We had the good fortune of connecting with Isabel Murphy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isabel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started the Bedford Creative Collective (BCC) because it’s the group I needed when I began writing full time: we do bi-monthly meetings of creative cohorts based in New York and LA, supplemented by alternating weeks of individual creative/ life coaching. Before I became a writer I worked as a domestic violence prosecutor and during those years I lost the thread of my essential self. I was running on somebody else’s hamster wheel, and it was wobbly as hell.

After the birth of my second son, I started writing, which I’d done all through college. I realized I was working my way back to what was true for me; learning to trust myself by putting pen to paper. I began to see that creative self expression was the path back to my deepest wisdom—and also to my innate delight and wonder. But I was lonely! I had nobody to share my work with and no one to encourage me.

The BCC was made to give creatives (psst we’re all creatives) a space of fundamental good will and support, which we desperately lack in our winner-take-all society. In my individual work, and through the groups, each member of the BCC has a space to discover and communicate his or her deepest hopes—and find them witnessed and supported. In the BCC, we unfurl and hold our ideal selves for each other. The accelerated growth that comes from sharing within a safe group is remarkable. I’ve been brought to my knees watching these circles impact creatives way beyond their artistic pursuits.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Historically, I’ve written literary fiction—ie: fancy prose, deep plots and complex characters. But when I started writing personal essays, (www.thenobletry.substack.com) my life blew open in the best way. I learned that its generous to write about my fears and failures. Offering my reader my vulnerabilities is an invitation to connect. It’s funny and disastrous and embarrassing to be a human being!! Why are we pretending otherwise? I feel deep intimacy with the people who read my pieces–it’s like I have hundreds of close friends.

In the process of writing novels, I also realized how hard it was to hold onto an artistic dream without support. I refused to abandon myself again (I’d already gone to law school and worked as an attorney for years to avoid ‘failing’ as a writer). I decided that if I wanted encouragement, I need to give it to other artists. And that’s how The Bedford Creative Collective and my coaching process were born. The journey was frustrating, but it was a gift.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would tell them to spend two nights in Topanga, smelling the eucalyptus and enjoying the cool, quiet air and hiking the canyon–maybe even rent a couple of horses and take a walk along the ridge for spectacular and unexpected views of the city. Then two days at Shutters, walking to the canals and breakfast at The Butcher’s Daughter. A couple of nights in WeHo at the Charlie would also be fun. The rooms there are named after golden-era celebrities and everybody has a private patio, covered in jacaranda and jasmine. I think Katsuya has the best sushi in town, and maybe after that, a show at Pantages. In the morning, wander to Alfred’s for caffeine. It’s fun to daydream while walking on Melrose and I’m especially proud of my friend Lisa Bubbers, whose piercing shop, STUDS, is now a fixture. Not sure I need more holes in my ears, but my best friend is adventurous.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My sister, Lily Cowles, who is a founding member of the BCC. She’s a bright light in my life–always supportive, always available to listen to my vulnerabilities or spitball creative ideas. She does what I hope to do for the people I work with: witness my highest self and hold onto that image as I walk myself there.

Website: thebedfordcreativecollective.com

Instagram: isabelvida

Other: www.thenobletry.substack.com

Image Credits
Phoebe Polk Art, Emily Neville Fisher Photography

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