Discover the Magic of Altars

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altar

I have always had an altar in my studio. It’s my sanctuary of calm in the midst of creative dreaming and productivity. It’s a gentle spot that I can turn to any time for a moment of respite and beauty. Time with my altar helps me find my focus and remember who I am. It tunes me in to magic.

I want to spend the next two weeks sharing The Art of the Altar with you..

Through the act of creation, experience for yourself the power and possibility of a meaningful personal altar. Join me on this journey and and build your relationship with your self, the four directions – North, South, West, East – and the elemental energies that they represent.

Create a bit of magic in your own home.

To explain more, I hosted a Facebook Live, sharing personal elements of my own altar an answering questions about everything from the best location for your altar to how long the class videos are.

Watch The Art of the Altar Q&A Video

Below you’ll find all the practical details, including the course outline, schedule, supplies and registration fee. Between that and the video, I hope you have everything you need to know whether The Art of the Altar is for you. If not, just hit reply. I’m right here to answer any questions or qualms you may have

Every altar becomes a self-portrait of the person that created it. If you join in, one of my deep wishes for you is that you will look at your altar at the end of the course and say, “Yes, that’s me. There I am. Whenever I get lost, I can come here and remember exactly who I am.”

I hope you’ll start this journey with me tomorrow.

with love,

Jamie

The Art of the Altar Course Gives You…

Lesson One: An Introduction to the Art of the Altar We’ll explore how an altar can be a significant gift to your creative life. You’ll learn how to lay the foundation for your personal altar, choosing the right space for this energetic focal point.

Lessons Two, Three, Four & Five: Encountering the Four Directions – North, South, West and East Embark on a voyage of discovery with each of the four directions. Learn the grounding power of North, the fiery aliveness of South, the mutable energy of West and the fresh dawn of East. Create a connection with each of these energies to make them powerful allies in your life and in your work.Lesson 6: Focus & Activate Activate the energy of your altar, imbuing it with a sense of purpose and belief.

Bonus Lesson 1: Tending to Your Altar Like a garden, an altar thrives when tended. Learn strategies for keeping your altar alive and meaningful so it can serve as an ongoing support for you and for your life.

Bonus Lesson 2: Traveling Learn how to make an altar wherever you are with whatever you have so that you always have access to beauty, meaning and focus.

A Community Explore the art of the altar and the power of the four directions in a community of like-minded creative spirits. Share discoveries, insights and inspirations as well as creative expressions of your deepening understanding of the Art of the Altar.

A Guide I have been a student of these universal energies for most of my life and I am delighted to go on this journey of creation and exploration with you. I have experienced the magic that is possible at the intersection of spirit and creativity. That is what I want for you as you create and experience The Art of the Altar.

The Details

Format: This is an online e-course delivered through a series of video lessons.

Schedule: The Art of the Altar course runs July 12 to 29, though you can participate at your own pace and in your own time. Lessons will be released on Wednesdays & Saturdays.

Wed July 12: Welcome & Foundation
Sat July 15: North
Wed July 19: South
Sat July 22: West
Wed July 26: East
Sat July 29: Focus & Activate plus bonus lessons on Tending and Traveling

Supplies: This course is designed to be both personal and flexible. You will discover the components of your altar as you journey through the course. You will be able to use items you own or that you find in your environment. You are also welcome to invest in new additions, if you like.

You will need:

a location for the creation of your altar
symbolic objects (you’ll choose these throughout the course)
a camera (optional)

Community: private Facebook group

Your Guide: Jamie Ridler MA CPCC

Regular price $75 USD

Studio Members save 10% with a coupon code.

 

stART: eps 82 Hello Summer!

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Every couple of weeks I film stART: Creating as We Go with my two sisters, Suzie and Shannon. We share our creative projects, from challenges to celebrations, and support each other’s creative lives. It’s been a while since our last episode but we’re back and with lots to talk about! There’s been drawing, glazing, wrapping, cooking, crosshatching and more! As always, we hope you enjoy the show.

In this episode we mention…

Keep up-to-date with stART: Creating As We Go

Find Inspiration: Galleries and Museums on YouTube

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Studio Diary, July 9, 2017

“What I am trying to do is not be advertising. Advertising tells you exactly what it is, what it does. It has no ambiguity.” Shirazeh Houshiary (And oh… her space!)

I spent the day immersed in art videos. I was inspired by a lot of the response to Suzie in our episode of stART. So many people wrote and recommended she explore assemblage that I started to look it up, hoping to find something to inspire her but ultimately discovering a whole world of art videos that inspired me.

 

“You could say this is something any artist does – you find a form for something that has no form. You could call that a ghost.” Paul Bagaers.

“I like quite a smooth surface but one that still has the sense of the hand.” Eva Rothschild

“Create a path for your eye to follow throughout the painting.”

“I think a good painting is something that has immediate impact and, at the same time, is something that rewards a longer, prolonged viewing time.  If it is only one or the other, I think it is missing something.” David Salle

Oh, the colours.

This had me thinking about the nature of creatives and “stuff.”

“It starts with the desire to do something.” “I hope that this (the material) is going to tell me something that I don’t know. Alison Wilding

I sat with my journal taking notes of moments and phrases that spoke to my heart, that had a message for me. And when I was done, I spent two hours collaging in a magazine journal. Normally I don’t like using gel medium but it was all I wanted to do, create a page that felt like it was not pieces but all together. I did that with gel medium and a brush but mostly my fingers, pressing out the bubbles, smoothing the paper down, down, down, hoping it would all come together. My intention when I started was to use indistinguishable pieces to create something new but I found myself delighting in juxtaposition and colour. I just followed that and tried not to judge it, though I wondered if I stayed where habit lived not where inspiration took me. There still may be paint, pen, pencil added to it. Maybe I haven’t finished following the path.

Caturday: A Fantastical Story for the Studio Kittens

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If I were to cast the Studio Kittins into a story, they would each be members of a royal family in a fantastical world. I imagine Shibumi, the fierce warrior-queen, confident, courageous and a bit of a bruiser with a constant expectation of victory (#shibumiwins)

Scout would be the poet-prince, sensitive and high-strung but also the flirt, the peacemaker, the bonvivant…

And Escher would be the prince who stands apart, the expectation of imminent betrayal has him wary with all but a very few. His good looks but cold demeanour capable of breaking more than a few hearts.