their professional and artistic lives.
One of my clients was recently telling her partner about our coaching sessions. He said, “She’s like a therapist for your acting career!”
I invite artists to slow down, get curious, mourn what has been lost, let go of judgements, and with great love, look to where they want to go. When something isn’t working or we feel resistance, there is always an internal reason. My job is to help you uncover that very logical reason, so that you can decide what you want to do with it. We get clear and aligned on the inside, and from that place we can take actions, going for our dreams, 5% at a time.

I deeply believe that when a person decides, “I will never reject myself,” anything is possible.

What makes me unique as a mindset coach is that I’m, (as Teddy Roosevelt & Brene Brown would say) “In The Arena.” I’m a working actor who also writes, directs & produces. I will often finish a coaching and start on a self tape, post a podcast and then head to an acting class, host a resilience workshop and then use those skills at a casting director workshop! Because of my 16 years of experience as a working actor, I can also pop on my consultant hat when asked, and share what I know. I practice what I preach and am constantly updating my skills, so spouting off theories isn’t my bag!

One of the ways I keep learning is through The Work of Art Coaching Podcast. I’m endlessly curious about the inner experience of artists I admire. I get to ask them, “What does it FEEL like to be BRAVE?” and “How do you take care of yourself along the way?”  I’ve interiewed artists, healers, coaches, and activists like DeSean Terry of The Morning Show, Sethward from America’s Got Talent, Jon Snow from All Rise and Good Girls, Brandon Alter from The Spiritual Gayz, Zoe Lumiere from Allowing Love, and more. They bring such a wealth of wisdom and it is so incredible to hear the inner stories behind the public wins.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I have all the secret places. You’re welcome.

WORK/HIKE/CHILL: I’m a huge huge fan of Brand Park & Library. There are great hiking trails, a gorgeous park and an incredible art library that has recently been renovated to reflect the original home, creating the best free work/study space in town. Maybe I shouldn’t tell about that one!

SHOP & SNACK: Once you’re there, head down to Kenneth Village, a tiny enclave of shops and cafes in the middle of the Glendale hills. There you have to hit up YOGA-URT! It’s all handmade, vegan, and shockingly delicious.You’ll also find a Coffee Commissary and the Village French Bakery. There’s a music store, a couple of clothing spots, and a new taco place I can’t wait to check out!

PARKS: Franklin Canyon Park is a little oasis of nature hiding in the middle of the city. Being from the Midwest, nothing fills me up like a lake, a creek, and deciduous trees and this little spot has them all.

BEACH: If you’re a beach goer, it’s worth the drive to go all the way to County Line Park, right on the edge of Ventura and LA Counties in north Malibu. It’s tucked away, never to busy, and the perfect day get away.

TACOS: Birrieria San Marcos – Tacos served with this gorgeous rich thick consume. Whoah. Mind. Blown.

CAFE: Porto’s. Duh.

PASTRY: Lou The French on the Block – insane french pastries, chocolate almond croissants! An amazing Black-owned family business in Toluca Lake

STEAK & AMBIANCE: The Old Place – Agora Hills go back in time for these steaks and steamer clams!

FARMER’S MARKET: South Pasadenas Farmer’s Market – Thursdays: The best!!!

R.I.P. Chego…

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Melissa Blue of Rock Your Reel. I am currently drinking from a mug she got me that says, “Actually, I Can,” while wearing a shirt she got me that says “One Tough Mother,” in reference to my first feature screenplay I’m writing. I wish everyone had a Melissa Blue in their corner! We went to college together and I was in awe of her confidence, talent, and drive. We started our careers on opposite coasts, but when she moved to LA, the magic happened! I was in a rough patch professionally and personally. I shared some of my woes of not having the kinds of materials I needed to represent my talent and she said, “Girl, I got you.” We went on to co-create an award-winning web series called “Life Group,” she acted in my play “Cold Tangerines” in the 2016 LA Fringe Festival, and she invited me to begin directing and writing for her company Rock Your Reel, which creates brand specific scenes for actors, saving them years. Melissa has done more than save me years, she’s been a work-wive, a cheerleader, a fantastic friend and an inspiration. Any time we’d get stuck with Life Group, she’d say, “DANCE BREAK!” and I always need to remember to do that for myself! One birthday she got me lights for my self tape set up. She wants me to be seen and shine and knowing that helps me be brave enough to want that for myself. Thank you MELISSA!

Website: WorkofArtCoaching.com

Instagram: @lynndowneybraswell

Youtube: youtube.com/downey543

Other: Instagram @work.of.art.coaching Work of Art Coaching Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-work-of-art-coaching-podcast/id1548401817

Image Credits
Lucia Donel – tinylicious.co Loren Mally Melissa Blue

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