Creative Sparks - Ignite your creativity!
A 12-week course following 'The Artist’s Way' in a supportive and facilitated group.
About the course
Julia Cameron’s 'The Artist’s Way' is a powerful 12-week framework for nurturing your creativity and kickstarting (or returning to) a creative practice. However it can be hard to stick to without support.
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The Creative Sparks course will guide you with facilitated exercises and group discussion to grow through your struggles and successes. Get to know others as we all make this journey together to cultivate our creativity.
Dates and times:
12 Monday evenings, 8:30-9:45pm UK time (UTC +1) on Zoom
Monday 25 April - Monday 18 July 2022 (no session on 30 May)
Open to all, no experience required.
You will need a copy of the book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron
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Places limited! Click here to book
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Course fee: £79, or book by Mon 18 April for the early-bird price of £69
Concessionary fee: £59, or £49 if booked by Mon 18 April
A small number of subsidised places are available for those unable to afford the fee.
Please email heymiki [at] gmail.com to apply.
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Course leader:
Miki Shaw is an award-winning artist, designer and creative facilitator. She has years of experience of running creative workshops, and since the pandemic has been facilitating several online creative support groups. She has delivered a variety of large and small-scale events and teaching through Zoom and other platforms.
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Supported by Mothers Who Make
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What is 'The Artists Way' and where can I get hold of it?
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'The Artist's Way' is a self-development book by Julia Cameron, first published in 1992. It comprises a 12-week course of readings, tools and exercises to help you unlock or recover your creative gifts. It is a stand-alone book which you can complete without the input of others. In reality, many people (including myself) have had failed attempts at following it through without the accountability of a group.
One of the key tools is "morning pages" - 3 pages of stream-of-consciousness writing which should be done first thing in the morning. It's a challenging habit to establish but pays off in surprising ways... all of which we will discuss during the course!
This article is a lovely account of one person's experience of following the book.
Buy the book (or the ebook)
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I'm not an artist - is this course for me?
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If you'd like to tap into your creativity, whatever your interests, then this course will help you. 'The Artist's Way' is not just for visual artists, nor is it just for people who have a specific end-goal in mind. If you are curious to try it, you will find it rewarding. No experience is required.
It is useful for practitioners (or budding practitioners) of any creative practice (music, acting, painting, baking, crafting, design, poetry, comics, writing, film-making, animation, fashion, advertising, ... etc.)
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What is the time commitment?
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We will meet weekly on Zoom for one and a quarter hours. That's the initial commitment (don't worry if you have to miss a session - I can send notes on request).
Following the first meeting you will be asked to write "morning pages" daily. These are 3 pages of hand-written text (not to be shared with anyone else - you can feel free to write uncensored on whatever is going through your mind). You'll need to allow 15-30 minutes for this every morning. We will be discussing how to accommodate this into busy morning schedules.
You'll also need other pockets of time during the week to do a few exercises. You can expect to spend 4-7 hours in total per week doing activities connected to the course. If your time fluctuates from week to week, thats ok too. You may discover, as the course progresses, that some of your usual time-sinks (hello internet and social media) feel less attractive and you uncover more time to spend on the course and new creative projects that it has ignited.
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What's the advantage in doing it with a group rather than by myself or as a pre-recorded video course?
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Many people find that it's hard to stick with the full 12 weeks without some degree of accountability to a group. Also, working with a group is more fun! Sharing all the highs and lows of creative adventuring makes the journey more interesting and less lonely. Sometimes if we experience challenges along the way, talking them through with a small group of trusted and empathetic others is a great way to feel heard, brainstorm solutions and see things differently. The course sessions will be structured with lots of hands-on exercises and "breakouts" in pairs or small groups so there will be plenty of time to talk and get to know everyone else.
If you are one of the many people who have had this book languishing on a shelf, this course is for you.
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Sounds great! How do I book?
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Click here for the booking form.
Book by Monday 18 April for the early-bird discount of £10 off.
I want to do the course but Monday evenings don't work for me. Will you be running the course at any other times?
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If there is demand, I'd be happy to. Please email me your preferred timings and I'll consider this for a future course. I can also offer the course privately for groups (e.g. groups of work colleagues or friends) or for individuals. Please email me to find out more.
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I've booked but now I can't make it. Can I get a refund?
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You are welcome to transfer your place to someone you know - please email me to arrange that. Otherwise I can offer a refund if there is someone else on a waiting list for the place. Email me to find out. Last date for transfer/refund requests is Thurs 21 April.
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Any other questions? Please email me: heymiki [at] gmail.com
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