I have noticed a lot of “art and soul” type of events and opportunities popping up in the recent past in my area alone. What is going on?
Obviously, there is a need that is being fulfilled. Is this about seeking balance in life? Is this about the current culture not feeding the soul? Is this about social change?
Rollo May back in the mid 20th century observed, “they (artists) are the frontier scouts who go out ahead of the rest of us to explore the future… For we will be better prepared for the future if we can listen seriously to them.”
Not the art where we learn the correct way of doing it and acquire the right type of skills to feed the ego and stay entrenched in the myth of individuality. And how many of us are conscious of the fact that the creative process is messy?
For some people, a weekend workshop, a retreat here and there has become a way to supplement their creative life and to sustain their search for a soulful existence; for some, this has become a lifestyle. At least for those of us who CAN go to a workshop here and there because we don’t have to worry about the next meal and what the kids area going to wear to keep warm and that sort of thing.
I am still interested in how one could take time in their life to actively explore and ask questions. What are options for a writer or artist these days who are not interested in cranking out something that they could hopefully sell? Where is their community? Where is the space for them to experience stillness, reflection and depth? The space that does not cost $400 for a weekend not including accommodations.
Here is an invitation to an inquiry to those who teach/lead process-oriented creative endeavors… How is this evolving wave of many art and soul creative opportunities meeting the challenges of the world in which we live now? Beyond the weekend workshops…