The words we use to define things are important: what I love sharing in my workshops is Intuitive Creativity, that I also like calling “Sourcing” Creativity. I am a peaceful rebel, I always try to transform any experience that either suffocates or saddens me or my friends, and I even invent new words if needed!
I’m fascinated by the Soul. The Soul of the people I meet, the Soul of all beings – animal, plant, mineral and… heavenly beings –, the Soul of our Planet. I don’t mean I am a pie in the sky-sort of person, but ever since my early childhood I have felt that the invisible hiding behind the visible is very important. When I say “invisible”, I also think of emotions, the sense of belonging, wonder, friendship, love… all invisible “things” without which life would be meaningless.
It took me years to really understand that nobody can truly live by relying on “what’s out there” without trusting – or at least having some glimpses of – the inner world. If we only follow the teachings of our culture, our Western society, we often end up devastated. We become like a herd of heartless and helpless robots, or worse, savage vandals that mercilessly pillage Mother Earth. It is time to reclaim our birthright as creators. We are ALL creators: each one of us can create the world that most resonates with one’s deepest longing for peace, beauty and true Being.
The first step to take is being aware of what our Soul deeply longs for: and this is where Intuititive Creativity comes into play. Do you remember when, as a child, you pretended to be anything that thrilled you – a fireman, a princess, a magician, a mermaid, an astronaut? Well, playing with Creativity is a way of pretending NOT to be what we think we are (or we were led to think we are) to discover what we truly are. It is a playful spiritual path.
You don’t need to be an artist to be creative. You only need to long for the Infinite and for Beauty, or simply to be willing to explore your inner galaxies. You only need to be tired of feeling the victim of that little tyrannical voice in your head that constantly judges you, that continually compares you with ” other” people, who – guess what? – always are better, smarter, healthier and wealthier than you. You only need to venture beyond the fence you built around your own heart and joyfully explore unknown territories.
Of course, the unknown is frightening. But exploring its territories with the help of Creativity allows us to train the “muscles” of our Soul, so that we may extend our new courage into every aspect of our daily life. Creativity helps us transform fear into blissful vision in a non-judgemental, protected, cocoon-like space full of love. Once you conquer back your true joy, it will have sparkling spillover effects on your everyday life.
The tools we need for our Soul’s Fitness are the following: brushes, colours and paints, clay, magazines, scissors, all sorts of paper, canvases, glitter, old photos, seashells and pebbles, dried flowers and leaves, gestures, mudras, songs, music, spontaneous movements and dance… every thing that may contribute to creating a Soul-Image, i.e. a painting or an object that speaks FROM and TO our Soul.
“Sourcing” Creativity takes us upstream on our inner river, back to the mysterious Wellspring of all images and myths of humanity, back to the Fountainhead of Consciousness. It is an initiatic path, as powerful as the hero sagas of all the world’s mythologies.
What matters is the journey, not the result: the creative process is the mirror that allows us to reflect ourselves, to know ourselves intimately. The resulting painting, sculpture or object – that I love calling “Soul-Image” – is nothing but the precious witness of our journey. The final Soul-Image does not have to be “beautiful”, nor “perfect”. If our journey is authentic, the Soul-Image is NECESSARILY beautiful, because it speaks with the voice of our Soul. And it is so true, that even other Souls are sensitive to its whispers. Each workshop includes the enriching opportunity to SHARE in a small group the magical journey that has led us to our Soul-Image.
I wish to point out that my creative workshops are not art therapy sessions. I do not consider myself a therapist, nor a teacher, not even a facilitator. I do not heal anybody. Creativity alone heals and allows you to shine. I rather see myself as a Sentinel, a Custodian: I “watch over” the creative process of the Souls who decide to walk a while along the path with me. (In this post I clarify what I mean). I had the immense luck to follow for over two decades a wonderful Chinese teacher, Wang Ting Jün, who told me right from the start of my Qigong journey with him that I would find my “Inner Teacher”. His promise has been fulfilled and therefore my greatest joy now is to see this happen to as many people as possible! Watching a Soul find her own way back to the Source is the most moving and heart-filling vision of all.
The creative groups hosted in the Sparks of Wonder Studio gather a maximum of 9 participants. On request, I love “watching over” individual paths, too.
The venue is a lovely 40 sqm ground floor studio, whose glass door and windows look out on the garden. I live in Umbria, right in the Centre of Italy, in the countryside, close to Perugia. I can host a maximum of two people in a lovely guest room, but I rely on fantastic B&Bs and other lodging solutions very close to my house: they all belong to friends, and among them there is even a two-thousand year-old monastery!
I offer a variety of creative workshops; please follow the links to know more about them (I still have to translate a few of them into English! I’ll keep you posted!)
As a picture is worth a thousand words… here is a small slideshow to give you some idea about what is waiting for you if you decide to spend creative holidays in Italy and ignite Sparks of Wonder in your Soul!
Sparks of Wonder 