Hello Creative Friend,

I (Kathleen) have been longing for 'studio time'.  All the wonderful things - work projects, family, travel, home projects,  - can and do make this precious time elusive. I am sure that many of you relate. It can be very difficult to make it a priority. This past week I was able to put some uninterrupted 'studio time' on my calendar. Getting started, when I finally got to it,  took a bit of settling in, though. As Roberta Wagner says in her book  Come Walk with Me: Exploring Why Art Matters*  "it will take time to re-enter that creative flow that keeps me moving deeper into me". Yes. As I organized my space, gathered my supplies, reviewed my recent art journal entries, looked at recent process images done during workshops,  I found myself asking 'what do I really mean by 'studio time'? and "What is it that I am seeking when I crave it?" Making art, for sure, but there are so many questions and considerations that surround that. I am curious about what it is like for you.

In. my quest for the sometimes elusive time and space, what am I actually desiring? What qualities am I looking for? It's not only about producing artwork. I am connecting with myself,  pulling together the threads of my creative unfolding, and noticing where I am being led, both in my art and in my life. And, I am playing - in the best and fullest way! As Pat B. Allen says in her introduction to Art is a Spiritual Path, 'Art is a means to enter, to play with, to dance with, to wrestle with anything that intrigues, delights, disturbs, or terrifies us."

What is the relationship between process and product? Without engaging in my art 'process' and catching up with myself, it feels impossible to make art for 'product'. My process keeps me authentic, and provides a context from which 'product' might arise. 

My 'product' art -whether it gets printed for cards, or framed and hung somewhere, perhaps for sale, all emerges out of my process. I must go within to share without. Working in a sketchbook/journal, a place that receives both my images and writing, helps me witness my process unfold, as I attend to the images that emerge and notice the story that is being revealed. Periodically, an image from my sketchbook speaks to me enough that I get out a canvas or a nice sheet of watercolor paper - never to recreate the same image (they are alive only once) - but to allow something new to arrive that might become a piece I would like to share when it is complete. But I can't count on that, because, if I focus too much on the product the thread of magic can easily get lost and the image loses it spark of life. All the way through, from process to product, I must stay true to what is emerging through me, and use my skills in service of that un-nameable something that often does not make itself known to me until it is complete. 

Does any of this resonate with you? All of us who are expressive arts practitioners are also artists, whether our primary modality is visual art, dance, music or something else. How does your 'own art' (whether for process or product or both) intersect with your work as facilitators, therapists, or educators? How do you make time for your own unfolding arts practice?

Here are some questions to consider:

• Do you crave more of your own 'studio time?' 
• How do you define that?
• What are you seeking?
• How do you fit it into the flow of your life?
• What is the relationship, for you, between process and product? Are they two different things? A continuum? 

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. You can post in our FB group, or you can reply to this email.

Some of you have told us that you too have a hard time fitting your art practice into your life.  Much of what we offer is designed to support your own quest to make your studio time a priority.  Online and in-person Open Studios and Expressive Arts Discovery (all three of which are happening this week!) and Tamara's new and wonderful Mindful Art Play Members' Club are all great examples. 

Let's talk more about this, and please remember to treat your art-making as the vital part of your life that it is. 

In the Mindful Art Play Member's Club, the theme this month is "Playful Presence." 😌 Within this theme, we are learning how to make decorative papers including "paste papers" (something I learned from book binding). If you've never made paste papers before, they're a lot of fun to make and can be used for all sorts of fun art practices.

If you aren't a member yet, come join us! The live session is coming up, Monday, July 28th from 1-2:30pm ET, and we'd love to see you there!

This week we have a full week of creative opportunities!

Our next Expressive Arts Discovery workshop is tomorrow, Monday, July 21st! Access your intuition through guided meditation, artmaking and writing in this 90 minute guided online workshop. 

On Tuesday (July 22nd), we have our next Online Open Studio. Bring a creative project and join us online!

Our next in person event is In Person Open Studio on Friday, July 25th! Come join us in person and work on a creative project. We will have supplies and light refreshments available.

We have decided to reschedule Sand, Soul and Metaphor: An Expressive Arts Therapy Journey and offer it as a single day training. We are looking at dates now so stay tuned!

If you would like to share any part of your creative practice, we invite you to do so in our private Facebook group.

To see a schedule of all upcoming events, courses and workshops visit our calendar of events here.

Therapy Services

Tamara is accepting new clients in Florida seeking therapy services and support using expressive arts to heal and grow. Using her years of creative practice and a compassionate approach, she is able to help clients access their inner strengths and create the change they most want in their lives. To inquire about services, you can go HERE, call/text 941-444-9585 

or email tknappcounseling@gmail.com

Tamara Teeter Knapp

MA, NCC, LMHC, REACE®

Kathleen Horne

MA, LMHC(S), REACE®, REAT®

www.expressiveartsflorida.com