Creative Weekend 2007

So we started with some of this

  and something happened here

 

                                             and end with some of this?

click on images for large images

So here is some of the question we brought to the weekend

How can we use creative expression to support our spiritual practice?

What is creativity? - How do I know when I am creative and when I'm not?

What can children do what adults can't?
What can adults do what children can't?

What does it need to step outside the box? (What does it need to stay inside the box?)

What qualities do I associate with the left side of the brain?
What qualities do I associate with the right side of the brain?

How does fear relate to creativity? - Fear of what???

How does awareness relate to creativity?

How would spiritual practice without creative expression be for me?

Imagine myself being free of fear and naturally intuitive and creative in your expression. - What would happen?
In what way could that support my spiritual practice?

Welcome

Some of the confusing things about naming a weekend "a creative weekend" in a retreat center supported by monastic's, is that a thought can come to mind, monastic's are all about restraint, moderation or we come to the weekend thinking its all about developing are abilities at something, for example painting.

For me creativity is a manifestation, its something that appears when we relax and open to what is - can we allow this in? Creative activites can help us to relax or they can may us more blocked, by coming from a reflective place - awareness we can see more of ourselves. By doing this is in a group situation we can use other peoples gifts (views/opinions/actions) to see how they effect us and by doing this within the boudaries of Buddhist precepts we can offer a safe place to explore this. The most important part about the weekend is understanding the relationship between form and emptiness and emptiness and form, this part is experiential.

Why is creativity important is best left to Matthew Fox?

(this video is also intresting art as meditation)

And then there is the mantra what about me?

 

 

 So the first evening was a introduction to each other the way we were setting the ship sailing and watching the videos above. We used a activity of expressing ourselves with balls of colored wool, then stopping and meditating, cutting ourselves free and reflecting on 'me and you'.

have look here to see what we did on the other days

 

The creative individual has the capacity to free (themselves) himself from the web of social pressures in which the rest of us are caught. He is (they are) capable of questioning the assumptions that the rest of us accept.
--John W. Gardener