Hot Creative Summer
Virtual workshops start July 22!
The week I turned 28, my then-boyfriend and I ended our ~4-year relationship. I cried just about every day for a couple weeks. Then a friend suggested maybe it was time to have my Hot Girl Summer.
… maybe it was!
It was only August… there was still time. I made my first-ever Tinder profile and got out there. To make a long story short, it didn’t have the happiest of endings and by September my profile was no longer. No regrets.
At 29, I tried again. But Hot Girl Summer Round Two got messy. I started early; in May I was pursuing (successfully) a silver fox who I later found out was in a relationship. I went ahead and hooked up with him again anyway… huge regrets.
That was IT. I was DONE with casual hookups.
… yet by August I found myself hooking up again, this time with a friend I knew I truly just wanted to be f r i e n d s with. This guy told me he “used to be” a fuck boy; I was trying to stop using men’s attention for self-esteem… *huge sigh*
Old habits die hard.
Around my 30th birthday, I was working through The Artist’s Way and reading Glennon Doyle’s memoir, Untamed. I hiked a steep and muddy trail with a friend and during the seemingly endless incline, the idea for Healing Aloud arrived.
I started tentatively reviewing personal stories I’d written longhand in a notebook, turning towards myself, my healing.
At 31, this publication was half a year old and I was experiencing the power of telling my stories while healing my relationship with my inner artist. I fought to prioritize this relationship above all others (romantic, familial, platonic)… but it was still a struggle.
I could feel how fragile it was. My inner creator had endured years of neglect; she needed as much attention as I could give her.
So I set out to have my first Hot Creative Summer — a fling with my inner artist, one that would put us on the path to a committed relationship of burning devotion. I took her on long dates at the river, just us and our notebook. When she wanted chocolate, she got it.
Most importantly, I practiced giving her my full attention, first thing. I’d keep my phone on airplane mode all morning while we spent time together. I started letting go of the compulsion to respond to everyone else before her.
And a magical transformation began…
“You know how falling in love with someone inspires you to be a better version of yourself? I realized that falling in love with [my inner artist] can have the same effect. It makes me want to really show up for her, which means being well rested, nourished, clear-headed and warm-hearted. It means Always Choosing self-love and acceptance.
I think my inner artist is part child, part my soul, part Soul of the World. She is the source of energy I’ve been seeking in others. And as our relationship gets stronger, she is becoming my anchor, my purpose. I’m learning what devotion means by first being devoted to what we are called to create.”
As our relationship continues to grow, it reveals more and more gifts.
Connecting with her connects me to my deepest inner power.
She is my refuge when I get overwhelmed with all the crises — she points me to what I can do.
She reminds me that I am in constant collaboration with something greater.
She is my essence; she makes it obvious that I am here on purpose.
"Inside you there's an artist you don't know about...
Say yes quickly, if you know,
if you've known it from before the beginning of the universe."
— Jalal Ud-Din Rumi
Freshly 32, here I am having another Hot Creative Summer — and I’m excited to invite you to join me!
Starting July 22, I’m offering weekly workshops to provide space for you to:
+ Give your inner artist the attention she's yearning for
+ Get to know her more deeply so you can better show up for her
+ Work through fears & limiting beliefs that keep you from taking her seriously
+ Learn to play and take your time and enjoy being with your creative self
+ Fan the flames in community with powerful women like you
I'll be sharing tools and resources from The Artist's Way (which I'm currently rereading) as well as personal strategies gathered on my journey of recovering my inner artist.
Some sessions will include components of the workshops I offered last fall and a lot will be new. You’re welcome to come to all, a few or even just one.
"Your artist is a child and she needs to be fed."
— Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way
Here's the schedule:
[ July 22nd — August 28th ]
Facilitated workshop (same class offered twice weekly)
Tuesdays: 10:30am-12pm est — drop in, sliding scale $10-30*
Wednesdays: 6:30-8pm est — drop in, sliding scale $10-30
Playtime — a space to write, to show up & stay accountable, to work on what you're working on (or what comes in the moment)
Thursdays: 11am-12pm est or 7-8pm est (alternating each week) — drop in, donations welcome
* If budget is an issue, please reach out and we’ll find a way to make it work!
To get weekly email reminders and the link to join, reply via email or leave a comment. And please reach out with any questions!
"Why should we all use our creative power...?
Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate..."
— Brenda Ueland
PS: Hot Creative Summer is a warm up of sorts for a fall session where we’ll focus on completing a piece of personal writing. You’ll be guided through brainstorming, selecting an idea, drafting (and drafting again!), workshopping with fellow students, incorporating feedback, editing yourself, and making a plan to share your work (if desired). More details to come :)
“I think my inner artist is part child, part my soul, part Soul of the World. She is the source of energy I’ve been seeking in others. And as our relationship gets stronger, she is becoming my anchor, my purpose. I’m learning what devotion means by first being devoted to what we are called to create.”
All of this!! Especially “the source of energy I’ve been seeking in others”!
I’m so excited to go on this journey with you!
Hi Katherine! happy summer :) I'm interested in the drop in workshops.