May 17 – June 21 / Sundays 2 – 4 pm / 6 weeks
@ Zoe Dojo, 10 Stephenson Pl, Fern Tree.
Symbols communicate at a deeply pre-verbal level, and can help us access understandings in ourselves that are beyond words.
Symbols distill complex information into a single focus point, arranging essential lines and shapes into a kind of zen code.
In this 6-week meditative drawing process, we will use symbols as creative tools for intuitive reflection and contemplation – windows to our deeper natures, our personal stories and the collective unconscious.
What to expect:
Nothing and anything. Unknowing and Not Knowing. Meaning and UnMeaning. And a thought-provoking collection of your own drawings that map what you discover along the way.
This group is a place to Be, with a shared creative focus. It’s an opportunity to drop your ‘identity’, open yourself to new perspectives and play with the Unknown through the act of drawing. To find Meanings, lose Meanings, and go beyond Meanings. To Come As You Are.
I have specifically chosen the Mountain Studio at Fern Tree for its potent location at the feet of Kunanyi / Mt Wellington. The Mountain Studio is a warm, intimate space with full views onto the Mountain, and the presence of the Mountain has been a potent core symbol in my preparations for this program. The group is limited to 6 participants.
During the 6 sessions we’ll touch on ways that symbols have evolved within certain spiritual systems, but this is just as an entry point into uncovering & developing symbols that have personal meaning for you – wherever you’re at in life right now.
We’ll play with universal and archetypal symbols, and use intuitive drawing games to explore the personal associations that arise in our stream of consciousness as we draw.
You will keep a creative journal of the process. One potential outcome might be that you design your own personalised power symbol or symbolic artwork to use at home as an affirmation of your individual gifts & strengths, your deeper nature. Many years ago I used to design personalised symbols for people; if you’re curious you can see some examples here. Other ways I explored symbols in my work can be seen here and here.
Maps Of Self is not an ‘art class’, but you will naturally develop your drawing skills, whether you believe you are creative or not. There are no ‘levels of experience’ here, just opportunities to learn (and Un-learn) through discovery.
This is also not ‘art therapy’, though therapeutic benefits are a likely natural outgrowth, and we’re not aiming to ‘heal’ anything, though that may be part of your experience. We start from a place of ‘there is nothing to fix’, and concentrate on what we cultivate as we draw – curiosity, insight, inspiration, calm, healthy irreverence, a sense of the sacred, accomplishment, playfulness, the capacity to question our beliefs, mindful attention.
Some reasons Maps Of Self may interest you:
- you want to give yourself some gentle creative playtime
- you want to share a peaceful creative space in a small group
- you want to develop a new creative practice
- you are drawn to pathways to self-awareness such as shamanism, mysticism, alchemy, archetype, Jungian and transpersonal psychology, Eastern philosophies
- you want to develop a personal creative Wintering ritual
My approach as a facilitator is playful, informal and responsive to the flow of the group. I’ll provide a range of drawing ‘games’ that act as creative springboards or portals to get the Mind’s attention, and Spirit / Source / the Moment will take care of the rest.
If you can trust the process, with an open heart and a curious mind, then I look forward to exploring with you!
Payment options: Either full payment for the 6 weeks – $450 / Or two half-payments of $225
To confirm your place, please email me (bradfield@bradfielddumpleton.com) and I’ll send you bank details.
What to bring: An A4 – A3 sketchbook or drawing journal containing plenty of blank (unlined) cartridge paper.
This will be a dry art space (no paint, glue, etc) and I’ll have basic drawing materials available (pencils, erasers, fineliner pens).