Favorable Winds and Gentle Seas
Many of us are finding ourselves adrift. Or stuck in life's metaphorical rip currents. There's no doubt that we could all use a reliable compass, favorable winds, and gentle seas right about now.
So let's give ourselves something to look forward to!
I'm creating this 4-week series to help us all (re)align our coordinates, tap into our inner GPS, and map out what truly matters. Each week will consist of Discussion Videos, Journaling Prompts and Reflection Questions, Tips for Disentanglement From the Things That Drag You Down, and Deeply Detailed Art Tutorials (all levels of creatives welcome). This course, and the art projects held within, will be heavily inspired by the natural world around us and modeled after the magical healing powers of the ocean. In true Self Esteem Through Art fashion, this will be a multi-faceted exploration of art, an intentional anchoring into self-discovery, and a welcome respite from the world's relentless noise. Let your soul and spirit fly—join us!
You can view an overview of the Course Curriculum below. I'll be posting a supply list soon—it will include a list of materials that you might find useful when participating in this course. However, there is always an element of creative flexibility in my classes and you are free to use whatever you have on hand (or any preferred mediums that make you happy).
The rest of the Course Content will begin to be released the week of October 12.
Anyone Else Feeling Tender and Raw?
Lately, I feel like I'm on an psychological tightrope; balanced precariously between barely contained rage and overwhelming waves of despair. Humans were simply not designed to endure unprecedented moments, tragedies, and atrocities one after another, day after day, on a loop, for years and years at a time.
We have been on a ferris wheel of fight, flight, or freeze for the better part of a decade now.
It's too much.
We need moments of solitude. Precedented moments of normalcy where we can pause, catch our collective breath, and reconnect to what is wholesome and pure and true.
We need to tune out so we can tune in.
To ourselves.
To the natural world around us.
To the people we love.
I'm creating this class and this space so you can prioritize exactly that!
We are the ones we've been looking for and we need to hold space for each other. 🩷
Inspired by All Things Nautical
People have been turning to the sea for literal and metaphorical guidance for centuries. I'm no different. When things feel particularly heavy, the ocean never fails to provide me with the answers I most seek. Not everyone has access to the ocean, however, so in this class I'm going to bring the ocean to you. Via discussions, imagery, journaling prompts, and thoughtful art projects.
Leading With Love
As we move through each week, let's commit to leading with love. For ourselves. For the process. For the natural beauty surrounding us (even if it doesn't make headlines). For the gift of art to heal, to bring people together, and to help us process the unimaginable while lending color and shape to our emotions.
Art That Impacts
Knowing that deliberate acts of creation lead to clarity, the art we make together in this series will serve as our compass. Working with our hands opens our hearts. And being in community reminds us that we're not alone. I look forward to spending this time with you.
A Note on Joy
Joy is our birthright. And when it gets really hard to find it out there <gestures wildly>, we need to be very deliberate about finding it in here <points to heart>.
🩵 🩵 🩵
Some Thoughts on Content and Community
I've been getting some good questions from people who want to know more about this course, so I made a video that provides some answers.
Keep the questions coming. This is my first time creating a course on this platform, so there will be a bit of a learning curve for all of us.
Course Curriculum for The Relief Map
You will be able to see this section once you register and pay for the course.