About this course

Explore your creativity, passion and purpose. Work with image, text and form, guided by your senses through visualisation, meditation and process.

Course Description

Explore the breadth of your creativity and uncover your passion and purpose. Work with image, text and form, guided by your senses and intuition through visualisation, meditation and process.

Your tutor is an artist, mentor and creativity coach who provides a supportive and encouraging space for you to stretch into the breadth of your uniqueness as a creative individual.

Working with your senses, dreams and imagination, you will be led through a number of exercises designed to uncover, reveal and strengthen your creative core. Using your favourite materials and techniques, alongside some new ones, you will begin to express the essence of your creative self, through images, text, texture and form. Sixty percent of the course is working with the senses, using visualisation, exploring meditation and using dialogue as a process. Forty percent is about exploring and expressing your ideas through materials.

You will be encouraged to take risks, to let go of any preconceived ideas you may have about yourself and your creativity, and to be really open to meet and explore unknown aspects of your creative self.

This course is about experiential and experimental processes, not about making finished pieces. It is suitable for anyone wishing to stretch their understanding of their creativity. Everyone is welcome: whether you are a visual artist, writer, musician or maker hoping to find new aspects of your creative expression, or you’re completely new to creative exploration and play, you will be held and guided all the way.

You will leave the course with a new found confidence in your creative self, a deeper understanding of your purpose for creating and a concrete plan around maintaining your practice in the following months.

Course Materials

Included

  • the cost of some charcoal, acrylic paints, paper, tape, glue, soft pastels, water soluble pastels, Ink and clay will be provided, which will be shared amongst the group.

What students need to bring

  • you will need a sketchbook, pens, eraser and pencils
  • in the weeks leading up to the course, pay attention to materials which attract you and that you enjoy using. where possible, gather them up to Bring to the course. these may include a special sketchbook, pens, pencils, pastels, chalks, crayons, etc., and may also include glues, string and more
  • you may like to Bring a Camera or device to photograph your work as you go along

Available to buy

Available from shop: A good variety of art materials, including:

  • Sketchbooks - A5 and A4
  • Pens
  • Pencils
  • Pastels
  • Crayons, etc.

Additional information

It is a fundamental part of the work that we will be doing together that there is full group participation. Each session builds on the previous one. It is therefore important that when you book this course, you can ensure you can attend each and every session. Full participation with all exercises, group dialogue and experiential processes is vital for the course to be a success for everyone. No experience of meditation or mindfulness is necessary, as the tutor will lead beginners through this on the course.

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio. This includes stout covered footwear, i.e. no open-toes or sandals.

Timetable

Arrival day
Residential students can arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 7.15pm for registration. Students arriving earlier are welcome to purchase dinner in the College Dining Room from 6pm.
Students meet their tutor in the Bar at 7.30pm prompt to go to studios.
First Teaching session: 7.30pm - 9pm (attendance is essential)

Daily timetable
Course teaching: 9.15am - 5pm
Morning session: 9.15am - 12.45pm including coffee/tea break
Lunch break: 12.45pm - 2pm*
Afternoon session: 2pm - 5pm including coffee/tea break
Teaching finishes: 5pm
Evening working: students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with permission from the tutor and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Departure day
Course teaching: 9.15am - 3pm
Teaching finishes: 3pm

Residential students will need to check out of rooms by 10am. Please note, the tutor may make slight variations to the daily timetable as required.

*Lunch can be purchased on campus, view options

General Information

Tutors

Veronique Maria

Veronique Maria is passionate about the transformative power of creativity. She has worked in the arts as designer, artist and artists' mentor since 1970s,  has a BA (Hons) in Wood, Metals, Ceramics and Plastics from Brighton University. She has an MA in Psychosynthesis Psychology (Applied to Fine Art Practice) from Middlesex and is a Coaching/Leadership Graduate with CTI (The Coaches Training Institute) UK/USA. Since 1989 Veronique has received numerous awards, Arts Council England grants and funded residencies and has work in public and private collections internationally.

Accommodation

Residential option available. Find out accommodation costs and how to book here.

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