feathery beginnings Issue #5

with Shannon and Rose

Join our fledgling community, online (next one april 16th) or at retreats.

A community solely designed for women, with the goal of supporting each other in every season, in refreshing ways, so that our creativity can flourish.

shannon's musings

These last few weeks have held grief, both expected and unexpected and creativity has felt elusive.

My Mum is journeying into older age - she is 88 - and we are both feeling profound sadness as she notices her brain does not work like it used to. We know it will only get worse.

A friend had the heart-shattering experience of losing her son. Attending that funeral was gut wrenching and freshened up my own grief for loved ones no longer here.

My son has recently left NZ for the beginnings of his adventures overseas, just as far as Australia at the moment. Gone is the opportunity to meet with him and his partner and have long conversations, enjoy good food and laugh together. I will miss them.

The idea of creativity during this time has been absent. Chatting with Rose I remembered blocks to creativity that she has shared online and at the retreat. Emotion is definitely one for me, especially when I feel drained of energy. I also remembered that creativity can bring energy to me when I feel I have none.

The next morning as I sat with these ideas and feelings I intuitively reached for my camera which has not been used for months.

I wandered out into the misty sunrise in my dressing gown focusing on the view, the moment, the beauty, and felt my heart and body unfurling like a fern frond. The grief and tiredness were still there and also, as I connected with the world in that moment, energy crept through me. A smile even formed and I was thankful for it all. Thankful for the grief which lets me know I can love; thankful for the tiredness which slows me down so I can really be present; thankful for the healing and joy found in nature; thankful for a body that can see and feel.

Have you experienced any blocks to creativity since we last met?

Things that may be present or things that may be absent that affect how much you can be creative.

It was really encouraging on our last call to hear how women in our community are making small steps towards creating space or time for themselves; thinking about how they are already creative in everyday life; knowing which medium they want to play with.

Each new knowing is helpful, opening us up to more ways to express ourselves creatively.

next online gathering

April 16th 7:30pm for one hour only. Bring paper and pen (just in case) and any creative project you would like to share that can be shown or listened to.

Please register as it is really helpful to know how many are coming. On the registration form you can also ask any questions about creativity you would like us to discuss on the call.

Once you have registered we will send the link as a google calendar invite.

We are here to cheer you on and we will all remember the touchstone to Give and receive welcome to each other and our creativity on the call.

retreat feedback

It is super important to Rose and myself that the retreats are meeting your needs and we received some really helpful feedback from the last one.

The highlights for one retreat attendee were being given the space and opportunity to pause, consider and reflect with others, and the calm, quiet approach of the programme felt nurturing. The breaks gave an opportunity to connect without feeling rushed onto the next activity. She also appreciated the easy-going nature of nothing being compulsory, the wonderful food and the sense of warmth and fun at mealtimes and breaks. She had been to a number of churchy retreats and camps in the past, and not all of those events conjured up positive memories for her, so she valued that the space was ‘intentionally open, but there wasn’t the vibe to ‘over share’ that sometimes can be dangerous in Christian circles.’ She also brought something important to our attention; that of language, or churchy ‘jargon’, which is triggering for some people.

Rose and I have reflected on these comments and agree that how we use language is important. We invite you to consider how you would express your experience of creativity when you join us on-line and on retreat.

We know that when creativity emerges it can have a sacred element to it and for some this is linked to their spiritual experience, but not everyone. We invite you to speak your truth in ways that respect other people's truth. This is another of the courage and renewal touchstones that we are embracing.

A number of women also commented how much they appreciated the size of the retreat, so we will continue to have limited numbers for each weekend. Book early so you don't miss out, and bring a friend as it's a lot of fun sharing a room and having time to connect with each other.

The dates for retreats for the rest of the year are:

May 2-3

June 27-28

August 29-30

Oct 17-18

We already have bookings for the May, June and August events.