Typical Week at Stavrianna Organic Farm

Finding Creative Flow course in June 2017 is taking place at Stavrianna organic farm, nearby Diakopto in Greece. When Stavrianna’s owners, Stavros and Anna, got married they we had a common dream to create their own paradise in a countryside, to cultivate own all natural vegetables, to pick all kinds of fruits directly from the trees, to grow domestic animals and to have beautiful flower gardens. Their dream became true in 1990 and now, that they are retired, they offer us to be part of their dream.

With this post I would like to give you a taste of our life here, at Stavrianna organic farm. Contact me if you would like to join us – there are still some opportunities!

Stavrianna-FCF-2017-9

The days starts with the sunrise. I go around on the bike to different places and observe the morning colors and collect them in my sketchbook.

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What I am Working On Now – June 2017

Most of June 2017 I am based in the Stavrianna organic farm nearby Diakopto, Greece.

Here I am:
– hosting my new course Finding Creative Flow through Sketching and Writing – there are still a few spots left for the session starting on June 11 – contact me for more info
– sketching daily
– doing yoga every morning
– meditating
– going for bike rides around the area, location scouting for best points to see the sunrise or sunset, exploring the nearby villages and beaches
– enjoying the locally grown organic vegetables and fruits and other local delicacies

– struggling to make a sound on my Turkish flute

– getting better at working with aquarelles – I have decided to join the 100 days project with #100daysofinnerart – where I observe what catches my attention on a particular day and how exactly do I feel that day and transform that into abstract paintings. it is interesting to observe the results so far – the choice of color palette and the brush used changes every time.

– planning the new sessions of Creativity as a Resource course and Creative Rendezvous sessions back in Copenhagen to start in autumn – sign up for the mailing list to keep up with the news and not to miss special offers.

– working on the second leg of the Indvielsen project – stay tuned to see the new portraits!

Towards the end of June am invited to host a session “Individual differences in time perspective and sustainable behavior: Game and debate” during the mini symposium “Thinking the present and the future – Psychological insights on the role of subjective time.” at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V., Potsdam, Germany, 22.6.2017.

How do I manage all of the above and a few things that were left out? I love working with my version of the bullet journal and I also follow my own medicine regarding taking the creative breaks.

I am available for giving workshops on how to deal with culture shock and using creativity as a resource. I would be thrilled to develop a tailored talk / workshop regarding time, creativity and your field of interest.

Best ways to keep up with my progress and stay in touch with me:

  • subscribe to my newsletter with my recent discoveries and updates & invitations to my exhibitions / pop-up galleries openings, events I’m organizing / hosting, talks & workshops I’m giving, etc.
  • see my visual explorations on Instagram
  • follow my occasional banter on twitter , updates on facebook or browse my blog on Medium

Find out more about me on my about page

Page inspired by Austin Kleon and nownownow community

Page was updated in June 2017.

Exploring Tunisia

In March I’m off for a week of exploring Tunisia. Excited to see the ancient Carthago. And of course to see what Paul Klee, August Macke and Wassily Kamdinsky saw there. Interesting link to Bauhaus. Here are some pages from the book with sketches by Paul Klee and others from their trip to Tunisia in 1914.

Visiting the Bauhaus Archive, Berlin

Although currently the exhibit at the Bauhaus Archive is really limited due to reconstruction, I had really good time exploring the philosophy of that school. The exhibit still gives a good overview of the main works and thoughts of Gropius, Klee, Kandinsky, Oswald, Brandt, Moholy-Nagy, Itten, Brener and others.

The overall approach was to combine art and technology. The new designed objects had to be defined by their nature. There were two main questions posed to students: What do you want to express? And What would be the best material to do so? A lot of attention was paid to the attributes of the material, finding the balance and saving the material – using what’s at hand to facilitate the inventiveness of students.

What struck me the most was the wholesome approach of the education. For example, Johannes Itten in his preliminary course was working with relaxation, breathing exercises and rythmic exercises – he believed that rythm through the breathing is the basis for all artistic creations. And he worked to develop a whole person to release the creative energy. “Art has to be sensed”.

With my two architect friends we then joined the workshop and created some Bauhaus-inspired hats and other art work.

If you’re interested to learn more – join one of the Creative Rendezvous workshops in Copenhagen during March and April 2017.

Creative Rendezvous series – March, April 2017

This spring I’m inviting you to revitalize yourself in a creative and artistic way. During the series of 2-3 hour workshops you will be able to create your own art and no previous experience is needed for it.

I have selected three different artists who fascinate me personally, but also allow plenty of room for exploration, imagination, experimentation and taking creative risks.

We will explore the works, main guiding principles and different techniques, such as contrasting, paper cut-outs, collaging and relating color and form to music, from the following artists: Eduardo Chillida, Sonia Delaunay and Wassily Kandinsky.

I will offer a short introduction, some images for inspiration and simple exercises that will allow you to create your own masterpiece!

Dates:

March 12 – Discover Eduardo Chillida

April 2 – Discover Sonia Delaunay

April 9 – Discover Wassily Kandinsky 

Time:

12:00-15:00

Address:

Prinsesse Charlottes Gade 16 , 2200 Copenhagen N

Price 315 dkk 

Make art like Eduardo Chillida at Creative Rendezvous

Finding your passion – a life changing experience

Having a passion in life and for life can be literary a life saving and changing experience. The story of Prof. Rafi Eldor and his struggle with Parkinson’s disease is an extraordinary inspiring example of it:

Variety of courses I offer in my Creative Time Studio are aimed exactly at that – to help you to discover your passion and also equip you well during the initial stage, when making the first steps can be hard, to provide you with different tools that can help to overcome the uncertainties while finding your way and getting in touch with your creative flow.

Creative Flow as a Resource – here is to a great start!

Just this Wednesday, February 1st, 2017 the course Creative Flow as a Resource hosted by myself and Jennifer Bruder of Brain Dialogues, was set in motion towards the new direction.

It is a new beginning in many ways – participants are starting their own creative journeys and for us – it was the inauguration of the new creative space our Studio has moved in to recently.

We salute to our brave participants, who brought in loads of creative energy and an open mind!

Although the course has started, we invite you to try something out as well – a simple exercise that you can do once a week, or once a month, for example – a sort of check-in.

Take out your journal if you have one, otherwise a pen and paper, and follow these 4 simple steps:

  1. Ask yourself a question: “Where am I now?” – in terms of physical place, your emotional state, personality-wise, etc. Spend a few moments to reflect. Take your time, but also don’t overthink. When you are ready: Write, color, draw, create, etc.  three answers to this question.
  2. When you are finished, ask yourself: “Where do I want to be?” You set up the time-frame – in can be by the end of the week, in a months, or half a year. When you are ready: Write, color, draw, create, etc. three answers.
  3. These two questions can take you through a big, and rather overwhelming, picture. But every big expedition starts out with a first small step. Examine your answers to the second question and decide on one thing that you can do this week, something that will bring you closer to where you would like to be and do it! Is it time to visit the arts supply shop and buy a canvas and paints?; a travel guide?; to take an online course?; or simply go for a walk?; pick up the phone and call a friend?…
  4. When you have completed steps 1–3, come back to the exercise, and reflect how it felt to move towards your forever-elusive dream, the goal there isn’t time for, or the people you miss. Is there something you want to revise in steps 1–2? Can you continue adding onto step 3?

Here is what one of the participants mentions on the topic:

Natalyia | Creative Time Studio

@creativetimestudio made me really think. I am rather clear about my own #now, but what I want to be, see myself, feel, discover remains to be revealed. There of course will come #lifeprocess surprised – those, hiding under the yellow sticky notes. #personaldevelopment #creativeprocess #thinking

We’d be happy to hear about your own discoveries either in the comments below, through instagram #findingcreativeflow, or facebook Creative Time Studio, Brain Dialogues

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Creative Flow as a Resource – course starting February 1, 2017

Creative Flow as a Resource is an engaging and personally challenging 4-week course designed to serve as a window for exploring options for creativity and self-improvement in your day-to-day life. Participants meet once a week to learn new skills, create, discover and to share. Throughout the week participants are required to take a few hours just for themselves, away from usual stress, uncertainties, and routines.

Creativity is a Resource: and this course aims to create conditions in which you can find your own path to realize the plans and dreams you have, to nudge you towards what you really want, to refresh, to gain strength and to relieve you from daily stresses. Participants feel revitalized and learn many tools that can be used to continue their creative and personal journeys. It is possible, to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

The course foundations are built upon research in positive psychology, creativity and cognitive science. The aim is to help you to find your passion and improve well-being.

This course is offered by Anna Sircova and Jennifer Bruder. We both have PhD’s in psychology where Anna is an expert in creative processes, well being, psychology of time and so much more. And Jennifer’s focus is in neuro-cognitive psychology and the creative brain.

Feel free to contact either Creative Time Studio if you have any questions.
You can read more about Anna at Creative Time Studio and you can read more about Jennifer at Brain Dialogues.

Practical Info:

This is a 4 week course.
February 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd from 18:00-20:30
Sønder Boulevard 68, 1720, Copenhagen

Please register here

What will you need?

1) 30-60 personal minutes a day: just for you
2) a wish to push yourself to the next level of your personal journey
3) join this kick-off meeting on February 1st at 18.00

Places are limited.

Cost: 1600 dkk

Tea, coffee, snacks and all creative supplies are provided.