I am so excited to introduce my brand new offering – Creative Sanctuary – which has been many years in the dreaming.
I was blown away by the response to my request for help with the title of this space, and the first semester’s course. I received so many fabulous inspiring ideas on Instagram, Facebook and by email. Thank you all for your enthusiasm for this project.
The Creative Sanctuary is a safe space to reconnect with our natural creative flow through guided creative exercises and spiritual insights. Created by Womancraft founder, author and illustrator, it has been a long time in the dreaming, and brings together many threads of her work. Each semester will offer a different course, taught live, that focuses on a creative process that she loves. The intention is to offer you a space to create and reflect, from the safety of home.
A welcoming, non-judgmental space to create alone, and yet in community with others.
An online group to stay connected with other participants between sessions. Meet like-minded folk around the world to share the journey with and inspire each other.
Live tutorials, twice a month, to gather together, relax, learn new techniques, and ask questions.
Recordings of each lesson, if you want to look back over the material, pause, rewind or if you can’t make the live session.
The Creative Sanctuary gives us the time and space to experience stillness, focus, intentionality, pleasure, joy and self-esteem. Creating in community further enhances these benefits, as we learn that we are not alone in our struggles, and that others are there to celebrate our creations with us, offer support and encouragement.
“You are a fabulous teacher. I could listen to you all day.”S.J.S
Semester 1: Peaceful Patterns – Sacred Seeds
This semester will be focused on meditative pattern drawing in black and white to calm the mind and inspire the soul. Each week we will focus on one sacred seed: a basic shape found in nature – dot, circle, arch, line, branch, star, spiral… We take this simple form…and create complex beauty with it.
All you need for the course is a pencil, pen and paper. (On sign up you will receive a list of art material recommendations for you.)
Semester 1 consists of:
An introductory video emailed to you by 4th September
6 x 75min live sessions via Zoom (plus recordings)
Sessions are on Tuesdays 7pm (UK time) – Sept 12 & 26, Oct 10 & 24, Nov 14 & 28
Dedicated Facebook group – Creative Sanctuary – ( a Discord group if there are 10+ folks requesting)
Spotify playlist of music to draw to
Supplementary book list
(NB For those who have done previous courses with me, this course does not have written course materials, it is taught solely via the live calls.)
A small number of reduced fee places for those in need – email: info@womancraftpublishing.com with your request.
(There is no guarantee that any of the semesters will be offered again, so grab the opportunity to join now if it calls to you.)
Peaceful Patterns – Sacred Seeds
Peaceful Patterns are a creative form of meditation in pen, which repattern our neural connections as we create beautiful designs on paper. The sessions combine mindfulness with simple, repetitive drawing activities to calm and centre us. Drawing this way promotes a trancelike meditative state, boosted self-esteem, joy and empowerment. Whether you’re an experienced artist, meditator, or have no previous experience in either, this practice is for you, especially if you struggle with getting bored during traditional meditation, or often find yourself at a loss knowing what you want to create.
Each class Lucy shares the seed of one of these patterns, which, when initially seen, can seem overwhelming in their complexity. We will explore where and how these patterns appear in art and nature, as well as their spiritual and energetic properties. Then, after a gentle grounding exercise, she takes you step by step through the week’s technique, then we draw together. She provides differentiated content for different levels of artistic experience: from absolute beginners to professional creatives, you will learn (and discover) ways to expand your patterns further.
In Peaceful Patterns we allow the image to emerge through the creative process, shape by shape, rather than needing to plan the image in advance, or wait for inspiration to strike. This gives you the opportunity to draw – any time, anywhere – even when you feel you don’t have any ideas.
Whilst the focus is on the creative process, an attractive final product encourages us to repeat the process and boosts self-esteem, giving us the feeling of “I did that”. Whatever your starting level, this course builds artistic skill, sharing technique, to improve your drawing, shading and pattern-making abilities, giving real transferable skills.
NeuroCalm
“Similarly to meditation, art can help us tap into a deeper and more quiet part of ourselves.
We enter into a state of flow and present-moment awareness.”
Washington Post
Says Lucy: “I have come to call the experience created by Peaceful Patterns, NeuroCalm.
“As a neurodivergent woman, I struggle with managing vast waves of anxiety. Drawing is one of the best ways I have discovered to calm my anxiety, it focuses my mind, whilst allowing me to breathe more deeply, regulating my nervous system in an activity that can be done in most places and times. Hours can go by as I draw, at times where I am otherwise struggling to get through minutes. As a result, I am creating at times when I would otherwise be too anxious to focus on anything.
“Over the years I have enjoyed various drawing techniques including Zentangles, Neurographica, mandalas, intuitive doodling, and what I have learned from many women artists’ books. This course borrows from these practices and develops on them.
“I bookend my day with these Peaceful Patterns, doing them on calls, in waiting rooms, on planes and when too anxious or stuck to function. Done whilst listening to nourishing music or a podcast on my headphones, I get a real break from my thoughts, feelings of overwhelm. They are a fabulous antidote to scrolling through social media or games on the phone. I have immersed myself in black and white drawings the last couple of years, seeking out soothing forms based on natural structures.
“Over time I have discovered that these Peaceful Patterns have a second calming effect: looking back over them gives me both a sense of achievement, but also relaxing me, allowing me to breathe more deeply, as my eyes follow their twists and turns, in what autistic folk call ‘visual stimming’.”
“According to a study published in The Arts in Psychology, coloring, doodling, or free drawing results in significant activation of the medial prefrontal cortex and triggers the release of dopamine that helps you de-stress and boosts your mood, and feel more creative and better able to solve problems.
Some clinical implications include: the recognition that art-making evokes reward pathways, that even short spans of artistic activity can improve self perceptions of creative abilities, and, art-making could be a way to regulate mood, addictive behaviors and evoke a sense of pleasure. “
Jeff Haden, Inc.com
Benefits of Peaceful Patterns
This form of creativity is deeply healing to the overwhelmed and are balm for you if you are burned out, stressed, anxious, depressed or frantic.
They improve focus and mood, calm the bodymind, improve hand eye coordination and give the thinking mind a rest.
Peaceful Patterns help us experience the beneficial psychological state of flow.
They offer the opportunity to draw when you don’t have any ideas.
“This process feels so deep and yet happens so quickly. Love it! Thank you, Lucy.” C.L.
