GRAIN’s creative leadership exists to help you make your ambitious ideas executable, without losing their potency.
I work with a small number of creative leaders when the shape of their work, identity or business is changing and the old ways of operating no longer fit.
Together, we bring coherence to who you are, what you’re building, and how you move through the world, so your internal life, creative direction and operational reality are working in the same direction.
I’ve spent three decades inside high-pressure cultural and creative environments. I understand the tension between vision and reality and the support required to bridge the two.
What type of work
I work with creative founders, studio leaders and independent practitioners who are navigating complexity, when growth, identity, ambition or creative direction are shifting, and the internal infrastructure hasn’t caught up yet.
1. Creative Direction for Your Practice
Refining the shape, voice and direction of your work so what you make, how you make it, and the world you want to inhabit feel aligned and intentional.
2. Operational Clarity & Capacity
Bringing structure to the parts of your practice that feel chaotic or undefined: decision-making, priorities, systems and the rhythm of your weeks. Not corporate, just a clearer operating environment for creative excellence.
3. Founder Development & Creative Stamina
Supporting the human behind the work: your energy, identity, confidence, boundaries and ability to hold complexity as your practice evolves.
The emphasis is on clarity, alignment and sustained creative movement, so your work has direction, and you have the internal and external structure to carry it.
How it works
The rhythm of the work adapts to your season, but the structure remains constant.
1. Orientation
We begin by understanding the full landscape of your practice, the internal world, the creative identity, the operational structures, and the pressures shaping your decisions. This gives us a truthful, coherent map of where you are now.
2. Redirection
Together we refine the direction of your work and the systems that hold it: clarifying priorities, removing noise, shaping your creative and operational centre, and defining the path forward.
3. Momentum
We work in an ongoing dialogue, adjusting, strengthening and expanding the work as it unfolds, ensuring stability, clarity and movement over time.
A two-hour diagnostic session to clarify your direction.
Before any ongoing work, we begin with the Audit: a deep diagnostic that examines the psychological, creative and operational layers of your current situation.
You’ll complete a short reflective intake, followed by a 120-minute session focused on uncovering what is driving the tension or transition you’re in.
Within 3–5 days, you’ll receive a written proposal outlining:
-
your core themes
-
the recommended advisory duration
-
how we’ll work
-
the investment for your specific container
If we move forward, your Audit fee (£450) is deducted from the engagement fee.
A two-hour diagnostic session to clarify your direction.
Before any ongoing work, we begin with the Audit: a deep diagnostic that examines the psychological, creative and operational layers of your current situation.
You’ll complete a short reflective intake, followed by a 120-minute session focused on uncovering what is driving the tension or transition you’re in.
Within 3–5 days, you’ll receive a written proposal outlining:
-
your core themes
-
the recommended advisory duration
-
how we’ll work
-
the investment for your specific container
If we move forward, your Audit fee (£450) is deducted from the engagement fee.
A two-hour diagnostic session to clarify your direction.
Before any ongoing work, we begin with the Audit: a deep diagnostic that examines the psychological, creative and operational layers of your current situation.
You’ll complete a short reflective intake, followed by a 120-minute session focused on uncovering what is driving the tension or transition you’re in.
Within 3–5 days, you’ll receive a written proposal outlining:
-
your core themes
-
the recommended advisory duration
-
how we’ll work
-
the investment for your specific container
If we move forward, your Audit fee (£450) is deducted from the engagement fee.
Advisory is structured as a defined container, not an open-ended retainer.
Every engagement begins with a two-hour paid Audit, which gives us a precise understanding of your current landscape.
From there, I design a personalised advisory container, typically ranging from 8–24 weeks, depending on what emerged in the Audit.
Each container includes:
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Bi-monthly advisory sessions (60–75 minutes)
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Asynchronous support via Signal/WhatsApp (24–48 hour response window, Mon–Thu)
-
Reflection prompts, direction and frameworks where necessary
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A structured ending session to close the work intentionally
Insights from GRAIN
Writing that shapes my approach to creative direction, clarity and founder development.
Creative Freedom Is a Poor Muse
A look at why constraint, structure and limits are essential for sustained creative excellence.
The Work Beneath the Work
On the invisible forces that shape a creative practice: identity, rhythm, pressure and internal clarity.
Read →
Adrian van Winkelhof
Masters Psychology of Coaching.
Masters Conflict Resolution.
Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies.
Graduate Diploma of Counselling.
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Apply to Work Together
I work with a small number of clients at any given time. If you feel this is the right season for deeper clarity, structure and creative direction, you’re welcome to submit an application below.
This work is for founders, studio leaders and creatives who:
• are navigating a period of change or expansion
• want greater clarity, alignment and direction
• value a thoughtful, collaborative and long-term approach