Contemplative Creatives

EXPLORING — AND CELEBRATING — THE UNCOMMON IN THE ORDINARY

I am offering an online workshop, the likes of which I have never heard of nor encountered in my life experience. If the words contemplative and creative and journey have a sweet juiciness for you and you are interested in a different sort of workshop, read on.

• Instead of schedules, I offer serendipity.

• Instead of a planned curriculum, I offer surprise.

• Instead of expectations, I offer possibility.

And instead of learned objectives, I offer a way to see, engage and interact with your world that is never-ending and always available. I offer you a practice whose very foundation is the desire to see, connect and interact with this most wondrous of gifts, the world in which we live. I combine my roles as curator of life experience, writer, artist, and Certified Kaisen-Muse Creativity Coach to offer you a meaningful and fulfilling workshop. Or perhaps I might say playshop!

YOU WILL RECEIVE REGULAR AND RANDOM PROMPTS, QUESTIONS, AND EXPLORATIONS.

Items to inspire and encourage, elicit wonder and awe, uplift your spirit and feed your soul.

This practice does not require that you set aside a certain amount of time each day unless that is your desire. Mostly, it is this:

• a practice that is gently woven throughout your day

• an ordinary practice that illuminates the extraordinary

• ways of interacting with place that highlight how no place is truly common

• a practice that will draw your attention to just how incredibly extraordinary your ordinary is

I will offer inspiration, new ideas, new ways of seeing and being. Until the crocuses bloom. Yes, you read that correctly. We will begin December 1st, the day I associate with winter’s beginning, and we will go until the day my backyard crocuses bloom and herald in the awakening of spring.

I will journey with you throughout the winter, holding a lantern to illuminate the path we walk together, offering light and connection and dozens of examples of how I explore and see the world – a way of deep connection invoking the wonders and mystery of word, vision and place.

word * vision * place

Let me explain further.

word.

This practice focuses on how to connect — to the world, community, and self — using words. We will play with words, explore words, include words in art, and connect nature and place with words.

I will share my practice of containers, an original practice I’ve developed. I’ve been working with the concept of containers to explore self, relationships, and community. Everyone I’ve introduced to these practices finds them instinctive and telling and so easy to understand. There is much to see in this exploration; it truly illuminates the path to discovery.

I will share variations on how to write a poem, even if you are not a poet or a writer. Poetry can be simple to complex, straightforward to multidimensional. A few words or an ode.

Just as I believe everyone is creative, I also believe everyone has an innate ability to play with words. And yes, that includes creating poetry.

Wordplay is poetry. And it is a writing practice that is deeply meaningful.

vision.

Oh, the things you will see! The simple and the complex, the mystical and the ordinary.

There will be mandala creation. There will be map making and bookmaking. There will be contemplative photography practices (using any camera.) These are ways of seeing and interacting with your world.

place.

A sense of place is important. I deeply connect with the places I live and travel, be that prairie, mountain, desert, or shore. And I incorporate dozens of ideas in my day that offer enhanced ways to see and appreciate my surroundings. We will use writing, art, photography, and more to create a sense of place, to embrace the essence of place.

PRACTICES:

There will be practices for all occasions! Oh! I like that! A practice for all occasions. For the common and the uncommon times in life. For the ordinary that is extraordinary. (This is the thread that runs through this practice. Yes?)

Practices for exploring nature and travel. And practices for your trip to the grocery store or your daily commute.

Practices for calming and grounding. For awakening and celebrating.

Practices for being being being. And for seeing seeing seeing.

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU CLARIFY:

Do you love metaphors? Do you see metaphors everywhere and anywhere? Are you intrigued by metaphors? If your answer is yes, then this workshop is likely something you will love.

Do you thrive with to-do lists? Do you do your best, most creative work on a schedule while meeting deadlines? If your answer is yes, then this workshop will likely be a different sort of experience. Are you ready for this kind of change? Then join in the fun.

Are you searching for the positive instead of the negative, for the song instead of the scream? I am not advocating for rose-colored glasses and Pollyanna-ism. I know from much experience that life is not all rainbows and unicorns. And still, I choose to embrace life with appreciation, generosity, kindness, and respect. Does this resonate with you? Then this workshop might be affirming and relevant for you.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IF YOU ARE STILL INTRIGUED BUT UNDECIDED:

What if you to had a creative practice that could be done in free moments? What if instead of checking Facebook whenever a free moment arises, you periodically chose to check in with yourself? Personally? I love Facebook. I love love love the connections I’ve nurtured using social media. And sometimes? I know I seek more. I know there is a connection with self that I so desire and sometimes neglect, that I want to re-establish my connection with the present and the space in which I find myself.

Do you have art supplies that you would enjoy using, but are off your radar? (This might look like a fully equipped art room or a box of supplies you store under your bed.) What if you had playful and/or meaningful ways to use these things? Surprises or nudges to get your creative juices flowing? Hints on how to see or create in new ways? Imagine the possibilities!

THE WHEN:

I light the lantern to illuminate the path on which we travel together on December 1st. We will continue our journey until the first crocus pops through my backyard’s earth (or snow cover) sometime in early March.

THE HOWS:

Private community on Facebook. Everything will be delivered to Facebook and may show up anytime. Remember? Surprise and serendipity! You are encouraged to share your discoveries and experiences in the private group however and whenever you choose.

This guided process allows you to engage in the practice from anywhere in the world and at any time of the day or night. #contemplativecreativesjourney

THE COST:

I offer you my knowledge, my skills, my presence, and my enthusiasm. In exchange, I ask you to recognize my expertise and effort. The cost for this inaugural three-month journey and community experience is $99.00. (This works out to about $7.00 a week, or what you might pay for a fancy coffee and a little something on the side. Consider this to be a different sort of coffee break!

MY MOST FERVENT DESIRE:

To hold the lantern high to broadly illuminate our contemplative and creative journey. To connect with a community that embraces life in all of its many manifestations. To offer wisdom and experiences that bring forth awareness, appreciation, and awe of everyday life. To explore – and celebrate – the uncommon in the ordinary.

And to do this with you, my friend.

I will post when this community is open to new members. Thanks for your interest.