The Artist Within Weekend - Devon

EARLY BIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW UNTIL 15th May

“If you enjoy art or creating or like the idea of it but never do it because you think you aren't good enough then this is for you.” - Tracey D

Have you been dreaming of creating art but never felt like you could?

Do you want to reawaken your inner childlike curiosity and imagination?

Would you love to reclaim and explore the creative expression of who you are?

Then join The Artist Within's two day weekend retreat to take your first steps back into creativity and champion others to do the same

The weekend retreat

Limited places available

 Get your Early Bird ticket now!

This two day journey will break through fear and self-doubt, to find the courage and confidence to express your inner world. To feel and remember that everyone, including you, is an artist! 

Through a unique combination of meditation, self-enquiry, play and expressive art practices, you will connect to your creativity, and the sacred artist within. 

Each session will guide you through fun yet profound practices. Using an array of games, exercises and materials, you'll immediately start to develop confidence in this hands-on, supportive and structured environment. We'll also be drawing upon Julia Cameron, “The Queen of Change!”, The Artist Way, for inspiration.

Jade and jae, two self-taught creatives, will co-create a safe and brave place of possibility with you to set aside your inner critic, reawaken your creativity and rediscover the artist within.

Course Philosophy:

Everyone is an artist. The daily decisions we make, large or small, mould our lives into what they are. Every day is a blank page, waiting to be turned into a work of art. Contrary to what many people think, creating art is a skill we can all learn, much the same as learning to walk, talk, read or write.  

Art is not about the end result. It’s about exploring your emotional life and expressing your unique relationship with the world. We will share our journeys with you, and some of the tools and practices that have helped us to follow our desires and become the artists we want to be.

We look forward to enticing your inner lost artist out of the shadows, softening your blocks, building your confidence, and allowing your creative being to flourish.

This two day weekend retreat will be a unique combination of:

• Self-enquiry
• Play 
• Movement 
• Dreaming
• Writing
• Voice
• Art
• Painting
• Co-created art
• Connecting with nature
• Ritual

Do it to:

• Take the first baby steps back into creativity
• Reawaken your inner child
• Make space to play
• Be part of a community that champions your creativity
• Move, sing and draw just for the hell of it

What's included:

• Your very own sketchbook to play with all weekend and beyond
• Art supplies - no need to bring any art materials with you!
• Tea, Coffee and light snacks

This is a non-residential retreat. If you need support for places to stay please get in contact and we will do our best to support you to find local accommodation for the weekend!

Sauna, Roundhouse and Fireside Food and Jam Social!

We would also love to relax and have fun together on the Saturday evening. So, we warmly invite you to join us at Pondfield, a beautiful, community led space with a magical sauna and roundhouse for us to decompress, jam and eat together. Jade and jae will continue to lightly hold the space to support an evening of creative fireside sharings to peak their way out of their burrows and come to the forefront in a tenderly held space. Bring your favourite poem from childhood to read! Or a song you just can't get out your head. Whatever it is, we want to hear your favourites and who inspires you, or even some of your own material!

About your facilitators

Jade Wade is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist with a wide repertoire of talents including visual art, singing and dance.

Jade began expressing herself through art from a very young age until offered a space on a fine art degree at one of the UKs most prestigious art Universities. She felt the academic system was too restrictive however, and when it began to sap away the natural joy, freedom and healing which had always been her main motivator, she stopped making art altogether.  

6 years later she was hit by a London double-decker bus and experienced a life-changing near-death experience. Forced to sit still for the first time, Jade's recovery lay in the paintbrush that she had abandoned for all those years. During the next few months, Jade developed her unique style of watercolour art. To her, this medium was a form of therapy, that allowed her to transform the trauma of the event, into deep understanding and insight. 

As well as working as an artist, Jade is the singer/co-songwriter of the Neo-Soul band, ‘The Odd 910’. Their music was picked up by BBC Introducing and broadcast nationwide. They have a loyal fanbase on Spotify with listeners reaching up to 45,000 people per month.

Jade is also an avid explorer of consciousness aided by a solid meditation practice drawing on non-dual traditions from around the globe. The combination of her near-death experience and some remarkable shifts in her every day awareness precipitated by art and meditation, Jade is now inspired to share the skills and experience that she has acquired so that others may learn to embrace their artistic side and realise their true nature.

Find her work here:

@jadewade

www.theodd910.com

jae spencer-keyse (she/they/he) is a facilitator, community builder, self-taught artist multipotentialite! 

From the age of 4 jae was deeply immersed in the performing arts, on TV and training to be a dancer, receiving government funding scholarships to dance with The National Youth Ballet, Junior Associates of The Royal Ballet and Elmhurst School for Dance until her teen years. However, she felt constrained by the rigid and demanding expectations on their passion and body so left to explore what else the world had to offer!

This was an extremely challenging process, as they found that at a state school in Derby the traditional mainstream educational world had a very different idea about what we should be focusing on learning. With academic subjects prioritised they had to leave their creative life behind and focus on this. Deeply frustrated by the limiting beliefs and factors of mainstream education this catalysed jae's desire to transform education today, having gone on to produce influential policy research and co-found organisation and programs worldwide committed to this cause. They now particularly focus on the role of imagination, supporting people to radically reimagine learning and life, together.

Furthermore, with a diagnosis of a chronic health condition in their early 20's, as well as their experience of neurodiversity, the prioritisation of creative expression and joy in their own life came knocking loudly at the door. It was through the need to process pain and early trauma, and express themselves, that they taught themselves how to draw and in the ongoing years since found deep importance in reconnecting to art just for the joy of it. For jae this might look like 5 rhythms dance and other somatic practices, or uncovering their love of singing, learning the basics of guitar and sharing their songwriting and performances at small local events and around the fireside with friends - despite growing up in an environment where they were told they couldn't sing!

jae has reflected on what allowed them to reclaim their creativity and make it a core joyful practice in their life today. As a peer learning facilitator, keen participant of radical learning spaces and an active lover of The Artist's Way, they're excited to share with you the skills that they believe can unlock others potential, when the feeling of fear and other priorities too often leads the way!

Find their work here:

https://www.radicalreimagination.com

@jspencerkeyse

Weekend Retreat Times: 9.30am arrival for 10am start on Saturday 24th June - 5pm. 

Weekend Retreat Location: Harberton Parish Hall, 5 Tristford Rd, Harberton, Totnes TQ9 7SD. A modern refurbished hall with lots of space.

Roundhouse Fireside Food and Jam Event: 7.30-10pm (24th June Only)

Roundhouse Fireside Food and Jam Location: Pondfield, Wren Bridge, Droridge Ln, Dartington, Totnes TQ9 6JH. 

Payment and Plans: Available on request. Please do get in touch if you need to distribute payments at 0% interest rate. If you're confused which payment option to choose, we typically suggest that Low Income is below £20,000 a year and Abundant is above £45,000 a year. A Standard ticket would be somewhere in between.

Bursaries: There are a limited amount of free bursary spots available for those who feel this weekend would positively impact their wellbeing but may not currently be able to afford the cost. We really welcome this conversation as we have both been in this position in our lives.  Please reach out to the email below.

All enquiries to: artistwithin.play@gmail.com