Work together
“Janaka devoted his time to the development of my book in a way I hadn’t experienced before or since. The writing process was challenging for me, yet Janaka’s curiosity and his vision helped guide me forward. I am deeply grateful for this level of support, which I fully believe ensured that my book went on to receive both a Whiting Award and a Queer|Art Prize for New Work.”
“Janaka helped me write a story that I didn’t think I could write, and was an integral part of both the structural and spiritual aspects of composing my second book. It is rare to find a masculine mystic as embodied and knowledgeable as Janaka is, and I am so grateful to have been acquainted with him, to have worked with him, to have been polished by him.”
This work is for artists, writers, and creative people who are standing at a threshold.
Maybe you have a body of work that wants to become more public. Maybe you are trying to return to a practice after a season of disruption. Maybe you have outgrown the structures that once supported you, but don’t yet know what should replace them. Or maybe, from the outside, your life looks relatively successful—but inwardly you can feel that your creative life is asking for something more honest, more rigorous, and more fully your own. In 1:1 mentoring, we work together to clarify what is actually calling for your attention, and then build the structure to support it.
This is not accountability coaching in the shallow sense. It is not productivity hacking, content strategy, or vague encouragement. It is a sustained conversation about your work, your life, your ambition, your resistance, and the practical conditions that will allow your creative practice to become real in the world.
My approach is both intuitive and structural. I believe creative practice is inseparable from the rest of a life: money, time, family, desire, spiritual hunger, professional pressure, and the need for meaning. A vision is not enough on its own. It needs rhythm. It needs protection. It needs a form.
I bring to this work more than fifteen years of experience helping organizations move from vision to execution, including work with Harvard Business School, McGraw-Hill Education, Barnes & Noble Education, and other mission-driven teams navigating ambiguity and change. I also bring decades of experience as a poet, artist, publisher, and performer, building creative projects in the real world without waiting for ideal conditions.
In our sessions, we might work on clarifying the larger arc of your creative practice, designing a sustainable rhythm, making decisions around work and money, preparing a project to meet an audience, navigating a transition, or understanding why the same obstacle keeps appearing in different forms. The work is practical, but not reductive. Strategic, but not soulless. Spacious, but not vague.
The goal is not simply to produce more. The goal is to help you build a creative life that can actually hold what you are here to make.
“The path of an artist can often feel like a solo one, with dreams leading the way. As an artist I thrive on ideas, inspiration and a wild nature. I knew I needed guidance on structure, and solid actions toward my vision. Working with Janaka was exactly what I was looking for. The simple act of saying yes, a commitment to myself—with the support of Janaka—propelled my art career and personal well being forward. Working with Janaka brought structure, obtainable goals, accountability and a solid and safe space. Janaka is present, and grounded, holding space while seeing solutions. Being an artist doesn’t have to be a solo venture, it can be a path of success, support and momentum. The work I did with Janaka has stayed with me. I am grateful for the tools, and a light on the path forward. “”
“Working with Janaka was divine timing—in the midst of career turnover and major life changes, I worked with Janaka to not only approach creativity through a new lens, but to approach life in a way that is fulfilling and intentional. Janaka helped me first identify then achieve some of my goals in only a few weeks while also setting me up for sustainable success. This mentorship program is perfect for providing direction and intention in a way that is approachable and magical.””
I offer two structures for working together, each designed for different creative ambitions.
Two Month 1:1 MENTORing Program: $2,000
Payment plans and sliding scale rates are available.
These are the relationships I truly love cultivating because they are so impactful. With more time together at our disposal we can explore various exercises and meditative practices for quieting one’s mind and uncovering the heart of your practice. Unlike the one-time consultation where I take your portfolio away and sit with it, we will be doing work together, in real-time.
During our eight weekly hour-long sessions we will look at whatever creative output you want to workshop together. Additionally, we will talk about ways to build on past successes and enhance your practice through customized reading recommendations, writing prompts, and lifestyle rituals.
After the initial eight sessions end, these relationships can last as long as they are adding value to your life. Many people I have worked with in the past continue to meet with me weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or simply on an ad hoc basis as needed.
ONE MONTH GROUP WORK: $495
For those who want a shared container, I also offer VIRYA: a small-group course for creative people ready to stop waiting for better conditions and begin building the structure their work requires. Where 1:1 mentoring gives us room to work closely with the full complexity of your particular life, VIRYA offers a focused cohort experience built around clarifying your creative north star, translating it into vision, creating a 6-to-12-month roadmap, and establishing the habits that make the work sustainable. It is less individualized than 1:1 work, but it offers its own kind of power: momentum, witness, and the companionship of other people taking their creative lives seriously.
“Janaka helped establish a direction in my career path that I could not have anticipated and have benefitted from for the years following our initial sessions. The tools we employed towards establishing and pursuing my individual goals were simple and practical, but I entirely credit their success with Janaka’s supportive and enthusiastic presence which he brought to every meeting. Regardless of where you are in your professional or spiritual life, if you sense you could benefit from Janaka’s help, I couldn’t recommend his services more—you would not only glean wisdom from his years of hard-won professional and personal successes but you will gain an ally whose sincere interest in his students’ own success surpasses the confines of allotted time.”
“Through Janaka’s guidance, I have shifted from dreading the promotion of my work to engaging with promotion as a creative practice in and of itself, and even feeling genuine joy and excitement in the process. I was so grateful for Janaka’s encouragement to honor the daily practices that keep me feeling centered when I’m navigating new terrain. I used to downplay the importance of these practices and now I appreciate that they are just as vital to my career as the moments where I’m actively creating.”
“When I retired from the financial industry, I was determined to focus on growing my creativity. After a couple of years of some solo flailing around, I had the best fortune to connect with Janaka. Working with him as my creative mentor has been game changing for me. He has collaboratively guided me in building an individualized creative process that works for me—providing insight, input, knowledge and reading recommendations that have been uncannily perfect. Now, I am creating within a framework that supports productivity with goals. I recommend Janaka to all—he is a uniquely qualified, creative artist and mentor who I feel incredibly grateful to be working with.”
