Dear Creative Friend,

If you are reading this newsletter, you likely already know that the expressive arts can sustain us through challenging times. A significant period of transition in my life once led me (Kathleen) into art-making as a way to make sense of what was unfolding—and that choice changed my life. Some of you who have known me for a while know this story. It is how Art as a Healing Practice was born.

Meditation, visual art, writing - that became my practice, my road-map of healing.

As I found my way into formal training in the expressive arts, I began weaving in additional modalities. When I later discovered ecopsychology, nature-based practices naturally became part of that tapestry as well. 

Over time, what began as a deeply personal practice grew into in-person workshops, then online offerings, and eventually a series of evolving themes. Some of you have been with me through much of this journey.

 In its current form, Art as a Healing Practice is a nine-lesson comprehensive self-study workshop series that you can return to again and again - to sustain you, to bring healing, meaning, understanding, and the deep satisfaction of artistic expression. It's on sale right now, and we have extended that sale for another week - until February 6. 

I invite you to check it out.  It has a very special place in my heart, as it has been central to my own healing, and now it is simply ingrained in my daily life, as the way that I stay attuned to my inner life. 

There is no question that we are currently living in tough times. How are you managing? What are the resources you draw upon? Are you turning to creative expression to sustain you? We have several complimentary resources that you can use, in addition to Art as a Healing Practice.  We began creating these during covid, and together they now form a rich and accessible collection.

Challenging news seems to come at us from all directions. How do we stay informed while also maintaining some measure of equanimity? How do we make room for our full emotional landscape—our fear and anger, alongside our hope, love, and belief in what Joanna Macy calls the Great Turning? How do we remain effective citizens, teachers, students, and humans in the midst of so much uncertainty and despair?

At times, turning toward art can feel ineffective—or even like an escape. I don’t believe it is. Creativity and imagination are powerful forces for empowerment and change. Through them, we discover—within ourselves and with one another—what is needed, and what our part may be.

When I sit at my art table, I often feel like I am taking the questions of my life to the altar of my creativity. Trusting my creativity,  I do my best to stay open to what emerges. I may love what shows up, or not. I do my best to trust whatever it is that arrives. I may have more questions than answers, at first. In time, it all begins to make sense.- Kathleen, Art as a Healing Practice, 2024

"I receive the gifts of this time of life, with humility, and I offer the gifts back to the world, in reciprocity. Sometimes I waver, and I do my best to stay present to it all" 

We invite you to use any of our resources that are useful to you. You might like the simplicity of the Loving Witness Art Meditation. Or you may want to explore the other complimentary resources, or sign up for Art as a Healing Practice. Or join us for Mindful Art Play Members Club. 

I also want to share something that has been quietly sustaining me. Have you heard of the Walk for Peace? A group of Tibetan monks is currently on day 99 of a 2,300-mile walk from Texas to Washington, D.C. I’ve been following their journey online. It helps.

We walk not to bring you peace, but to remind you it never left—it's been there through every storm, every heartbreak, every lonely night, waiting with infinite patience for you to notice it again. May our footsteps help you turn inward and find it. And may that discovery be like sunrise after the longest night, dispelling shadows you thought were permanent and filling your whole being with radiant wellness, with comfort, with belonging. - Yesterday's quote on the Walk for Peace FB page.

Our colleague/friend Rabbi Adina Allen of the Jewish Studio Project has created a beautiful free resource: Art-Making Prompts for Heart-Breaking Times. We encourage you to have a look—you may find it supportive.

We would love you to share in our private Facebook group. Let's keep building creative community support. 

*Macy, Joanna & Molly Brown, Coming Back to Life: The updated guide to the Work that Reconnects, New Society Publishers, 2014

See all our upcoming offerings here!

 Each course contains detailed, yet approachable instructions, videos, and meditations facilitated by Kathleen & Tamara. The imagery and guidance from this work can assist you, whether dipping your toes into expressive arts or seeking a deeper connection. 

*All courses come with lifetime access so you can refer back to them at any time!

*No previous art experience is necessary!

Featured Self-Study Course

Cultivating Self-Compassion