This 12-week workshop focuses on overcoming obstacles and opening channels of creativity. Together we will work through the Artist’s Way course as outlined in the book – and do so much than that! This workshop series also includes powerful weekly exercises and activities in the Expressive Arts to deepen and enhance the transformative experience of The Artist’s Way. [Read more…]
Unblock Your Creativity With The Artist’s Way
Written by Julia Cameron, who is not only a well-known author, but also a playwright, filmmaker, poet, and composer, The Artist’s Way has become one of the most popular self-help books ever published. Since its first publication in 1992, The Artist’s Way has taught countless people how to discover and recover latent or stifled creativity.
Cameron believes that “There’s no such thing as a non-creative person.” We are all creative, we just need to believe it! In fact, creative ideas come to us all the time, but it’s usually a lack of confidence or determination to see those ideas through.
Tending the Garden
I spent a few days at O.U.R Eco village this week. My first day there I helped weed the garden. I haven’t really been around a garden since childhood and I forget how much work they can be. The patch I was working on with another volunteer had been neglected; it was overrun with weeds and the vegetables that had been planted were getting choked out.
There were some weeds which were obvious intruders in the garden and there were other weeds that were more difficult to identify because they were so robust they almost seemed to be planted intentionally. The more obvious weeds had shallow roots and came out easily, while the others were deeply rooted in the soil. [Read more…]
What’s in a Name?
I legally changed my name a couple of years ago. It may have seemed hasty to onlookers, but I had been thinking of changing it for a number of years before I actually did so. The very first time I thought of changing my name, I wanted to change it as a way to distance myself from my family; I felt I didn’t fit into their world and that I should just create my own. But, I knew that wasn’t the right reason to change it, so I held back my impulsive nature.
I went on to spend months and years in spiritual communities where name changes were common. There was that person would try on a new name every year, some who chose a new name and stuck with it, and others who waited for a name given by the teacher, as an acknowledgement that they reached a new point in their evolution. Although the motives or methods for changing names varied, the idea that one could call themselves something other than the label they were given at birth appealed to me. I pondered names in those years but let it go until a time when I felt more inspired. [Read more…]
Ready to Land
I don’t know where the time has gone – today marks four years since I was officially diagnosed with Lymphoma. At that time, I was told I could recover in six months; I thought that seemed like a dreadfully long recovery, yet here I am… four years later, still in this situation. It’s not the same situation though, life has changed – I have changed.
Usually, I don’t think much about it; in past years, this day has come and gone without much acknowledgment on my part. I’m thinking more about it this year, perhaps because now I can actually see an end to it. It’s not that I wasn’t positive or hopeful before, I was, but something feels different this year. It’s more than hope or a positive outlook; I feel the confidence in myself to finally get through this. I have witnessed myself get through everything until this point, and reflecting back on what I have pulled myself through so far, the rest just seems easy now; it’s quite a contrast to the impossible endeavor it once seemed. I also feel like I’m in a better place than I’ve ever been. I feel able to do what I need to do in order to move on with my life – or, perhaps I should say that I am ready to move on with my life; it’s become apparent that I wasn’t ready before. [Read more…]
A Life Intertwined
As the summer transitioned into autumn, I found myself falling into a bit of a slump. I was struggling over where I stood regarding my expressive arts therapy degree; it was difficult to get myself motivated, and I questioned whether I should stay with it or not. This came as quite of a surprise because I was so in love with my chosen path just a few months earlier. Spending July at EGS was one of the most inspiring things I’d ever done. I felt calm and grounded, yet excited and challenged at the same time. It was very fulfilling to be immersed in the expressive arts every day and surround by like-minded people, all while being held and inspired by the abundant beauty of the landscape. [Read more…]