Offering HeART and SoulCollage® workshops to inspire your creative spirit |
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Greetings!
I have a fear of visibility . . . of being seen. I mean really being seen—for the flawed human that I am. When I think of my book being published, an iceberg of terror forms in the middle of my chest. Bearing all my deepest faults and fears in writing for everyone to see—it's horrifying! And that's just the emotional side of visibility; then there's the physical side: too old, too fat, too emotional, and on it goes. In my experience our patriarchical culture encourages silence, subservience, and invisibility.
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I see this fear of visibility all the time in SoulCollage® gatherings. When it comes time to speak what's being revealed in their cards, people often clam up. Shy. Embarrassed. Ashamed. They often "tidy up" what they share to keep it toned down and socially acceptable. |
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Warts and all. . .
Then there are the precious times when people speak from their hearts and in doing so encourage others to do the same. We feel the fear and do it anyway. Why? Because deep inside, we want to be seen. We long to step fully into the light. We want to be accepted for who we are; to be loved, warts and all.
Have you heard the term magnificent failure (Martine Prechtel)? I learned about this idea recently in a workshop with Larisa Noonan (animist, ritualist, and Ancestral Lineage Healing Practitioner). The idea of magnificent failure can be summed up like this: Nature around us is so perfect and so beautiful in Her design and execution that anything we do will always pale in comparison. When we still do our best despite knowing we will come up short, we honor the Holy in Nature. We create a magnificent failure and rejoice in it! It reminds me of the legend of how some cultures intentionally make a mistake when they create something because only God is perfect. |
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One of my magnificent failures. . .
Here is an example of one of my magnificent failures: I have tried offering a class in Origami Temples of Kindness four times and have failed to generate enough interest to make the class a go. I finally got the message not to take it personally; there are greater forces at work in life deciding what I will teach besides just me. So now, when a workshop fails to launch even though I've tried my best, I take it as a message that it is not meant to be for reasons I may never know or understand.
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Failure is good. It means we are trying. So here's to the mistakes, the ugly cry, the over-the-top reactions, and all the ways our imperfection shows up. May we rejoice in our magnificent failures!
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Kintsugi Breaking and Mending Retreat
in the heart of the red cedar forest
Friday evening October 14th through Sunday afternoon October 16th, 2022
Participants May stay onsite or offsite for this retreat.
Registrations close October 7th.
Come join us as we engage in the ceremonial art of Kintsugi to explore the brokenness that lives in ourselves and in our Mother Earth, and find the beauty and gratitude that resides there.
Many of us are living with broken hearts. We accumulate grief and carry it with us, often unseen and unexpressed. But grief can be a storehouse of power, a way to reconnect with what and how we love, and honor what came before. Grief can help us find the beauty in our brokenness, while opening us to loving more and being of greater service to the world.
Our broken and mended bowls become a gentle, visual reminder to embrace imperfection and look for beauty in brokenness. Learn more here
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Art and SoulCollage® Gatherings at the Down to Earth Studio
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SoulCollage® Gatherings
3rd Fridays 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
GG's Down to Earth Studio
If a session is full, you can email GG to get on the wait list.
October 21 - Kintsugi SoulCollage® (Session is full)
November 18 - Abundantly Yours (Session is full)
December 16 - Old Stories into New Stories (Session is full). This day only there is a 9:00 am to 12:00 pm session which still has openings.
Sliding scale fee: $20 - $35 (includes all supplies and the 3-hour session) Those new to SoulCollage® can come one hour early for an overview. Newcomer Fee for the one-hour introductory overview + all supplies + three-hour gathering is $65.
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Eco-Dyeing on Paper and Fabric
Saturday and Sunday, November 5 & 6, 2022
9:30 am to 4:00 pm
GG's Down to Earth Studio
Workshop fee: $245.00 (see list below for all that this fee includes). I will accept a payment plan.
Come and explore the serendipitous world of eco-dyeing. Eco-dyeing is a technique for printing on fabric or paper with the natural dye color present in leaves, flowers and other plant materials. It's a totally serendipitous process because you never quite know what you'll get. The fun is in the reveal.
Day One: We will spend the day experimenting with eco-dyeing on paper and silk.
Day Two: We will make journals and greeting cards from our prints.
The workshop fee includes high-quality printing paper, one silk scarf, greeting cards and journal-making kits.
Register for the eco-dyeing workshop here.
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Creating Collage Fodder - Experimenting with Textures and Techniques
Saturday, November 12, 2022
10:30 am to 4:30 pm
The Art Department Supply Store, Downtown Salem, OR
Workshop fee: $85.00
Spend the day making papers for collage, art journaling and other projects. Experiment with bleeding art tissue, Italian plaster, acrylics, inks, stamps, stencils and more as you discover ways to alter papers to create unique materials for your art toolbox. You'll learn tips and techniques for making beautiful collage materials that will add pizzazz and panache to your next art project.
No experience necessary.
Register with The Art Department here.
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"Being Held in Deep Grief and Unbearable Beauty" art print for sale.
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"Beyond the Veil" art print for sale.
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Gift Certificates for GG's Down to Earth Studio for SoulCollage(r) baby showers, birthday parties, products, classes, or art doula services. Contact GG.
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from my creative heart to yours, |
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The Art Doula is here for You!
Come and explore, discover, and birth your unique creativity.
This offering has really taken off and I couldn't be more thrilled! I now have seven art mentoring clients -- some in person at the studio and some on zoom. We are having so much fun breaking old patterns and birthing new artistic endeavors. I love being an Art Doula. : )
Are you a tentative artist, or maybe a wanna-be? Do you feel the call to create something but don't know where to start? Have you heard yourself say the words “I’m not a creative person?” Or, maybe you think of yourself as only a painter, or only a crafter.
Let’s debunk those myths! I am an Art Doula, here to help you explore, discover, and birth more of your unique creativity. I'd so love to work with you to help your creative life blossom. Zoom or in-person doula services available. Contact me for a free 30-minute preliminary consult. More information on my website here.
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