A Day of Play!!!

For months now I have been creating a class called "Play". My intent was to develop a workshop where people could come together, leave their daily responsibilities behind and experience total creative bliss. My class was yesterday....and I believe that the students and I achieved my goal. We were together for six, long hours (with a half-hour break) but they all hung in there with me and seemed to have fun and experience success with the individual projects. I was hoping to quiet the ever present critic and teach in a way where the students could let go and creatively soar.

When I am teaching.....I am home!!! I know that supporting people in their artistic dreams is exactly what I am suppose to be doing. It is such an honor to watch people walk into the classroom with a small creative voice and then leave roaring with confidence and a smile. I have learned so much through my teaching. I watch my students carefully and am amazed at their courage and willingness to jump in with me even when faced with a blank, white page. I am often filled with total awe; eyes brimming with joyful tears and my heart beating wildly as I watch them gain confidence and become connected with their a creative spirits.

I arrived early yesterday at Stampadoodle so that I could get organized and have some time to breathe and get into my own "artistic-teacher" space. Steve and Wendy (the owners of the Doodle) were there early too....quietly helping me create the space so that it was perfect for my day ahead. After all these years (yes....it has been many years) we have developed a nice rythym.....they know me well, know how earnest I am and know how hard I work to prepare for my classes. Their support is invaluable to me and I am forever grateful.

As the day progressed I watched in amazement as seven, beautiful, shining women transitioned from tiny little smiles to totally joyful glee which only comes with true creative freedom. I heard exclamations of wonder and joy and many squeals of delight. I saw seven women supporting one another through a journey of color, texture, glitter and discovery. We had the entire sidewalk in front of the store full of beautiful papers of color. They worked so hard.....but you could see their amazement at what they had made.

It was an awesome experience for me. I am reminded, again, of the healing power of art. I want to thank the seven women who attended my workshop. You were wonderful....absolutely miraculous in your courage and in your beauty. I was tired by the end (exhausted) but full of glee.