The Creative Life is a ten-week discussion group that digs into our relationship with creativity and what gets in the way of a more creative life. The group will be small (max seven people, including me, Anna) so that we can have meaningful, in-depth conversations and form a long-lasting creative community.

Who is the group for?

Everyone is creative. This is coming from someone who, for years, prided herself on being all logic and business—the ‘Anticreative’ you might say (it was me, I was saying it). Whether or not you think you’re creative, if you want to infuse more exploration and creativity into every day and be part of a (real world!) creative community, this group is for you.

What will we be doing?

The Creative Life combines techniques and exercises from creativity teachers and researchers like Julia Cameron, Martha Beck, Brené Brown, and more, along with insights from previous creativity groups I’ve held. Every Tuesday, I’ll send out a set of reflections that we’ll discuss at our meet-up on the following Monday. To get the most out of the group, I also recommend two practices over the ten weeks: daily journaling and a weekly creative adventure (not as intimidating as it may sound, I swear). I’ll go into detail on all this in the introductory meeting, but feel free to reach out to me beforehand with questions at thecreativelifesd@gmail.com or (815) 440-7164.

And who are you?

Hey, I’m Anna. I’m a writer, though I can only say that after years of wading through narratives and habits that were holding me back from connecting with my creativity. I also love to dance, play the piano, and paint, and I think I’m on the brink of an abstract collage phase. Ideally, I would spend the remaining hours of my day talking with others about their creative projects and how creativity shows up in their lives.

I’ve organized creativity groups in the past, but this is the launch of something new. You will be a part of the flagship group that will shape future versions of The Creative Life.

Format and commitment

We’ll meet from 6:00 – 7:30pm at Wild Island Collective in Normal Heights. The total participation fee is $200, which includes eleven meet-ups (ten weeks plus the intro meeting) from Monday, March 10th to Monday, May 19th. The ten-week structure is an investment that forms stronger group connections and provides you the space to develop a sustainable approach to a more creative life.