As we enter the final weeks of fall, it’s time to prepare for winter. In our neighbourhood, holiday decorations are early and abundant this year as people try to light the way through what continues to be a challenging time. I’ve been thinking about how to do that here in the studio, how to create a bridge of light to bring us through winter. This will be the intention for all of our winter offerings, all the things we choose to share a do. Here is a look ahead. I hope there is much in this that brings some light to you.
The Planning Day Retreat. At the beginning of any great adventure, you don’t really know what lies ahead. In response, we often create our plans out of a desire to allay our fears of that unknown and control the outcome. This often leaves us feeling constrained, diminished and, when we inevitably find ourselves unable to control life, like a failure. What if instead, we made plans that are more like star charts? What if we tune our inner compass so we always know when we are pointed in the right direction? What if we plot a confident course but leave room for side trips and wonder? What if we became adventurers? (Registration is open now.)
Devotion. In this new program, an intimate group of creative hearts will join me in a 13-week journey of artistic devotion. This is an intensive program designed to lift you into an unshakeable relationship with your creative work. No pushing or proving. No selling or justifying. Instead, a winter immersed in your art, a chance for you to fall in love with one another all over again. Devotion is a season committed to exploring and embracing your own voice, your own style and the artist you are truly meant to be. (Registration is currently open only to the waitlist. Open registration starts next week.)
Journal Club. In the dark days of winter, nothing is better than grabbing a cuppa and your journal, lighting a candle and cozying up for an hour with the welcoming community of Journal Club. Whether you are new to journaling or a seasoned pro, you’ll discover fresh avenues into the workings of your creative heart. Unlike when you journal on you’re own, you’ll have the opportunity to share your discoveries with others who will bear loving witness to your truth. Journal Club holds our joys, our tears, our foibles, our fears, our dreams and our sorrows – just like our journals do. (Registration will open next week. This season several scholarships will be available.)
Mindful Mondays. Mondays take on a whole new tenor when they begin in a circle of celebration, intention and support. In this gentle and powerful gathering, we begin with a practice of journaling and meditation. We then use a unique combination of imagination and focus to develop our plans for the week. As we move through the season, this process draws each of our lives deeper and deeper into alignment with what matters most. We do this in a circle of support and shared wisdom. Each Monday, as I plug in my twinkie lights and step into this circle, I feel a sense of hope and joy. There is magic in knowing that we are each stepping into our week with awareness and intention. (Registration will open next week.)
The Studio Yearbook. Remember when you were young and you believed that books could hold magic? (Maybe, like me, you still believe.) There is magic in the yearbook, [FIRST NAME GOES HERE]. There really is. This seasonal fill-in-the-blank journal is like a studio for your life and your creativity. As you move through winter, it will guide you to open your awareness, to seek inspiration and express gratitude. It will remind you of the wisdom you are gaining and prompt you to dream. As you fill your Studio Yearbook with your words and imaginings, your doodles and papers, your colours and quotes, it will shine a light on the unique beauty of your artistic heart. Then, as in all good magical books, you will discover what you had hoped for all along: the magic is in you. (The Studio Yearbook is available now.)
And More…
As we set the winter season in motion, I also intend to bring you more Quiet Studio videos and maybe even some live events. I intend to spend the season continuing to build a bridge of light.