Finding Balance
The same creative potential exists in all of us to balance in any moment our response to circumstances. And like the balancing of rocks, we can influence our outer world through our inner connection to these creative strengths.
Creating Joy
This time of year can be daunting for many. Surrounded by invitations to find joy through consumerism. Giving, getting and satisfaction outside of ourselves can often become the focus, even when we do not want it to be. The arbitrary year-end sometimes is also a factor that contributes to a year in review, followed by […]
Adventures in Art Journaling
Well Spring is finally here in Toronto with warm weather, sunshine and spring showers. Though I am outdoors more, I still turn to my art journaling as my main mode for inner solace. You may be wondering why I am such a big art journaling fan. It all started back even before I was training […]
Deep Painting
Last weekend I had the pleasure of facilitating another Painting With Your Muse intuitive painting workshop here in Toronto. Each time its a new experience for me as I shift the format with lessons learned in between these workshops. I’m forever a student, taking in new information and layering it, weaving it into each workshop […]
Mindful Clay
This past week I went to a mindful clay workshop called Reclaiming Your Centre: Breath, Movement, Presence at the Gardiner Museum’s Community Clay Studio in Toronto, which I pre-registered for in November 2017! This workshop was highly anticipated by me as it was facilitated by a dear colleague and bright beacon in the Toronto art therapy community, […]
Arts Based Super Vision
Last weekend I went to a wonderful workshop sponsored by the Ontario Art Therapy Association (OATA) on Arts-based and Positive Supervision. It was a workshop designed for supervisors but open to all including students and supervisees. Aside from the sharing of pertinent information around supervision issues, we explored our character strengths as supervisors and supervisees […]
Renewal Through Creative Re-Purposing
Sometimes we need to look at things differently, with fresh eyes. Doing this allows us to take a new perspective, and opens the door to all the possibilities in life, including ones we may not have known existed. Creating art is a direct way to make this happen. When art-making, there is always the potential […]
Creative Process: the Underbelly of Self-Care
When we step into our own creative voice we step into our Self; who we are becomes strengthened by our creative connection through art making. Experimentation, letting go of outcome, and play are all aspects that allow us to come into our own creative voice. This voice is the underbelly of our authentic Self. […]
Letting Go into Creative Flow
In February I ran my Painting with Your Muse intuitive painting workshop with another wonderful group of muses. It has been five years since I began running this workshop and for more than 20 years that I have been following an intuitive process myself when painting. There is a flow state that happens when one follows their intuition this […]
Making Room for Creative Expression
One of the main things that I hear over and over that gets in the way of maintaining a creative practice is not having the space. First there is the literal and practical question of a physical environment for art making. And then there is the question of motivation, or perhaps more accurately put, what may be […]