My name is Tom Bibby and I’m a Creative Career Coach.
I’ve helped hundreds of people in the creative sector to develop their careers, improve their lives and achieve ambitious goals.
I work with freelancers, creatives and small businesses to create a tailored plan: we identify aims, create action plans, and execute targets effectively.
My first foray into a creative career was at the tender age of 18 when I formed a 20-strong UK Hip-Hop collective of rappers, producers, DJs and singers called Underground Alliance.
I went by the not-so-subtle nickname of Doobie and my house was known as The Basement, the studio and HQ of our label: UNDALI Records.
This was in the early 2000s when we had no access to the kinds of technology and learning resources available now, so we had to teach ourselves everything. We organised national tours, released vinyl and CDs and collaborated with graffiti artists to create merchandise and music videos. A portfolio of my work from this period secured me a place at the University of Westminster.
Whilst at University I developed a deep love for Reggae and Dub music, writing a thesis on the genres and starting to work with musicians from record label On-U Sound.
After Uni, I skipped between youth work and temp jobs at the major labels for a few years, independently releasing my solo album and forming a new group with singer Ghetto Priest called Screaming Soul.
We collaborated with various musicians to record our debut album “Ghost In A Shell” and followed it a few years later with an album of Dub remixes by Mutant Hi-Fi and Adrian Sherwood called “Ghost Inna Dub“.
In 2011, in a warehouse in Hackney Wick, some friends and I set up a boutique label called Emerging Species on which we released the Screaming Soul albums as well as various other albums and singles. It was an exciting dynamic community of creatives making experimental music with innovative marketing schemes, running events and producing music videos.
I felt so close to achieving my dreams, but I was crippled with fears and doubts. By the time my second child was born, I reluctantly gave up my music and sought out full-time work.
I found a job as a teacher at a Music College in North London called SoundSkool. Over the next 10 years, I helped change the lives of hundreds of young people.
SoundSkool was an amazing place to work and I’m so proud of the incredible things we achieved in the time I was working there, but it was not without its challenges. The organisation operated on a shoestring budget and I was never certain whether I would have a contract in the next academic year.
We also had a large number of young people with serious issues, as is often the nature of organisations like this, so I would have to take on many different roles to support their well-being as well as their academic progress. I began teaching meditation to my students and found this to have a profound effect on many of them.
Then, during the pandemic, I launched a well-being business called Sacred Oak and trained as a coach, but I was still working full-time and struggled to give it the attention it needed. Working in education was rewarding but exhausting. I felt stuck, creatively unfulfilled and energetically drained. So I quit my job and embarked on a journey of self-discovery.
I dedicated two years to developing a writing portfolio whilst focusing my energy on my family and improving my health and well-being.
My screenplays did well in film festival competitions, I launched a SubStack and began working on a novel. I felt creatively fulfilled but I missed working directly with people to help them improve their lives.
A profound experience at a Sacred Sons Men’s Retreat shifted my perspective and helped me to realise that what I was looking for had been in front of me all along.
I decided to launch a new company that combined my passions for creativity and well-being and allowed me to share my knowledge and experience with other creatives on a similar journey.
Lucid Mover is a business dedicated to helping creatives improve their lives, achieve their dreams and have a positive impact on the world.
I have great admiration for anyone who commits themselves to pursuing a creative career. It can be hard work carving out a path through the unknown, but that’s why working with a Creative Career Coach can help.
I understand the struggles and challenges you’re facing because I’ve faced them myself and with my experience, insight and toolkit of resources, we can overcome those obstacles together.
To book a FREE call to discuss how I might be able to help you, click the link below or use the contact form or social media links at the bottom of this page to send me a message.
To find out more about my exploits, check out my SubStack page where you can sign up to receive regular updates.
Get in touch
I am always interested to hear from people interested in my work and am open to collaborations and opportunities. Get in touch on social media via the links below.
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