How to get started

Now, just imagine for a moment, you're ready for your first blank piece of paper.

You don't know what will emerge on the paper. Are you excited? Are you bored? Are you scared?

Facing that blank piece of paper can provoke all sorts of feelings.

And for some, that place of not-knowing can be scary, because:

• there is no plan to tell you what to do
• it’s unfamiliar, an experience outside of your comfort zone
• feelings can arise that may be interpreted as a warning of danger

Naturally, your system is designed to protect you and keep you safe. But what do you need to keep yourself safe from?

What are you risking aside from a piece of paper and paint?

And why does it seem scary?

Well sometimes there can be internal:

• judgements about your capability
• criteria for what looks good or bad, right or wrong
• pressure to perform and to be impressive

… and that can derail, discourage and undermine desires for creativity. 

So, instead we want to create a space where you feel free, can start to delight in the idea of discovering what comes next and where your creativity can flow and flourish.

Therefore, in our workshops, we are going to create the necessary conditions for setting your creativity free:

• there will be no art critiques or judgements on your painting in our workshops
• we are not going to get caught up in judging or rejecting what you don't like
• we are not going to get caught up in getting attached to what you like

The invitation will be to simply explore, go with the flow and find out what happens next.

The invitation will be to listen to your process in the moment - not to fix it, just to explore and thereby increase your awareness of what happens for you.

You may find yourself:

• criticising your painting
• using self-talk against yourself
• questioning your creative potential

That's OK, you don't need to fix it, just notice and give yourself permission to be playful as you allow marks to be made and watch what emerges.

And you'll learn to be kind and patient with yourself. It can be an opportunity for you to develop an internal environment that is supportive and safe for self-expression.

You’ll find ways to be OK with not-knowing, and then discover ... an abundance of creativity!

And here is what Martha Graham, contemporary dancer and choreographer said about judgements of good or bad self-expression:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”