I may be living in a monotone world, but inside there is colorful chaos as I finish up my deck of Alchemy Air Cards. I look around and realize I have 4 art journals going ... one for sketching practice (holding wonderful Scribble drawings inspired by the juicy online offering of the same name, Scribble Art)
another journal as a form of conversation with mama Nature (my response to the ideas presented in Reclaiming the Wise Woman by Sharon Blackie)
my ongoing Sketch Diary (stew pot of everything bubbling up in me), and my Moon Mandala practice. (Okay ... I am not including writing journals ... the composition book holding tarot explorations or my new The Moon Is My Calendar journal ... sigh ... I apparently have a little journal problem ... as do many of us ... )
Yesterday I had my yearly physical (you know, that one ... the quick check under the hood physical - eek!) and new to me were all the questions apparently screening me for depression. "Do you ever have days where you are not enthused to get out of bed?" Goodness me, no! I can honestly say even on these frigid grey mornings when I wake up and realize I have a day ahead of me to immerse myself in creating, I bound out of bed. (Okay, I shuffle towards the coffee pot and then I bound and bustle about)
There is just so much to learn, so much to discover. I cling to my creative practice as a life raft to carry me through the challenging days (the low light days of winter, the days of confusion, the days and months after my mother's death) and I gleefully dive into my practice on those days when Life feels full and abundant. My creative practice keeps me anchored firmly in the center of this Wheel of Fortune, this Wheel of Life. And now I see Cowgirl reaching for her new journals immediately upon finishing her homework. She immerses herself in drawing dragons and the deep engagement, the transformation of her art, continue to astonish and inspire me.
Art, my friends, is our medicine, our therapy, our prayers of gratitude and our songs of love and joy. I truly believe it is part of our human (and divine) nature to create. The impulse is as common as a dandelion popping up in an empty field but the impact upon the spirit is akin to light passing through the stained glass of a Gothic cathedral.
Transcendent. Transformational. Holy. Sacred.
The best way I've found to experience the power and potential of creative action is to surround myself with others engaged in creative exploration. Ever a student, I find much I can learn and try on by taking courses, looking at books, watching videos and practicing practicing practicing. (Hence the justification for so many journals!)
I have some exciting news to share today: I am going to be a guest teacher in Spectrum 2016 this year - and I have 1 spot to give-away here at my blog as part of the Give-Away Blog-Hop!
 |
| Spectrum 2016 online art & creativity workshops |
Spectrum is an online Holistic-Creative workshop going on its third year, and organized by Hali Karla of Hali Karla Arts. Spectrum 2016 will be guided by 20 NEW featured teachers and more than 20 returning contributors offering a variety of workshops, inspiration and invitations - all intended to empower, nurture and celebrate your innate creative expression, healing journey, and personal development!
That's over 40 workshops/lesson ideas to support and inspire endless days of creative and personal exploration.
There will be weekly inspiration and reflective activities related to mixed-media art-making and journaling, guidance on integrating your creative process and holistic awareness into your day-to-day life, and a variety of opportunities to connect, support and share with others in the growing Holistic-Creative online community.
The themes that will loosely guide the 2016 Spectrum experience are Forgiveness, Shifting Perspective, Navigating Uncertainty, Integration, Alchemy, Connecting with Nature, Honoring Body, Trusting Joy, and Expressing One’s Truth! You can expect a variety of perspectives on these - and so much more.
To learn more about the details, including all of the contributors and workshop offerings for this course CLICK RIGHT HERE.
My previous Spectrum workshop - Mandala Moon Meditations will be made available again as a bonus offering for the 2016 journey, so if you missed it before, now is your chance OR you can re-visit it to see how it speaks to you in the coming year. (Go HERE see examples of my monthly moon mandalas.)
Pre-registration for Spectrum 2016 officially opens on February 1, 2016 (and the program will begin on May 2). So be sure to bookmark this page (or link) - so that you can check back to see if you win the giveaway here or sign up just as soon as it goes on sale.
About the Give-Away:
I have one spot for Spectrum 2016 to give-away to a lucky winner in our January blog-hop - but if you follow the blog-hop list below, you will have an even better chance of winning a spot by entering the other give-aways as well.
All of the new teachers are playing along - and quite a few of the returning contributors volunteered to join in the fun, too - so there are over 30 chances to win a free pass!
Thank you to everyone who participated! I so enjoyed reading your responses and your intentions for incorporating creative play into your daily life - so inspiring!
The name my Cowgirl pulled out of the hat (yes, I wrote out everyone's name who commented or emailed me and also added extra slips for sharing on social media!) is ...
Angela! "Creative play means freedom to make a mess, follow a wild idea, be present to the fun of color and texture. This year I plan on dusting off the art journals and letting myself loose on the page! Miss the vibrant feeling that arises from this kind of creative joy."
Pre-registration for Spectrum is now open! As a thank you for all the enthusiasm and interest, Hali is offering a 3 day registration special! The regular price is already an *excellent* value at 98 USD, but if you sign up in the next three days, between February 1-3, you can claim your pass for just $88 – so don’t miss out.
If you didn’t win a spot this time, and you are facing financial hardships, you may be eligible for the new Spectrum scholarship program this year.
The eligibility requirements and application open up today as well and can be found over at the Spectrum Registration page. Head over there, make sure the program feels like a strong YES for you and if so, scroll all the way to the bottom. There you will find a green button that will lead you to the scholarship details. This will be open until the spaces are filled. They will go fast, so don't wait!
Spectrum 2016!
Just below is a list of the other teachers who are playing along in the Spectrum 2016 blog-hop, with the dates their give-away goes live - so be sure to visit their site and enter there, as well.
13 January: Hali Karla http://www.halikarla.com/blog/
14 January: Andrea Schroeder http://www.creativedreamincubator.com/blog
Angelique Arroyo http://schoolformedicinewomyn.com/
14 January: Andrea Schroeder http://www.creativedreamincubator.com/blog
Angelique Arroyo http://schoolformedicinewomyn.com/
15 January:Bebe Butler http://www.bebebutler.com/Beth Morey http://www.sheofthewild.com/
16 January: Briana Goetzen http://www.orangespiralarts.com/Carissa Paige http://carissapaige.blogspot.com/
17 January: Cat Caracelo http://catcaracelo.com/ Catherine Anderson http://catherineandersonstudio.blogspot.com/
18 January: Chris Zydel http://creativejuicesarts.com/Effy Wild http://effybird.com/
19 January: Elloa Atkinson http://www.elloaatkinson.com/Grace Howes http://www.redbarn-studios.com/
20 January: Gretchen Miller http://www.gretchenmiller.wordpress.com/Kara LC Jones http://motherhenna.blogspot.com/
21 January: Kelly Johnson http://www.wingswormsandwonder.com/Kitty Oppegard http://handoverheartstudios.blogspot.com/
22 January: Kristal Norton http://kristalnorton.com/Lisa Hofmann http://dandelionseedsanddreams.blogspot.com/
23 January: Lisa Wilson http://www.beingbreath.com/Lucy Pearce http://dreamingaloud.net/
24 January: Malini Parker http://www.maliniparker.com/Meghan Genge http://www.meghangenge.com/
25 January: Melissa Harris http://www.melissaharris.com/Michelle Turbide http://michelleturbidestudios.com/
26 January: Petrea Hansen-Adamidis http://www.arttherapist.ca/blogRachael Rice http://rachaelrice.com/
27 January: Robin Hallett http://www.robinhallett.com/Shelley Klammer http://intuitivecreativity.typepad.com/
28 January: Suki Ciappara Ka'Pinao http://sukihealingarts.com/Tara Leaver http://taraleaver.com/
Enjoy the blog-hop, good luck on the give-aways, and I hope to see you in Spectrum in a few months!
Spectrum looks like a fantastic workshop, and ohmigosh ... your moon mandalas ... squeee! I've recently become enamored with mandalas, so that previous session of yours speaks to me. And of course, all of the offerings in Spectrum 2016 look amazing. This year I am trying to allow more space/time for my creativity, even if that means I have to "schedule" a play date with my art journal. Too often I find that work, home, and other things take precedence over my creativity, and my soul suffers for it. Thank you so much for the chance to win - would love a spot in Spectrum!
ReplyDeleteTweeted and pinned! Thanks again - I'm off to peruse your blog ...
ReplyDeleteSo attuned to creative play right now, having fun with my journals, cards and tags, exploring freely. Pinned your post and look forward to an opportunity to be a part of the wonderful Spectrum experience.
ReplyDeleteI have shared on FB and Tsu and G+ and in groups with friends.
ReplyDeleteSpectrum seems like THE PLACE TO BE in 2016.
I am already following and being inspired by some of the teachers, am awed by others and want to open up my creative soul and color a brighter future!
wismomworks At gmail Dot com
Creative play is important to my life because it gives me the chance to be with myself and explore art. Helping me to grow emotionally and artistically. Thanks for the opportunity to win a spot in this class. Peace, Ronda
ReplyDeleteMy word for 2016 is extend. Specifically, to reach out more to community through my art. Spectrum offers opportunity for growth for creative connections. I hope to increase in my creative conversations and visual expression. Sharing on FB.
ReplyDeleteCreative play means letting your guard down enough that you can see what is flowing through you. I need help with this. It's been a long time. .
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool giveaway! Creative play is a seemingly elusive activity for me, something I wish to cultivate in 2016. I feel that it is the key to productive art making and I desperately want to know how to go beyond intellectually knowing and start doing more of it. ❤️
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteCreative play means to let go of the judge inside of me who's yelling so loud sometimes.
Once I gave him some attention, I can put him away and play...for a while ;)
Thanks for the opportunity to win a place on the Spectrum 2016. XX
Shared
DeleteI like to play with paint in my journals to see my favorite colors. I like the sound of my different materials on paper and the sound of "grabbing" the things out of their container. I like (sometimes I don't like ;-)) the smell of the materials and to spread the paint with my fingers. So "creative play" is something that I do with nearly all my senses (no, I don't eat my paints ;-)) without looking fot the outcome. Often, I don't like the outcome, but I had fun while playing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win a spot!
Creative play is opening to my sense of wonder and engaging what I find in word, image, movement, and improvisation of life. I plan to look for the ordinary that I have never noticed before.
ReplyDeletecreative play will be through nature walks with my son (always full of imagination lol)
ReplyDeletethrough dancing and creative writing :-)
Shared here : https://fr.pinterest.com/pin/197595502379187602/
Thanks for the opportunity !
Creative play to me is exploring creativity and art through lots of different mediums and giving myself the freedom to just play around without having to create a "masterpiece" etc. I've always been intimidated by art (I am SO not artistic/creative) so have never tried anything. But now I have the urge to just play around, explore, and have fun because that's where the joy is.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add that I shared this on Pinterest!
ReplyDeletewhat creative play means to you? it means freedom to be myself
ReplyDeleteand how you intend to embrace it in the coming year? by not giving up and practice it as much as I can :)
I shared on pinterest :)
ReplyDeleteCreative play means freedom to make a mess, follow a wild idea, be present to the fun of color and texture. This year I plan on dusting off the art journals and letting myself loose on the page! Miss the vibrant feeling that arises from this kind of creative joy. (Sharing on FB and Instagram if I can figure out how to there lol)
ReplyDeleteLoving your Alchemy cards
XO
Trying to cultivate more Creative Play in 2016 (and sidestep the Perfectionist and the Procrastinator who like to get in my way). Practice, practice, practice... Feeling so inspired by your Moon Mandalas, which are so rich and yummy! Thanks for this giveaway -- winning a spot would be an amazing birthday gift! :)
ReplyDeleteI shared your blog post on Pinterest. Creative Play is an essential part of my life. I want it to be a daily part of my life in terms of specifically making time each day to play. Thank you so much for a chance to win a spot in Spectrum 2016!
ReplyDeleteCreative play means joy, not results, being immersed in the process, freedom and heart connection.
ReplyDeleteShared on FB! I missed spectrum 2015, so I'm pretty excited your class is back 💚
ReplyDeleteCreative play means tapping into my own personal creative wisdom. I plan on some form of mark making every day.
Thanks for the chance to win a seat!
Creative play means taking chances and experimenting in your creative endeavors! I have made a point to cultivate a more regular creative practice this year and I'm definitely trying to expand my horizons in the 'play' category! I also shared this post on Facebook! Thanks for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteCreative play means finding something new and fun and exciting and somewhat scary to try or learn for the first time. My soul has been screaming at me to do something like this so I've been blog hopping this morning like crazy. I shared on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.
ReplyDeleteI shared your blog post on Pintrest. Creative play for me balances out my life and I intend to make time for it daily in 2016. Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteWhat a joy to see your blog with the lovely images. I placed your pin on my "Journaling Board" on Pinterest. Thank you for this chance to win a place in "The Spectrum." I wish you all the best in your endeavors. I intend to embrace more "creative play" in the coming year by attending some writing salons - (I'm mustering up courage to do this as I write!) :-)
ReplyDeleteCreative play for me is making intuitive art. I enjoy myself most when I am moving colors around and looking for what "comes up" without attachment to the outcome. I shared your cards on Pinterest :) Thank you so much for this opportunity!
ReplyDeleteI am embracing creative play this year as I heal from a miscarriage and work on some unhelpful patterns which keep tripping me up. While I am doing the dark sticky stuff I hope the creative play will support me and give me a chance to have some space and fun as well.
ReplyDeleteI am embracing creative play this year as I heal from a miscarriage and work on some unhelpful patterns which keep tripping me up. While I am doing the dark sticky stuff I hope the creative play will support me and give me a chance to have some space and fun as well.
ReplyDelete