Those of us who have chosen careers in the intellectual realms face common creative process issues that are hardly ever named as such within the container of the programs and professional contexts in which we are trained, whether that be in graduate work, an MFA program, or in the art world. Intellectual work presents us with the challenging paradox of having to be conceptual and left-brain oriented while holding space for the unknown to emerge in the course of a creative process. Because we typically receive so little mirroring of ourselves in this paradox, we often experience the creative process in our work symptomatically—through procrastination, writer’s block, a feeling of inauthenticity, isolation, boredom, and running away from our work. Yet when viewed from a process perspective, these issues can be experienced within the context of a sequence of unfolding that has integrity and potency. Through movement practices, process work, writing exercises, mindfulness work, somatic work, and dialogue, you will receive specific feedback about your own creative challenges and strengths and techniques for working through these issues in ways that are meaningful to you personally. By delving into process, we will work on creative sequencing issues that will ultimately impact the form of your creative work, as well as your relationship to that work.
The unique situation of being able to work on process issues in a small group (no more than 7 participants) gives us the opportunity to move at a slow pace with presence and attunement to our creative sequencing, our relational needs, and our intention for engaging in creative work. Participants in this workshop have found it immensely beneficial not only for their creative work and careers, but also for their capacities for making relationship and for presence. I currently offer this workshop quarterly in Eugene, Oregon, and am in the process of planning workshops in other cities. Please inquire if you are interested in having this workshop in your city or at your institution.
