zebracollective
About Us
Jeff Crabtree
Qualifications:
PhD (UTS), MA Hons, Dip Ed (Macquarie University) Member of the International Association of Workplace Bullying and Harassment, Member of The International Association for the Study of Popular Music, Member of the Sydney Institute of Music and Sound Research.
Dr Jeff Crabtree is a speaker, author, researcher, filmmaker and multi award winning songwriter and music producer. His doctoral research was the first ever investigation of workplace and sexual harassment in the Australian and New Zealand music industry.
His keyboard playing can be heard on over 120 albums, TV commercials, films or videos. He has credits as producer on 26 albums and 49 other commercial projects. He is an accomplished piano player and keyboardist and has played in over 15 bands. He has worked with such luminaries as David Moyse (Air Supply), Andrew James (Midnight Oil) Hugh Wilson (Vertigo) and legendary recording engineer Keith Walker whose live recording credits include Midnight Oil as well as Elton John live.
He frequently moonlights as a blues performer and his latest album Bad Mr Popsicle was released in September 2014. It is one of three live recordings of original Rhythm and Blues songs under the working name of his band: Doctor Bob and the Amazing Disciples of Groove. As a songwriter, Jeff has had 94 songs recorded on 27 commercially released recordings to date in addition to numerous corporate video soundtracks. He is the recipient of 4 international awards for songwriting. He co-composed and co-produced music that now travels the globe on every Royal Brunei Airlines aircraft, as well as music for the Network Seven coverage of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. His new music project: Default Mode Network is currently in the works.
He has designed and implemented innovative creative and performing arts training programs for many years. At one time he was responsible for the management and direction of around 250 students and over 45 staff in an independent community arts college. He now teaches in a Master’s program at JMC Academy and is the Subject Coordinator of Music Business and Professional Practice at the University of Technology Sydney.
With Julie, (a registered psychologist) he is the author of Living With A Creative Mind - an operating handbook for creative people, which has been translated and published in Japan. He is the Managing Director and founder of the Zebra Collective: an online mentoring and training service built on a combination of their research and experience in the effective management and leadership of creative people. Zebra Collective not only delivers their latest ideas, but also curates exclusive interviews with world class creative practitioners including: NZ songwriter and independent artist - Kimbra, co-founder and creative powerhouse for the iconic Australian band INXS - Tim Farriss, multi platinum award winning music producer - Charles Fisher (Savage Garden), veteran songwriter - Chris Sester (Jet), TED alumnus - Daniel Goodes, MOMA (New York) exhibited artist and advertising executive - George Lois (MTV, Tommy Hilfiger) and luminary music producer - Hank Linderman (The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Robert Lamm).
Jeff is now in demand as a speaker and consultant in the field of creativity and harnessing the creative workforce. He and his wife Julie have been invited to contribute to The Sydney Opera House Masters of Arts Management course, The Australasian Performing Right Association, ANZ Bank - Digital and Innovation, The Q Music conference Big Sound, The Australian Music Industry Summit, Support Act, and The Australian Music Industry Network. They have conducted sold out workshops for The School of Life in Melbourne and Sydney, and their session How To Build A World Class Creative Environment at Vivid Sydney 2013 was not only a featured event but also sold out two weeks prior to the night. He has been invited to speak at numerous conferences around the world, in the fields of media and communication, creative well being and the intersection of trauma and music.
www.zebracollective.com www.livingwithacreativemind.com
Julie Crabtree
Qualifications:
PhD (Clinical Psychology) (UTS), MA (Counselling), Dip Ed (Macquarie University) Member of the Australian Psychological Society, Member of College of Health Psychology.
Dr Julie Crabtree is a highly experienced psychologist, who has worked extensively with creative people. Her doctoral research into creativity and mental health, puts her at the forefront of our understanding of how to be both healthy and creative.
Her work encompasses both private practice and consultancy. In her practice, she regularly sees creative artists and their partners who are experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship and related issues. From this experience, she has developed the successful Building Mental Resilience group program for Creative Artists. Through the Zebra Collective, she trains, advises and mentors creative organisations and organisations that want to attract the creative, on how to retain and foster a healthy creative environment. Along with her husband Jeff, she has been invited to contribute to The Sydney Opera House Masters of Arts Management course, APRA-AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association), ANZ Bank - Digital and Innovation, The Q Music conference Big Sound, and The Australian Music Industry Network. They have conducted sold out workshops for The School of Life in Melbourne and Sydney, and their session How To Build A World Class Creative Environment at Vivid Sydney 2013 was not only a featured event but also sold out two weeks prior to the night. Waleed Ally has also interviewed her for the Melbourne based drive time program and more recently Triple M's "The Grill Team” spoke with her following Robyn William's death on "Living with a Creative Mind". More recently she has consulted and worked extensively with the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, and along with Jeff has contributed to intensives for creative practitioners in Australia, the UK and New Zealand. She has also worked as a psychologist at Wenona School.
Her work as a psychologist specialising in creative people draws on over 27 years experience as a psychologist in both private practice and organisations. She was the first to develop and establish a hold up support program in a major Australian bank. In addition to this ground-breaking work, she established relocation programs and stress management training for bank staff. She then moved to the NSW health system and worked as a staff psychologist for a major hospital in Sydney as well as psychologist within the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service, establishing her credentials as an experienced practitioner of trauma related mental health issues.
Since then she has been involved in EAP work for a number of organizations and specialised in issues of trauma, loss and organisational change. From there she moved on to establish an accredited training college and was for 15 years its Principal, where she developed and delivered training in community services and counselling - focusing on communication training and interpersonal skills. This is where her passion for understanding the creative mind fully developed as she was frequently providing services for creative artists in training.
Currently she is the principal and founding practitioner of the thriving private psychology practice Zebra Psychology in Neutral Bay, NSW. She is also a director of the Zebra Collective, which aims to assist those in the creative industries and businesses to work for innovation and longevity. She is co-author of the book Living With A Creative Mind. Jeff and Julie’s next book is entitled The Anxious Creative and is currently in the early stages of writing.
RECENT SPEAKING APPEARANCES
The School of Life launch in Australia
www.theschooloflife.com
Living With A Creative Mind
FEB 2013RADIO NATIONAL INTERVIEW WITH WAHEED ALY
VIVID SYDNEY 2013
HOW TO BUILD A WORLD CLASS CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT
Vivid Sydney is a unique annual event of light, music and ideas, featuring many of the world's most important creative industry forums, a mesmerising free public exhibition of outdoor lighting sculptures and installations, a cutting-edge contemporary music program and the spectacular illumination of Sydney's iconic architecture including the sails of Sydney Opera House. Keep Reading...
CLIENTS
Publications
LIVING WITH A CREATIVE MIND
Living With A Creative Mind is not just another book about how to be more creative, it's a book about how to survive the experience.
Living With A Creative Mind is an operating handbook for creative people and for their friends, family and colleagues.
As a consequence of extensive research (and the experience of a composer/performer and a psychologist living and working together) - Jeff and Julie have worked out what is going on inside the minds of creative people.
'Living With A Creative Mind' describes a new simpler model of the creative process, and shows how creative people have different ways of interacting with the world as a result.
Their framework - The Nine Dimensions of the Creative Mind explains why creative people are the way they are, and do the things they do.The stories of creative people living wild, uncontrollable lives of madness, genius and selfishness are now a staple of the gossip and celebrity magazines. These abound with tales of outrageous behaviour and its inevitable consequences: broken relationships and damaged lives.
The 'artistic temperament' has now entered the cultural mainstream. While their work may be admired, artists are dismissed as self-indulgent or undisciplined. In some circles the term creative is tinged with contempt. There's even a website on the 10 reasons why creative people drive the rest of us crazy.
On the basis of their understanding Jeff and Julie are able to show how we can help creative people to lead a long and productive creative life while avoiding the pitfalls and the perils.
The book features exclusive interviews with Marina Prior, Garry McDonald and Ken Duncan. As well as the thoughts of over 60 thinkers and creative professionals - from the fields of psychology, writing, music, film, dance, acting and art.
About Us
Jeff Crabtree
Jeff Crabtree is a speaker, author, researcher, filmmaker and multi award winning songwriter and music producer. His keyboard playing can be heard on over 120 albums, TV commercials, films or videos. He has credits as producer on 26 albums and 49 other commercial projects. In 2004 he co-produced his first movie, made for DVD entitled One Day - one hour of beautiful locations filmed in NSW and set to the music of Santé, one of his many musical projects. He is an accomplished piano player and keyboardist and has played in over 15 bands. He has worked with such luminaries as David Moyse (Air Supply), Andrew James (Midnight Oil) Hugh Wilson (Vertigo) and legendary recording engineer Keith Walker whose live recording credits include Midnight Oil as well as Elton John live.
He frequently moonlights as a blues performer and his latest album Bad Mr Popsicle was released in September 2014. It is one of three live recordings of original Rhythm and Blues songs under the working name of his band: Doctor Bob and the Amazing Disciples of Groove. As a songwriter, Jeff has had 94 songs recorded on 27 commercially released recordings to date in addition to numerous corporate video soundtracks and the score for the ABC Television feature documentary Orphans On Wall Street. He is the recipient of 4 international awards for songwriting. Jeff has composed and produced music that now travels the globe on every Royal Brunei Airlines aircraft, as well as music for the Network Seven coverage of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the theme for the 2007 Australian Design Awards.
He has two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts with the Diploma of Education (majoring in English Literature) and the degree of Master of Arts with Honours in Music and Cultural Studies. He has been awarded a scholarship to conduct doctoral research at UTS School of Communication into the scope and impact of workplace toxicity in the creative industries.
His first career was in education where he was promoted at an early career stage. Following this advancement he resigned to spend several years developing a second career as a professional musician, composer and producer. Then for 16 years he returned to education as the principal of a small community based independent tertiary arts college. He was responsible for the management and direction of around 250 students and over 45 staff and for the design and implementation of innovative creative and performing arts training programs.
His third career has arisen from the merger of his long experience in both the arts and education into a hybrid consulting service to both creative artists and to industry. With Julie, (a registered psychologist) he is the author of Living With A Creative Mind - an operating handbook for creative people, which has been translated and published in Japan. He is the Managing Director and founder of the Zebra Collective: an online mentoring and training service built on a combination of their research and experience in the effective management and leadership of creative people. Zebra Collective not only delivers their latest ideas, but also curates exclusive interviews with world class creative practitioners including: NZ songwriter and independent artist - Kimbra, co-founder and creative powerhouse for the iconic Australian band INXS - Tim Farriss, multi platinum award winning music producer - Charles Fisher (Savage Garden), veteran songwriter - Chris Sester (Jet), TED alumnus - Daniel Goodes, MOMA (New York) exhibited artist and advertising executive - George Lois (MTV, Tommy Hilfiger) and luminary music producer - Hank Linderman (The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Robert Lamm).
Jeff is now in demand as a speaker and consultant in the field of creativity and harnessing the creative workforce. He and his wife Julie have been invited to contribute to The Sydney Opera House Masters of Arts Management course, The Australasian Performing Right Association, ANZ Bank - Digital and Innovation, The Q Music conference Big Sound, The Australian Music Industry Summit, Support Act, and The Australian Music Industry Network. They have conducted sold out workshops for The School of Life in Melbourne and Sydney, and their session How To Build A World Class Creative Environment at Vivid Sydney 2013 was not only a featured event but also sold out two weeks prior to the night.
www.zebracollective.com www.livingwithacreativemind.com
Julie Crabtree
Qualifications:
MA (Counselling), BA Dip Ed (Macquarie University) Member of the Australian Psychological Society, Member of College of Health Psychology; Doctoral candidate (UTS School of Clinical Psychology).
As an experienced psychologist, Julie has worked extensively with creative people. Also through her doctoral research into creativity and mental health, she is at the forefront of our understanding of how to be both healthy and creative.
Her work encompasses both private practice and consultancy. In her practice, she regularly sees creative artists and their partners who are experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship and related issues. From this experience, she has developed the successful Building Mental Resilience group program for Creative Artists. Through Zebra consultancy, she trains, advises and mentors creative organisations and organisations that want to attract the creative, on how to retain and foster a healthy creative environment. This has included work with APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association) and AMIN (Australian Music Industry Network through CONTROL), School of Life, Vivid Sydney 2013 Ideas and Pacific Hills School, creative arts department. Waleed Ally has also interviewed her for the Melbourne based drive time program and more recently Triple M’s “The Grill Team” spoke with her following Robyn William's death on “Living with a Creative Mind".
This work with creative people draws on over 27 years experience as a psychologist in both private practice and organisations. She was the first to develop and establish a hold up support program in a major Australian bank. In addition to this ground-breaking work, she established relocation programs and stress management training for bank staff. She then moved to the NSW health system and worked as a staff psychologist for a major hospital in Sydney as well as psychologist within the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service, establishing her credentials as an experienced practitioner of trauma related mental health issues.
Since then she has been involved in EAP work for a number of organizations and specialised in issues of trauma, loss and organisational change. From there she moved on to establish an accredited training college and was for 15 years its Principal, where she developed and delivered training in community services and counselling - focusing on communication training and interpersonal skills. This is where her passion for understanding the creative mind fully developed as she was frequently providing services for creative artists in training.
Currently she is a director of the Zebra Collective, which aims to assist those in the creative industries and businesses to work for innovation and longevity. She is co-author of the book Living With A Creative Mind. Her private psychology practice is currently located at Zebra Psychology in Neutral Bay, NSW.
RECENT SPEAKING APPEARANCES
The School of Life launch in Australia
www.theschooloflife.com
Living With A Creative Mind
FEB 2013RADIO NATIONAL INTERVIEW WITH WAHEED ALY
VIVID SYDNEY 2013
HOW TO BUILD A WORLD CLASS CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT
Vivid Sydney is a unique annual event of light, music and ideas, featuring many of the world's most important creative industry forums, a mesmerising free public exhibition of outdoor lighting sculptures and installations, a cutting-edge contemporary music program and the spectacular illumination of Sydney's iconic architecture including the sails of Sydney Opera House. Keep Reading...
CLIENTS
Publications
LIVING WITH A CREATIVE MIND
Living With A Creative Mind is not just another book about how to be more creative, it's a book about how to survive the experience.
Living With A Creative Mind is an operating handbook for creative people and for their friends, family and colleagues.
As a consequence of extensive research (and the experience of a composer/performer and a psychologist living and working together) - Jeff and Julie have worked out what is going on inside the minds of creative people.
'Living With A Creative Mind' describes a new simpler model of the creative process, and shows how creative people have different ways of interacting with the world as a result.
Their framework - The Nine Dimensions of the Creative Mind explains why creative people are the way they are, and do the things they do.The stories of creative people living wild, uncontrollable lives of madness, genius and selfishness are now a staple of the gossip and celebrity magazines. These abound with tales of outrageous behaviour and its inevitable consequences: broken relationships and damaged lives.
The 'artistic temperament' has now entered the cultural mainstream. While their work may be admired, artists are dismissed as self-indulgent or undisciplined. In some circles the term creative is tinged with contempt. There's even a website on the 10 reasons why creative people drive the rest of us crazy.
On the basis of their understanding Jeff and Julie are able to show how we can help creative people to lead a long and productive creative life while avoiding the pitfalls and the perils.
The book features exclusive interviews with Marina Prior, Garry McDonald and Ken Duncan. As well as the thoughts of over 60 thinkers and creative professionals - from the fields of psychology, writing, music, film, dance, acting and art.