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!