Reflections on our first “Making Space” session

Colorful linocut beetroot cards created by our own Eleanor

Last night was our first “Making Space” creative co-working session and it was such an inspiring experience for me (Kristen)! Creative practices represented included poetry, textile art, calligraphy, performance storytelling, watercolor, cartooning, and linocut.

As planned, we began our evening with a round of introductions and gentle goal-setting. We then spent an hour silently working on whatever we felt like spending our attention on. Metallic paints were swirled, texts written, cats doodled, handwriting stitched, lines printed, and letter variations practiced. Participants left their cameras on (and mics muted) and, personally, I found it so encouraging to look up every once in a while and see so many heads bent to their different tasks or other eyes glancing up for a quick smile exchanged before we continued. I spent my time working out an autobio comic exercise I am hoping to use for a workshop in June and that I had been procrastinating on for weeks now. By the end of the hour, I had a drawn and half-painted draft and a calmer inner state.

Once our work hour was up, we came back together to discuss our experiences and the progress we had made. From there, the conversation drifted on to dealing with perfectionism, finding our way through new skills, and an absolutely delightful exchange on the ways “trash” can be used/re-used in creative practice. I left the session with a smile on my face and much to think about - a complete success! Our next session will likely occur sometime in June. Keep an eye on this space for more details closer to time!