Crealizing Workshop # 1: a Success!

A dream has dipped a young root into planet earth to test the waters: The first Crealizing workshop is history!

In these drawing workshops ‘Plus’, we explore creativity, inspiration, beauty, as well as our inner selves, awareness, and attention, in playfulness and with sensitivity to the personal wishes of the participants.

We start with portraiture. We dedicate the first series to the head on the level of the material subject. As medium we use simple drawing tools: This session we used ballpoints, for their un-erasable and ‘fast’ qualities, and graphite pencils. Next time, we’ll add color.

First, we danced to loosen up our bodies and get the flow going.Then we worked with form recognition by crumbling paper and accentuating the faces we recognized in the folds. Faces and heads are the among the first gestalts we recognize, when faced with a pattern. Like in the face of the moon and in cloud animals. Then we danced in the quality of awareness that the drawn face seemed to express.

Then, the music was changed and we challenged ourselves by dancing in the opposite mood of what we expressed. Embodying the quality of the work is very important, so every stroke will speak true. We turned the paper over and made an effort to recognize, a face expressing the new mood, then drew it in the folds.

We also drew eachother’s portraits. I guided us into a staring meditation. We looked into our partner’s eye, without wavering. We explored how the field of vision changes with time, and practiced spreading our awareness over the entire retinal field and focusing on the pupil only. Can we make out details, outside of the center of our visual field?

Then I guided us through the basic construction of a portrait. The atmosphere was concentrated, a soft focus had descended upon us and we drew fervently. Little inner critics perked their heads up when we checked our work with a mirror – a profound tool for seeing a drawing beyond how we think it looks, especially in terms of symmetry and composition – and wrote down their sticky assumptions. Nice to pick up later to work with affirmations!

Overall, it was great fun. For me, it was an affirmation of my trust in my capacities as a facilitator. And an experience of how much we learn by simply jumping out of the nest with only a fledgling’s wings to carry our great dreams! Thank you, participants!

And you are always welcome to join our workshops in Arnhem, NL!

You can apply at crealiseren@gmail.com.

the most recent basic info, look elsewhere in this blog.

If you can’t come to Arnhem, but would like to communicate with me, you can reach me here on Gaia, or via tbrozius@gmail.com.

 Greetings from planet Crealis,

Timotheus Ambroziac