I had the opportunity to co-lead the art focused Creative Playshop at “The Body Now” Summer Retreat with Turning the Wheel this past week. It was a treat to guide our intimate class through the stages of creating a beautiful mixed media sculpture. The theme this year was “Living our Joy” and after much deliberating me and my creative partner, Dodi, settled on creating nests this year.
Nests are such a powerful image of growth and home. They encapsulate so many aspects of a healthy life. Manifesting, nurturing, protecting, growing, snuggling, nesting. Dodi and I steered our lovely group of participants into new relationships with the materials and their own inner artist. My personal agenda for the Creative Play session was to spark a new way of relating to art in the individuals. We played with the materials beyond the visual realm, relating to the way they felt, the way they resonated, the way they brought us joy.
At the end of the week each person had a perfect little capsule of the joy from the class filled with intention and beauty. I’m always shocked at the buoyant creativity each person brings to the table. Each nest was a unique expression of the creator. I modeled the steps each day by creating my own nests. We had two options for creating. One started with a decoupage bowl base, and the second started with a paper bag. I ended up creating two, while everyone else dove deeply into one creation, which lead to a wonderful depth in the sculptures. That being said I’m still very happy with my two little treasure nests.
We ended the week with a showcase at the closing celebration. Watch the Video Here.
Huge shoutout to Dodi for being the best mentor and partner in guiding this class. Love you!
My two nests side by side. The top is made from a paper bag and the bottom is decoupage.
Each magical addition added to the story and the joyful power.
On day three we shared our joy with each other by creating tokens for another persons nest. I cherish my token from Suzanne!
Sad to miss out? You can sign up for next years camp right now! Check it out.
