Awakening Creativity: Artmonk Practice

awaken your innate creativity

find ease in spontaneous movement

experience liberated mark-making

Awakening Creativity: Artmonk Practice

meditation, movement, mark-making

This workshop was cancelled due to Covid exposure. Please subscribe to be notified when another workshop will be offered.

Interweaving seated meditation with improvisatory drawing and physical movement, Suiko bridges spiritual and creative practices.

Join Art Monastery Founder & Abbess Suiko Betsy McCall for an afternoon of deep nourishment for the body, soul, and creative spirit. Interweaving seated meditation with improvisatory drawing and physical movement, Suiko bridges spiritual and creative practices. This tapestry of practices blends Mindfulness meditation, Zen Buddhism, and shamanic journeying to open the door to increased freedom to play and create.

Suiko (who lived at Green Gulch Farm / Green Dragon Zen Temple on and off for 4 years and is certified as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach), will guide you through a process called Artmonk Practice. We will begin in seated meditation, transition into abstract drawing, and finally into free movement. Through Artmonk Practice we will each create a small experimental art book. Renowned for her ability to create safe and transformative spaces, this workshop will meet you where you are — beginner or experienced practitioners alike.

You’ll walk away with

tools for bridging creative & spiritual practice
a series of practices you can explore on your own
at least one drawing or piece of writing
a small experimental art book

IN-PERSON EVENT

with Founder & Abbess Suiko McCall

Sunday, December 10, 2023, 3–6 PM

at The Berkeley Alembic

2820 Seventh Street Berkeley, CA 94710

Sliding Scale $40-$55

Register here.

Testimonials

“Suiko is recreating the dharmasphere and inviting the Divine Jester to be part of the inquiry. There have been too many centuries of denial, seclusion, and a denigration of the muse. By bringing the arts and dharma together she is validating two fundamental aspects of people.” —Joseph B.

“[Suiko’s] enthusiasm, thoughtful insight, glowing personality, willingness to flow, and gentle leadership are what made this class amazing for me.” —Sherri M.

“Suiko’s program has helped me to put aside my inner critic that blocks me from creating. Our time together was a space for healing and restoration—nourishing ourselves to right a world that’s turning upside down.” —Alysia T.

“The workshop helped me clear and express my anger and anguish of my inner child.” —Kady L.

“Through the process that Suiko led, I experienced communion with the creative spirit to be open, explore, listen and share.” —Claire D.

“Suiko’s art meditation is suuuuper powerful. After the first time being led by her in Artmonk Practice, I felt the power of her gift as an artist and teacher. I cried and processed on a level not always available in my other methods of meditation. Plus art is such a deep source of intimate connection with ourselves, God, and each other.” —Jessica A.

“For me, there’s like this “just do it” mantra that both attracts me to the offer and keeps me coming back. It’s like returning home to something that was always there, but that I too often don’t choose to engage with.” —Shenandoah W.

“The class allowed me to trust my instincts and manifest my ideas into something tangible and not to question the validity of my impulses so much.” —Mary W.

“Suiko creates a context where adults can engage in a light hearted way to explore creativity.” — Alex S.