INSPIRE - my community for creative souls
These last weeks I had the chance to give birth to a community called INSPIRE. Hosted on my brand new teaching website, this community is all about creative growth!
A supportive group of likeminded souls
When I first thought of founding a community by the end of 2021, I wanted to extend the wonderful experience of the live online Mixed Media Textile Art classes. I was sad not being to teach these classes in the nearer future again because I will have to take care of my dad. So I started to brainstorm, filling pages and pages with what was the special about the MMTA class and what I am aiming for. The first idea evolved a lot and I finally figured out what I want is a creative community of likeminded souls supporting and inspiring each other to fully live and express their creativity. I want to create a safe place permitting us to grow artistically and personally.
The last years, - and fasten up through the impact of the pandemic - have been revealing for me: after 15 years committed to felt (and some extensions through stitching and painting), I’m allowed myself, little by little, to step outside my self-set limit. I started to embrace my creativity in all kind of fields even outside felt and fiber arts: painting, ceramics, metalsmithing, basketry… With each step outside “my field of competences and commitment” or let’s call it “comfort zone”, I felt more confident and so liberated!
This personal experience largely influenced the Mixed Media Textile Art live online classes, I started teaching in September 2021. I became aware how universal my experience was. It was like I gave permission to other to break the limits and allow them to fully embrace their creativity, get in touch with their inner child / artist.
It was amazing to observe that the liberating feeling I had experienced was universal.
Through creative and fun techniques but foremost by showing the endless possibilities, my students stepped out of their comfort zone, out of their box, and embraced the “new” liberties the same way I did. Together we repeated the question “what if…?” like a mantra. Like a keyword it opens up a new dimension and stretches our creative wings, allowing our creativity to fly. In return we are able to discover ourselves and to find (more) balance and joy!
Being confident, trusting in our artistic (personal and unique) skills is challenging and hard to pursue on our own! I wouldn’t have been able to take this path without the support and feedback from my students and loyal followers. Their encouragements and enthusiasm for my, sometimes wired, ideas, allowed me to embrace them and accept my multitude. his feels so freeing! It’s like I have become the most authentic me I have ever been!
And the best: this worked in both ways! The feedback from my students about the liberating effect is overwhelming! This encouraged me to embrace the role of leading a community. I absolutely want to continue in the flow, continue this beautiful energy we have created - and this is what the INSPIRE community is about!
The INSPIRE community will be a supportive group in which we are stimulating each other, learn, experiment, observe, try, make mistakes, explore new ways and possibilities in any technique and with any material that intrigues us and that we want to try out. Our goal is the process (progress), allowing us to embrace the unique creative we are.
Art as a way of connecting with our truest self
It took me year to see it clearly: art is not about making beautiful things! Art is about expressing our uniqueness. Art allows us to better understand who we are and become more authentic. Letting things happen, see how it feels, experimenting what appeals to us and why – this is how art works, this is how art informs us about our self. I believe, art is not about giving birth to a mental image – it’s a process and a dialogue with ourselves. A process to break down the educational facade we had (or were asked by our parents and teachers) to build, in order “to fit in”.
Inspire & exhale
The INSPIRE community is also a “work in progress” and will evolve over time. Currently I imagine the interacting of likeminded souls in two ways:
1. On the private website I’ve created on which we can exchange free and safely outside the rules and algorithms of social media.
2. Through monthly live online meetings in small groups of 6 participants maximum.
I will suggest a bimonthly theme to work on. These theme will be very “open”. I see them as a spark to lighten our imagination. For example, the first theme is the “Extraordinary Ordinary or the Ordinary Extraordinary”. The second will be “Change – Awakening”.
In our private group, the theme will be nourished with posts about inspiring artists, art work, techniques and work in progress photos. I commit myself to post something weekly including also what had pleased so much to my MMTA students: detailed step by step explications about my artwork.
In addition to this, the monthly session are there to exchange and interact with each other directly. They will work binominal. The first session allows to brainstorm the theme through creative exercises and visual inputs. In the second session students are invited to present work inspired by the theme, in any technique and medium they were attracted to – no limits! As I have experienced in the MMTA classes the show and tell session are great to inspire each other, get feedback, support and new ideas.
While discussing the binominal frequency of the online sessions with as student, I became aware the rhythm I imagine is similar to conscious breathing practices. The first session is about inspiration, the second one allows to “harvest” and show what has grown.
INSPIRE a community for all creatives
While in the beginning, I imagined the INSPIRE community as a continuation of the MMTA classes, I became aware, I was aiming for something going beyond it. In the MMTA classes the techniques shown and practiced were all related to felt in one way or another or at least to fiber art. I want of course continue that but I want to give permission as well to explore anything we find inspiring, intriguing, appealing or interesting.
I’ve experienced that there are always bridges allowing to connect very divers techniques and that these bridges allow discovering very new ways, processes and results!
One of the creative techniques I cherish is creative writing, also referred to as soul writing or automatic writing. Ever since I started, I have discovered an unknown power and magic in this creative activity. It allows to converse with our inner self in a very surprising way. It especially works well when shared with a group! This is why I will make it part of every online session but also plan to make it a session on its own if there are interest!
Doodling and activating our hands
I also believe it’s benefic for our concentration to occupy our hands with something to do while discussing. This is why I will encourage my life session participants to make something during our meetings: doodling, felting or another “easy” technique that doesn’t need our full concertation.
I will suggest techniques on a regular base, introduce them on the website and then invite the participants to do them during the sessions. For the first INSPIRE sessions I’ve introduced how to make extraordinary ropes from ordinary things. A lot of great ideas have been evoked and some of the students started or continued making cordage during the class.
These first online sessions helped me to see, how my ideas can be applied and I’m more than confident that we will have a lot of benefits and fun!
A community open to all creatives
In French we say: the more we are, the more we laugh. In fact I’m certain that there is a good size for a community to work. However I ignore for the moment what this size is. I guess it’s somewhere around 40 persons? For instant 15 persons have joined and I feel there is place for more!
This means there is still a possibility for you to join, too! No particular skills needed, just envy to create, explore and share! However I guess best works if you are already hooked on felt or fiber arts and have “feel this need to create”.
Anyway,to see if woemthing is working for us , we have to try!
Feel free to join and test!
The monthly membership is only 5 euros (or 50 euros / year). You can cancel it at any time. Being a member enables you to join one of the monthly live online sessions. Each is 25 euros. You only pay for the sessions you sign in to. No one forces you to take any session. You are free to choose to interact on the website only!
To join the INSPIRE community, click here: https://www.arianemarianeworkshop.com/ariane-mariane-community/45383 /buy
Once you are in, I’ll send you a planner to reserve a spot for one of the monthly sessions.
For further info, don’t hesitate to contact me!
Thanks for your interest!
Cheerful,
Ariane