Come On Over

 Open House

At

the Creatavita Studio

8 N. Warner Ave.

Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

On

Friday, November 19: 3:00 - 10:00 pm

Saturday, November 20: 1:00 - 7:00 pm

Come on over for

Creative Actions, Conversations, Food And Firepit (Weather permitting)

Proof of COVID Vaccination Required

Hi Friends,

Please join me for creativity, conversation and community at the Creatavita Studio on either Friday, November 19 or Saturday, November 20. I've got a fantastic line up of actions waiting for you, including:

Breathing - One of my clients came over yesterday for her creative guiding session. She walked in, took a breath and said, "it's so serene in here". Come over and breathe. If your timing is right, you can even participate in meditation (led by Meg Townsend of Real Living Yoga).

Communing - The most frequent (and best) feedback I get about our Monthly Gatherings is the sense of community. Here's your opportunity to be with other creatives. Talk, laugh, cry, find inspiration or just that good feeling that comes from being with like-minded humans. Weather permitting, I'll start up the firepit on Friday night, maybeee even on Saturday late afternoon. 

Creating - Got a project that needs a test drive? New play you've been writing that you want to hear? Songs you need to sing? Art you want people to see? Tell me about it here. Perhaps we can get it in front of a small, generous audience.

Enjoying - Sample the food served at the Creative Retreats. I'm super proud of it - homemade, locally-sourced when possible, healthy AND tasty. 

Expressing - Your own self. There will be creative activities set up throughout the studio. For you. Come. Spend some time with you.

Learning - This is the retreat space I've been telling you about. Finally, the time feels safe and right for you to see it in person. Also, while you're here, can I tell you about the transformative Sponsorship Fund? I'm very proud of the fund and need your help moving it forward.

To keep the space safe for all of us, proof of COVID vaccination (or a PCR test done within 72 hours of arrival) will be required. Windows will be open to provide ventilation, so dress appropriately. Masks will be encouraged.

Want to bring a friend or two? Absolutely!

RSVPs (right here) are greatly appreciated by Sunday, November 14. Please specify which day you're aiming for. That way I'll have enough food for all of you.

July's Gathering Is Days Away

I'm back, my friends. Back from performing Once at The Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY. The weather did not behave; we lost 8 full performances and half of 2 performances (due to COVID, Hangar has moved their entire season outdoors). However, this was still a fantastic contract, filled with creativity, generosity, humanity and hope. You know - one year ago, I was in deep contemplation. What did I want? How could I get that? Out of that contemplation and visualization came action which led directly to this contract. You also can have this. Follow me on my journey and I'll happily guide you to all that will fulfill your desires, goals and life.

And that starts now, with July's Gathering! Creatavita's Monthly Gathering. Monday, July 26, 7:30 - 9:00 pm EST is the date and time. Zoom is the location. The format remains the same - drop in, stay for a few minutes or stay for the entire time. Our current plan is:

7:30 - 7:40 pm - Hello! Who's here? What's up?

7:40 - 7:55 pm - Meditation. No one allowed in during this time. Please arrive before or after.

7:55 - 8:10 pm - Special Guest Artist Rachel DeMasi. Rachel will introduce the art form of Junk Journaling, what it has done for her as an artist (she's also a fantastic singer/actor and is exploring playwriting) and answer your questions.

8:10 - 8:45 pm - July's Creative Action - Junk Journaling. Bring your supplies - a journal or paper, glue tape, junk (markers, stickers, writings, pictures, string, etc.) and be prepared for a wonderful session of journaling. Prompts will be supplied to give your creativity a focus.

8:45 - 9:00 pm - Discussion.

Contact me here so I can send you the Zoom link.

See you on the evening of Monday, July 26.

Junk Journal Page from Rachel. Gorgeous, right?

Another one by Rachel. What will your create?

A Different Kind of Gathering

 Well. Once again, life has changed, right? Ramped up is the phrase that I use to describe what’s going on with my life. So I’m going to use that ramping up to transform Creatavita’s June Gathering.

The good news is I will be performing again, and soon. As in, rehearsals start next week! I’ll be traveling to Ithaca, NY to perform Baruska in Once at The Hangar Theatre. There’s so much creatavita wrapped up in this contract, which we must discuss in the future.

For a variety of reasons (unknown rehearsal schedule, unknown internet and collective Zoom fatigue), it seems best to have no online gathering this month. However, you all have an assignment for July when we will be back together. An assignment that involves a different kind of gathering. A little background first.

July’s Gathering will feature Junk Journaling. If you have no idea what that means, click on the link. Rachel Gitel-DeMasi, who led me to Junk Journaling, will be assisting me in the July meeting. More details coming later. In the meantime, your assignment:

Gather items for your Junk Journal

That’s it! Cards, leaves, flowers, stickers, random notes you find on the street, yarn, maybe you’ll draw a picture...junk that might mean something in your journal. You can also gather some supplies, like a journal, glue tape (Rachel says this is the best), markers, paints, etc. To incentivize your gathering, I’ve got a special offer:

The first FIVE (5) people to comment on this post will receive a special item (or two) from me. The comments MUST appear on the Creatavita blog, NOT on social media.

Now’s your opportunity to move out of the isolation of the past 15 months at your pace. Use your creativity as you traverse this new phase of the pandemic. Use Junk Journaling as fuel for activities that feel right to you. Be the creative you that has been hanging around, the creative you that you found during the pandemic. That’s what I’m doing!

While my availability will be limited from June 15 - July 2 (that’s opening of Once), I will do my best to respond to any communications I receive. So, if you need some creative guiding or just a friendly hello, reach out!

Whatever you do, remember - Create. Prosper. Transform.

PS - It’s working!

Come to the Creatavita Lounge

 I received the nicest feedback from some of April’s Monthly Gathering participants, including this - “You’ve created a lovely community”.

I must admit, that surprised and delighted me. A community. A lovely community. Who doesn’t need that?

Spring is here and this month, the Monthly Gathering turns into a lounge. A space for you to drop by for a few minutes to say hello, or to come in and stay for the entire evening. A space to say hello and head back out, to try out some of this month’s actions, or to stay for the entire evening. Whatever is needed, the May Monthly Gathering has space for you.

The lounge will be open Monday, May 17, 7:30 - 9:00 EST.

Here’s the schedule:

7:30 - 7:45 - Lounge opens for conversation and hanging out.

7:45 - 8:00 - Meditation - a guided meditation to anchor and open.

8:00 - 8:20 - Creative Action - time to play. Bring yourself and a few supplies (see below). I’ll meet you in the lounge for creative play.

8:20 - 8:45 - Summer Dreams. What are you dreaming about for the summer? What joys do you anticipate? What challenges? We’ve all got both; how are we navigating the current time?

To assure a quality experience, no one will be admitted during Meditation or Creative Action. If you want to participate in those activities, be on time! During the rest of the evening, feel free to come and go as you please. 

Supplies remain the same - paper, pen and a Zoom-compatible device. Additional supplies (colored pens/markers, yarn, colored paper, etc.) are still fun and completely optional.

This month there’s no limit on the number of participants. Come on over, everybody! And...this month's gathering is sponsored by the Creatavita Offerings Sponsorship Fund, so the $20.00 fee will be waived for all participants.

Register in advance right here.

Can’t make it yourself this month? Spread the love. Share this post. So another human can create, prosper and transform.

Announcing April's Monthly Gathering

I know, I know. You're Zoomed out. You're done with the pandemic. You can't fathom how another online gathering is going to make any difference. 

Show up anyway. Bring your exhaustion and give us the chance to turn it into creative energy. You have nothing to lose, particularly since this month's gathering is completely FREE. Paid for by Creatavita's silent investor.

Creatavita's April Monthly Gathering is scheduled for Monday, April 12, 7:30 - 8:45 pm EST. This month's topic - Potluck!

That's right. We'll keep the usual format for this 75-minute, online session:

• Grounding Exercise - a brief meditation to anchor our attention in the current moment.

• Creative Play - one creative action designed to give space for our minds to wander and explore.

• Potluck - This month, we open the floor to you. Bring your projects, from all parts of your life. Creative, career or personal - we're open. Triumphs, tragedies, small wins - they're all welcome. Need guidance to get unstuck? Finished and wanting to spread the joy? Or perhaps you can't take the first step on that cool spring project. Let's figure it out, let's hear how you succeeded.

Supplies remain the same - paper, pen and a Zoom-compatible device. Additional supplies (colored pens/markers, yarn, colored paper, etc.) are still fun and completely optional.

Gatherings are limited to 10 participants. This month's gathering is sponsored by the Creatavita Offerings Sponsorship Fund, so the $20.00 fee will be waived for all participants.

Message me here to register or to have questions answered.

See you on April 12!

On The Other Side

 I'm on the other side of a rough patch again. These rough patches bother me. They make me feel like a fraud. How can I guide others when I am so incredibly lost myself? 

Which is exactly what makes me good at who I am and what I do. First, being a human first. Second, acknowledging the roughness of that humanity. Thirdly, utilizing that humanity to transform - myself and the world.

These rough patches also bring me humility, which, as much as I hate it admit it, is something I need.

Still, this rough patch was the roughest I've experienced recently. Even through the entire pandemic. This one was bottom of the barrel, cognitive failing, waking up crying, full-on biologically depressed, desperate conversations with strangers (thank you to the two women and their dogs at the Radnor Trail last Sunday) rough.

In the end, what is bringing me out of this episode are the small actions. 

The awkward and loving conversations. With friends, family and Beloved. No single one was the key. The thought here, the comment there. They all add up.

Living with the difficult emotions. The frustration which leads to sadness which leads to pain. This part of living is exhausting to me. Yet essential. To feel and acknowledge, yet not to wallow. To know the line between acknowledging and wallowing.

Routine. Which includes exercise, healthy food and creativity. Even though they feel completely pointless. And then compassion when I fail.

Sunshine. As much as possible, particularly this time of the year.

Staying away from social media. I love y'all, but sometimes you are too much.

Creative acts. Yesterday, I returned to a song I had performed a couple of years ago. It was bad. Awful. Terrible. I am not fishing for compliments. That's the truth. I did it anyway. Because I recognize the benefit in creatively expressing my own self.

Today I'm better. I can feel a realignment of my mind, soul and body. The clarity of thought that had been absent has returned. The layers have been pulled away so I can clearly see the roots of the problems. I know where to focus my energies. 

I start the day with an easy walk. Because I can. As so often happens, fresh thoughts appear. 

I realize it is the small actions that have gotten me through the pandemic. Not only through the pandemic, but through life. And it is the small actions that will carry me on.

Let's all settle down. Let's all take yet another collective breath. We are here. Even in our exhaustion, let us continue to practice gratitude and compassion. For ourselves and for those around us. We are making it. Beyond making it, we are thriving. We may be temporarily blinded, but we are thriving.

Help Is Here. The Creatavita Offerings Sponsorship

You've read about MacKenzie Scott, right?

There are other people in this world doing similar good with their abundance. Right now. They are choosing to use their abundance to lift up and support those that need it. Right now. 

One of these good people has found their way to Creatavita. They have given a substantial financial donation to start the Creatavita Offerings Sponsorship. That's a fancy way to say - 

Help is Here.

In particular, help is here for those who have not historically had equal access to creative opportunities. Preference for this support is currently given in this order:

• BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), with preference towards femme-identifying individuals
• Anyone unemployed or severely underemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Please know that all requests, even from those who feel they do not meet the criteria listed above, are considered. Take a step, fill out this form. Let's get to know each other and see how you can be lifted up.

Our current offerings include:

Monthly Gatherings: 75-minutes of meditation, creative actions and honest discussion around a specific topic. Monthly Gatherings are intended to give anyone 18 years of age and older a space to breathe, to play with creativity and to figure out how to navigate this current life. Recent discussions have centered on Achieving Goals, Uncertainty (that was a hit) and Attention. We typically gather remotely in the evening on the third Monday of every month. $20.00 admission fee with 10% of all profits donated to a charity, currently The Loveland Foundation. Each meeting is announced here on the Creatavita blog, on IG, and on LinkedIn. 

Creative Retreats: Don't you just want to go away for a few hours? To sit in another space and breathe, work on a creative project, practice music or yoga, or read a book? Come to our Main Line studio (west of Philadelphia) for sanctuary and a dive into your creativity. Packages are currently offered at three levels, starting at $25.00. Details are here. 

Creative Guiding Sessions: People from all walks of life find great benefit in either creative actions or attitudes. A creative guiding session gives you a specific space to seriously consider the intersection of your life and your creativity. These sessions are one-on-one and are 30-60 minutes in length. A 30-minute session is ideal to guide the overwhelmed mother to a few minutes of creative serenity. A 60-minute session is ideal for the artist planning for the post-pandemic world. A 60-minute session is ideal for the Zoomed-out executive yearning for a fresh outlook on career and life. Read more here.

Perhaps after reading this post, you're thinking you'd like to contribute to the Sponsorship. You wouldn't be alone. There are creative people who would be deeply grateful of your contribution. Please contact us here for further conversation.

There are good people out there. They care about you. They want to see you thrive. Let's get started. Fill out the form.

Registration for March's Monthly Gathering Opens Today

 

February is behind us. In my neck of the woods, that's a relief. Let's turn our attention to March and all the possibilities of the spring.

Creatavita's next Monthly Gathering is scheduled for Monday, March 15, 7:30 - 8:45 pm EST. March's topic is Attention.

Agenda for this 75-minute, online session:

• Grounding Exercise - a brief meditation to anchor our attention in the current moment.

• Creative Play - one creative action designed to give space for our minds to wander and explore.

• The Value of Attention - ever notice how easy it is to lose focus? Why is our attention drawn to some activities and not others? Is this positive or negative? What actions can I take? We'll take a look at how to use creative actions to successfully navigate the attention economy.

You'll need paper, pen and a Zoom-compatible device. Additional supplies (colored pens/markers, yarn, colored paper, etc.) are fun and completely optional.

My intention is that each participant will discover one creative action that will assist on their individual journey through the attention economy.

Gatherings are limited to 10 participants. $20.00 fee. I am gratefully thrilled to announce that need-based sponsorships are available for 2 participants. Read Creatavita's Mission Statement for more information and to apply. 10% of profits are donated to The Loveland Foundation.

Message me here to register or to have questions answered.

See you on March 15!

New Offering - Retreats

I'm so pleased to write this post for so many reasons.

I've had a vision for years of creating a retreat space. A space to give people somewhere to rest, rejuvenate, explore, refresh, whatever they need. A sanctuary. Circumstances, often happy, seemed to always get in the way. I was a working mom, then I was performing; the space needed renovation (Beloved is fantastic at this, but there was a LOT of work to be done); people didn't seem interested. Everytime I returned to the vision, I had to acknowledge the timing just wasn't right.

 
Amazing what a pandemic can do.

Today I am thrilled to invite you to retreat here at the Creatavita studio. Our space is not elegant or expansive. Our space is comfortable, serene, and inviting. Our space gives you the opportunity to be, for a few hours. Our space gives you the opportunity to explore, for a few hours. Our space gives you the opportunity to patiently and joyfully create, for a few hours.

We're easily accessible for anyone in the Philadelphia area. Overnight stays can also be arranged, either for those in the Philadelphia area, or for those who can safely travel to the area.

Oh. COVID. We've thought of that as well. We have protocol:

• Retreats are currently limited to 1 person or 2 people from the same household.
• The studio is unoccupied for 24 hours between each retreat. 
• The studio is thoroughly cleaned between each retreat.

Wait. This story gets even better.

Through the generosity of a donor, sponsorships are now available for Creatavita retreats. While everyone can be considered for a sponsorship, preference for this support is currently given in this order:

• BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), with preference towards femme-identifying individuals.
• Anyone unemployed or severely underemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All requests are considered. We simply ask that this form be filled out. 

Don't you just want to go away for a few hours? Don't you just want to sit in another space and breathe, practice yoga, work on a creative project, write a letter to a friend or read a book? 

I thought so.

We're waiting for you right here.

Announcing February's Monthly Gathering

No filter. Honest! Just a Grecian sunset.

Creatavita's next Monthly Gathering is scheduled for Monday, February 15 at 7:30 pm EST. February's topic is Uncertainty.

Agenda for this 75-minute, online session:

• Grounding Exercise - this month, we'll be playing with a brief stretching meditation.
• Creative Play - one creative action that allows our minds to explore.
• Help Me, I Think I'm Falling: Creative Actions to Deal with Uncertainty - our companion, Uncertainty, is sticking around. I've got practical tips on how to deal.

You'll need paper, pen and a Zoom-compatible device. Additional supplies (colored pens/markers, origami paper, yarn, etc.) are fun and completely optional.

My intention is that each participant will leave with one creative action that will help them positively address uncertainty in their professional or personal lives.

Gatherings are limited to 10 participants. $20.00 fee. 10% of profits are donated to The Loveland Foundation. 

Message me here to register or if you've got questions. 

1/29/21 at 12:19 pm Update: The fee for this event was incorrectly posted as $10.00 on the original post. The fee is $20.00. That's what I get for posting before lunch!

In Praise of Hobbies

Hobbies. That activity you had when you were a kid. Left behind as you began seriously adulting. Returned to in moments of existential crisis, like a global pandemic.

Hobbies have served me well. I've had at least one hobby (knitting) since I was six years old. The pride I felt when I finished that first scarf...the frustrations of the many projects since...the joy of curious exploration as my skills have improved...

I'm going to pepper this post with photos from other's hobbies.

My sister, Mar, is a lawyer in a Memphis hospital.
Quilting gives her sanity, especially during the pandemic.

One of the big benefits of most hobbies is you end the process with a tangible thing, a material item. You can hold it in your hands. You can use it in your life. You can smell it, you can put it on. You can give it away.  This benefit is especially valuable for a performing artist. Having a thing to hold when your career involves creating products that live in the air and in your heart, and in the hearts of others is beyond comforting.

Sabrina Boyd-Surka works in sound every day. Ten months into the pandemic, she bought simple materials and started improvising.

I'm captivated by the texture in Sabrina's piece.

In challenging times, like global pandemics, hobbies give us a way to refocus our energies. Uncertainty fades, even for a few minutes, when one is focusing on the size of board to cut for the new birdhouse or the color of paint to add to the canvas.

Some hobbies encourage us to change locations. I have an acquaintance who is an ardent birdwatcher. Based on her IG feed, she's in a new outdoor spot every weekend. I must admit I'm a bit jealous. 

Some hobbies require our hands to work differently than they do in our career. Modern people seem to like this. Our ancestors had no choice; they had to work with their hands all the time. They were happy to have their hands idle at the end of their 20-hour work day. Us? We crave something besides scrolling and typing. 

Jane Tonkin remembered my love of hummingbirds

Certainty. There's certainty in a hobby. The pattern tells us where we'll likely to end up. The journey can be pleasant, not too difficult. We can engage with others. A sense of satisfaction. Give a piece of ourselves to others. 

Intended for a Christmas tree, I hung them on the coatrack in my studio.
They're colorful reminders of Jane's creativity and the eternal promise of spring.

I've been contemplating why so many choose needlecraft - embroidery, knitting, crocheting, quilting. I have some ideas. They're not messy, like painting or ceramics. They're easy and inexpensive to start - a few supplies and you're on your way. There are colors to explore, textures to play with. Most people follow a pattern, at least to start, so there's an image of what the project should look like. The pattern provides some certainty. However, as the skill develops, I can veer off on a side path. Enter individuality. Enter creativity.

Rachel Gitel DeMasi has been severely impacted by the loss of income and artistic outlet, as well as health issues, during the pandemic. When I found out she was healing through the lost art of cross stitch, I knew my own embroidery materials had found their ideal home. I sent her a box of supplies and in returned, she surprised me with this lovely piece. After hearing about my personal practice to Listen better at a recent Unexplored Artist seminar, Rachel used her creativity and added the word to this piece.

I start every day with the lovely reminder of Rachel's work.

Now would be the ideal time for you to consider adding a hobby to your life. Or revisit one from years past. Or zero in on one skill in a current hobby. The rewards are waiting for you.

Surround Yourself

 A few weeks ago, in Creativita's first Monthly Gathering, one participant asked:

"What do you do when a project becomes hard? How do you keep going?"

Excellent question. What do I do?

I looked at the screen of faces and saw a colleague, Julie Zaffarano. Julie inspires me with her daring. She seems fearless to me, serene and confident in her current project. I don't mean she doesn't have challenges; she does. Yet when I talk with Julie, she exudes a conviction that the work she is doing is exactly where she is meant to be. 

I find this conviction to be addictive. Hence, whenever I am uncertain of what I should be doing, I drive over to her house to have a chat. Boom. Like a drug, her energy wafts over to me while we sit, physically-distanced, in her outdoor, COVID-safe space. In an hour, my path is clear and my creativity is rejuvenated. I race home to get back to work.

Confidence. Confidence in the path, in the work. That's what I take from Julie.

Then there's my colleague, Jerrell L. Henderson. Jerrell gives me two elements that I need in my creative work - curiosity and courage. His energy reminds me to stay open to new possibilities in my creativity. His energy inspires me to courageously follow my dream of transforming society through my creativity.

Take a look at Jerrell's latest creation, produced by Chicago Children's Theatre:

I surround myself with these people, especially when I am disheartened, unmotivated or confused. My instinct is to pull into my self. But I have learned new behavior. I reach out to them to talk, to bask in their energy, to rejuvenate my creativity.

I return to the question - "What do you do when a project becomes hard? How do you keep going?"

The answer? I surround myself with colleagues who have the very elements I need. 

Surround yourself with what you need.

New for 2021: Monthly Gatherings

Happy 2021! While we start where we left off, still in the midst of a global pandemic, I do see a tiny light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel is long, and we're still in the middle. With patience and persistence, which I know is sometimes in short supply, we're making the journey.

If you're feeling adrift, consider joining me at a new Creatavita offering - a monthly gathering. Online, of course. Currently free. 

I'll be starting off the 2021 Monthly Gatherings on Monday, January 11, 7:30 EST. January's topic is Achieving Your Goals: Creativity and Strategy for 2021.

Agenda for this 75-minute, online session:
- Grounding Exercise - a brief relaxation exercise to focus us on the moment.
- Creative Play - one creative action intended to get our creative juices flowing.
- Achieving Your Goals. Discussing a pragmatic path forward - let's talk. Together. About our dreams and wishes for 2021, and strategies to really make those happen. 

My intention is that each participant will leave with a minimum of one realistic action linked to one specific 2021 goal.

You'll need paper, pen and a Zoom-compatible device. Additional supplies (colored pens/markers, origami paper, yarn, etc.) are fun and completely optional.

Gatherings are limited to 10 participants. Message me here to register or if you've got questions.