An Oasis of Calm @ Dragon Cafe – 23rd June 2014 12 noon – 8.30pm

A truly unique community of creatives, who each Monday at the heart of London next to Borough Tube offer a FREE smorgasbord of creative activities, talks, massage and wellbeing sessions…

This week Dragon Cafe are considering the different pushes and pulls on the relationship between patient and doctor within the mental health care system… and much more! Dragon Cafe are working in collaboration with the Anxiety Arts Festival London 2014

And the partnership with Borough Market is in full swing to share produce that would otherwise go to waste being used for good in the Cafe kitchen to make super tasty food for the soul!

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A real oasis of calm in the city! Dragon Cafe rocks!

The Potential Space – Albert Potrony films Friends of Cathja

The Potential Space – a film by artist Albert Potrony.

A film developed during a period of research when Albert visited with Friends of Cathja boat in Isleworth, London between December 2013 – May 2014.

The film allows you to submerge into a hidden world of making in free and unjudged ways, most of us would be unfamiliar with. You will get the feel of the rhythms of work made by Cathja’s friends and how they learn new ways of being and connecting in this safe space.  Cathja is a Dutch barge moored in Isleworth and is a regular meeting place for adults seeking support at different times of challenge and isolation. The boat provides a place for meeting, making and moving forward very much at each individual’s pace and flow.

Commissioned by Friends of Cathja and the Mental Health Foundation for Anxiety Arts Festival London 2014.

Funded by Time To Change.

Cooltan Arts – well they are cool!

Mad Hatters Tea Party 14th June 2014 1pm – 6pm 

CoolTan Arts opens its doors for a fun filled afternoon at the Mad Hatters Tea Party as part of Anxiety Arts Festival London 2014.

With four FREE workshops running and the official opening of our new exhibition, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party will be a chance to try out new things and get creative. There is no need to book, everyone is welcome to turn up on the day.

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Truly a space where you can come as you are a be welcomed..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schedule:

Food and Mood, 1-2pm: ‘An interactive, hands-on, drop-in workshop looking at foods that have both positive and negative impacts on our nervous systems, sleep cycles and brain functions.

Understanding ‘Panic Attacks’, 2.15-3.45pm: “What is a panic attack? And how come it can make you feel like you’re going mad or having a heart attack?”

Postcard Art-‘A Message 2U’ , 2.30-3.30pm:
‘A Message 2U’, from Object to Word(s) an Image Emerge!
Come along and bring along; something dear to you or even discarded, such as a newspaper clipping, old lipstick, favourite mug, photograph, past postcard, extract of text, or a poem..

Anxious to get painting, 4.-5pm:
Get creative and practice your painting skills in this fun art workshop. No previous experience necessary!

SummerTime Blues: Art Exhibition Opening, 5-6pm: Private viewing of the new exhibition Summertime Blues. All artwork is created by CoolTan participants in creative workshops, and the theme is ‘anxiety & summer’. The exhibition is open from 11 June-11 August but this event marks the official opening.

Free entry – no tickets required

The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is part of the Anxiety Arts Festival London 2014: http://anxiety2014.org/

Info: 020 7701 2696/ Olivia@cooltanarts.org.uk.

http://www.cooltanarts.org.uk/2014/03/cooltan-arts-mad-hatters-tea-party/

And on 21st June 2014… Largactyl Shuffle a night walk to celebrate the Summer Solistice and learn more of the darker side of London’s history in relation to mental health care…

 

An Oasis of Calm – Dragon Cafe opens her doors to a month of creatively exploring anxiety…

An Oasis of Calm springs to life this Monday…

In June Dragon Cafe will be partnering with the Mental Health Foundation’s Anxiety Arts Festival London 2014, and creating a place of calm contemplation away from the often anxious world we live in. 

Random Acts of Mindfulness between 1 – 4 pm and SoundWorks at 4.30 pm – which will introduce us to singing bowls – are just two of the many activities throughout the day.

Regular groups will continue and we shall also engage with the festival’s theme in the first part of our Anxiety Dialogues at 6.30 pm. Take your mind and body to a place of peace.

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Celebrating all the wealth of creative, mindful and thought provoking ways to explore anxiety this June 2014…

 

 

Feeling blessed… how doing what you love inspires you as much as your clients…

It really is the truth when you hear or read about how following your passions is the most enjoyable, rewarding and lucrative way to create a living and Life for yourself…

And so often whilst I’ve worked at setting up my most current business Open To Create… the day to day realities of working in and on the business I’ve not always felt the gratitude for the gift of doing just this and more…

So I’ve been working up a series of Co-creating creative successes case studys…

The wonderful Jennifer Leach, Director of Outrider Anthems is first up… do check out her amazing website showcasing all of her latest projects www.outrideranthems.com

Ta dah! Here is the first of many and I’ll more with you in the coming weeks as more are created…

Drop me a line NOW below to find out how I can work with you to ignite your inner creative sparks to achieve your creative goals…

Ignite Your Creativity – Oh Comely reader offer until 9am 20.09.13

I love being curious about my own and other’s creativity that it’s only fair to share the love with fellow readers of Oh Comely magazine

Click here to claim (until 9am 20th September 2013) an offer price for your place on Ignite Your Creativity Day Retreat in the City… bring a copy of the current edition along with you!

https://igniteyourcreativityinthecitysept13.eventbrite.co.uk/

Oh Comely readers offer to ignite your creativity...

Oh Comely readers offer to ignite your creativity…

Will you ignite your creativity with me?

photo by Suke Driver

Creatively escape with Penny Stanford & Anna B. Sexton 21.09.13

Ignite Your Creativity Retreat In The City… 21st-22nd September 2013

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Escape into a world of colourful & creative play…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How many times do you get the invited away for the weekend for a creative playful escape and you can’t say yes as it’s just too far away and doesn’t fit with your busy schedule in town…

This is what we found when I ran Ignite Your Creativity Retreat early in 2013 – feedback from those who couldn’t make it was 3 whole days away was too much and couldn’t it just be for a couple of days to work around family and work commitments.

Read and digest a review of our March 2013 retreat – HERE

WELL HELLO!  Don’t let it be said we don’t listen to feedback – the best re-designing and finessing tool in the world, right!

So Open To Create…  Ignite Your Creativity Retreat In The City 21st – 22nd September 2013 was born – book your place

http://igniteyourcreativityinthecitysept13.eventbrite.co.uk/

With all the depth, detail and benefits of our 3 day retreat away on our magical island in Essex I have tracked down a magical oasis of calm right in the heart of East London – yeah, I know – how can that be?

Well The Royal Foundation of St. Katherine’s is just that – tranquil, deeply peaceful and grounding is powerful way whilst being in a mega position to be reached easily from all parts of London and further afield being 2 minutes walks from Limehouse Station http://www.rfsk.org.uk/about/get-here

Your can book you place on the retreat http://igniteyourcreativityinthecitysept13.eventbrite.co.uk/

You can find out more about Open To Create… http://www.opentocreate.com/

Follow @opentocreate on Twitter

 

Re-treat / What was ignited on our island retreat?

What an absolute wonder cooking up and co-creating Ignite Your Creativity Retreat was… I am still all a glow from the amazing creative connections, ideas and new directions fellow creative retreaters have been discovering for themselves during and since the weekend 22nd-24th March 2013.

I keep thinking about the word re-treat in this way as the retreat still is re-treating me with most splendid of memories, ideas and sense of creative flow…

What would retreaters tell their friends about their time away? Sarah Bellorini, our amazing Personal Biography workshop leader and creative collaborator said;

“Incredible venue, invite only, so very, very special place that not many people have the privilege of experiencing – this adds to the whole experience and energy of the retreat; incredibly safe and creative environment where you can participate as much or as little as you need and want with additional support from very experienced and caring organisers who have your needs as central focus; amazing food and a great loving, affirming space created by all the participants who are hand-picked and are open and able to contribute to the depth of the experience due to where they are at on their creative journey and capacity to contribute to the overall dynamic of the retreat. It is an incredibly special place and space. If you think you’ve been to something like this before, you haven’t! “

Below are selection of snaps captured during our time away together making hand made books, cooking together and learning and performing a new snog specially crafted by a new super band, formed on the island, SuLi! Big hearty creative thanks come from me as the process to create the weekend was not always an easy one – but boy, oh boy well worth every challenge, false start and hic cup along the way. Busy planning the next two in July and November this year…

Will you be there to creatively play?

Playing with colour

Creatively setting the scene for Ignite Your Creativity Retreat

Making a personal treasure map book

Penny Stanford Fold Collective sharing book making skills

Led expertly by Penny Stanford, everyone made their own treasure map books.

Cooking, creating, coaching

Creative cooking, conversations & connections

Creative Retreater Open To Create...

Suke & Lisa creating beautiful music with hand made choir

Open to Create… known for for igniting people’s creativity in unique, quirky and playful ways.

image by Anna B. Sexton

Creative Coaching, creative mentoring, creative play, creative thinking workshops

Open To Create… offer a creative smorgasbord of creative coaching, mentoring and playful workshop sessions.

Creative MOT sessions will re-ignite your creative process and vision.

Bag of Creative Surprises workshops take your creative ideas to a new depths.

And our magical Ignite Your Creativity Retreats will “open doors onto your imagination, heart & mind you wouldn’t know were there.”

Join in the creative action via Open To Create… Facebook page

Please contact Anna B Sexton, Director to find out more about how we can support you to be more open to creating a thriving and super successful creative business.

We work with people with ideas for start up businesses through to those with more established enterprises who want to take it to the next level.

Your interest in Open To Create… matters as do any questions, ideas & feedback you have.

Drop us a line now using the form below or call 07941 655 856 or 020 7515 9451