Beth's Ponderings
During the 2016
Winter Solstice, on a whim, I signed up for an online art retreat called Woman
Unleashed. It was the first online
retreat I’d ever signed up for and I didn’t really know what to expect,
especially since I wasn’t an “artist.” I
“planned” to observe more than participate, but we were challenged right off
the bat to get out of our comfort zones, and for me that was posting my
progress, which I did, but I didn’t really share 100%.
Even though I grew
up in a very creative/crafty family, and have done various handicrafts my
entire life, I had no idea how my life would change from just that one 10-day
experience.
In January, 2017 I
completed my first ever painting. Me!? I
never took art in school (after elementary) and always believed I couldn’t
draw, let alone paint, and here I had a real completed canvas!
When the Summer
Solstice retreat rolled around, I had completed 8 more small paintings, various
knitting and crochet projects (self-taught), and started making and painting
newspaper bowls, and the creativity didn’t stop there! I even started posting my completed projects
online.
During the 2018
Summer Solstice retreat, I made an art journal for the first time and that led
to making books, as I continued to paint, knit, crochet, and try other skills.
My sharing
increased with each Solstice retreat, and I gained other perks, including being
gifted free spots in other creativity programs.
This Winter
Solstice retreat now marks my 7th, and I’ve certainly “unleashed” since the
first one - now I’m smashbooking, doing a daily art journal page and posting it
to the Woman Unleashed Facebook group, and I’m currently in a 6-month program (gifted
a free spot as I’m so good at participating, and encouraging others!)
If you would like
to open yourself, and your life, in ways you could not even imagine, I invite
you to join me, and thousands of other women around the globe, as we take some
time to slow down and nurture ourselves before the new year begins. It’s time to discover you!
https://womanunleashed.com/wu11/ #womanunleashedretreat
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://sites.google.com/site/thechautauqua27/home/December%2020%2C%202019%20Chautauqua.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1
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