Category: Announcements

A Winter of Creative Magic – The Studio Offerings Are Here!

It’s mid-November and I’ve got that ‘year-end’ feeling! It’s so easy for that to turn into a rush of “must-do to-dos” before the year is over, early holiday panic, a dread of winter and a sense that next year will either be “same old same old” or out of control.

This year I’m doing my best to choose something different.

I’m starting with reminding myself of all the good stuff. Like how Justin and I put out a holiday basket that we secretly tuck treats and treasures into to enjoy once Christmas arrives. Or how much I love creating my Vision Pages between Christmas and New Years. They are potent visual reminders in my Studio Yearbook of the priorities and plans I’ve created during Planning Day. The calm contentment of sitting under the twinkie lights on dark mornings and showing up to the page. The Studio Kittens’ constant craving for connection that helps to ward off the cold.

What wintery things are you looking forward to?

I’m also setting creative intentions. In colder climates, winter naturally draws us inside. What better time to make art our priority? Winter feels so different when you imagine spending it dedicated to painting or pastels, to knitting or writing your book. At the start of each season I like to choose what I’ll be pouring my creative energy into. I love having a plan for what I’ll be adding to my body of work by the time the next season arrives.

What do you intend to create this winter?

And what about learning a new skill? We creatives are wired to be lifelong learners and the world of art gives us a million things to choose from! What if you dedicated this winter to learning calligraphy or print-making or ikebana or film-editing? What about learning to play the piano or how to do improv or sing? I’m currently learning a lot about video editing as I follow my inspiration to an expanded version of the Creative Living with Jamie podcast.

What would you like to learn this winter?

In all of the studio offerings this season – Planning Day, Devotion & The Studio Yearbook – I take this seasonal approach. It’s a guiding principle in everything I do. It opens us up to plans that feel healthy and supportive, to a creative rhythm that feels alive and approachable and to a creative practice that helps us savour life and remember our part in creating it.

I hope that you’ll join me in some or all of this winter’s offerings and that together we’ll walk with creative enthusiasm and artistic anticipation into the year ahead!


Create the Year You Long For
Registration is Open for Our Yearly Planning Day Retreat!

Register Now for Planning Day
LIVE December 1 from 1:00-5:00 pm EST*

What if you had an approach to planning that was flexible enough to respond to inspiration and “life” while also being strong enough to give you momentum and keep you on path? That’s what you’ll learn in Planning Day.

We’ll weave together vision and dreams with plans and practicalities. We’ll dance with structure and freedom to find the just-right mix, a balance that will support your forward momentum while leaving you feeling free. Planning Day is not about squishing yourself into a box filled with endless lists and to-dos. It’s not about push, drive or figuring out how to exceed maximum human capacity.

Planning Day is about knowing where you are, getting clear on where you want to be and closing that gap, one step at a time.

It’s also a beautiful way to spend a wintery day at the close of the season. We’ll cozy in and do the work together. We’ll bring our tea and our journals. We’ll light a candle and turn on the twinkie lights. We’ll vision and explore. We’ll share and we’ll plan. And when we are done, we’ll celebrate, knowing we are entering the new year grounded in clarity and confidence.

I hope you’ll join me for our year-end studio tradition and experience the joy and power of Planning Day.

*Note: A recording will be available, usually within 24 hours.


Devote Yourself to Your Art this Winter
Wait List Registration for Devotion Is Now Open

Winter’s Devotion begins on January 23rd
Join the Wait List Now for Early Access to Registration

This winter say a brave and beautiful yes to the creative fire in your spirit. Say yes to three months of showing up to your artistic work with passion, commitment and purpose. Say yes to Devotion and fully answer the artistic call.

Imagine what is possible when you embrace yourself as an artist and step onto the path of Devotion.

In Devotion you will establish a clear vision for your residency, create a loving and supportive plan and then dive wholeheartedly into a season of making. You will have structure and support to keep you on path. You’ll have creative kindred and an expert creative coach to lift you up when you falter and to celebrate you when you soar.

Imagine what will come of three months of dedicated creating. Imagine the body of work you will bring to life, the skills you will hone and the confidence you will gain, whatever your medium. Here’s what happened for Anne:

When I first read Jamie’s thoughts and intentions for the Devotion program the concept immediately resonated with me. As an artist, the love for my craft was real but I felt stuck creatively and didn’t know what to do to revitalize my perspective or the work itself. I am amazed at the shift in how I see myself as an artist and how I approach my work; truly, it is transformational for me. Jamie has prepared a suite of tools that open new pathways of thinking and promote deep reflection. She is a skilled catalyst that understands the creative mind and heart. The Devotion environment is warm and deeply supportive. I wholeheartedly recommend Devotion to anyone who seeks to rekindle the magic within and move forward as an artist! Anne Hallcom

I want this for you too, {{ subscriber.first_name }}. Find out more about Devotion here.


A Seasonal Creative Practice to Awaken Your Inner Artist
The Studio Yearbook (Winter 2023) Is Available Now!

There is magic in the Studio Yearbook!

The Studio Yearbook is a simple and doable fill-in-the-blank journal designed to support your creative practice and awaken your creative spirit! In your yearbook, you’ll tune into the energy of the season. You’ll create dreamboards under each full moon. You’ll gather your gratitude and look for inspiration in every day! You’ll start a weekly practice of focusing on what truly matters to you and you’ll give yourself gold stars of celebration. You’ll take note of what you learn and acknowledge what you create. Day by day, as you pour your life into the pages of your Studio Yearbook, it will become a magnificent reflection of you and this moment in time – a true creative treasure.

The Winter Studio Yearbook is unique in that it covers the powerful transition from one year into the next. In the special Crossing the Threshold section you can gather the wisdom of the year that’s passed and move with intention into the year ahead. There’s even a spot to create Vision Pages, visual reminders of the priorities you set for your new year. (This is one of my favourite ways of spending the holidays. I hope you love it too!)

The yearbook isn’t just another journal – it’s an experience! One that has been enjoyed by creative hearts around the world. I hope you’ll join in and be a part of the adventure this winter!

Order your Studio Yearbook now!

The Magic of Journal Club

Keeping a Journal Will Change Your Life

The first thing I do every morning is… well… honestly, the first thing I do is feed the cats. 

The very next thing I do is write in my journal. This practice is central to my well-being, core to my work and essential to my creativity. Time in my journal always leaves me feeling clear, grounded and ready to go. It’s amazing what the practice of putting pen to page can do.

It’s a simple creative practice. Pen. Paper. Words.

With a powerful result. Awareness. Awakening. Magic.

Starting tomorrow we’ll gather together, light our candles, pull out our pens and connect with our hearts and one another. For one hour a week, you will find inspiration and insight in a cozy sanctuary of encouragement. For one hour a week, you’ll establish a powerful creative practice.

I have always dreamed of being a journaler, and purchased hundreds of lovely journals and never filled their pages. I didn’t really know what to say or how to use the journal. And along came Jamie Ridler Studio’s Journal Club. As I write this, I realize that I feel this experience has been like opening the best gift I have ever been given. Lorna

Can’t be there live? You’ll have the recording in hand by the weekend so you can take your hour whenever it suits you. Every season people who participate via the recording tell me they feel connected and a part of the community.

Even when I haven’t been able to attend live, I can always feel the energy and it allows me to step into tender places. Thank you for creating and holding this space, Jamie. You bring an intimacy to the online experience that makes me feel like I’m literally in the studio with you and these amazing group of women. It’s magic! Kim

And this community is something special. No doubt about it. Every season people remark on the kind, encouraging souls that show up to this circle.

Journal Club is the most supportive and creative community of women that you never knew how much you needed and soon realize you cannot live fully without. Brittany

One of the unique things about Journal Club is that we take a traditionally solitary activity and do it as a group. One of the practical benefits of this is it helps establish your practice. Having a particular place, time and reason to show up makes it far more likely you will journal. One of the magical benefits is that you have the opportunity to share discoveries, to name and claim insights, plans and dreams that come up as you write. With each articulation, every new thought becomes more real. Your inner wisdom seeps into your bones.

It’s a safe space for me to show up to the page and in life and explore my dreams, desires, and dragons. My journaling (and writing) practice has cracked wide open and I’ve explored mediums I never thought I would with a sense of wonder and empowerment. Laura

So, today I want to invite you into this magical circle. I want to encourage you to take up your pen and get ready for discovery. I want to welcome you to Journal Club.


There’s a space with your name on it.

Will you join me?

We start tomorrow.

Register here.


When I first read about Journal Club I couldn’t imagine what that would be like, sitting in front of a computer with a journal by my side… and with journaling being something quite private, why would I do that together with others? Little did I know that I would be forever grateful I spontaneously decided to give it a try! Not only did I find a routine for journaling, but I also found a wonderful group of like-minded women, I can’t wait to meet for that one hour a week! Journal Club is where we write and share thoughts, ideas, laughter and sometimes tears, all under the inspiring guidance of Jamie and the wonderful support of her sister Shannon. And yes, it’s as private as everyone wants it to be and as open and welcoming, too. Thank you so much for this wonderful offering, Jamie! I wouldn’t want to miss one session of it! Rosie 

Building a Bridge of Light for the Winter

As we enter the final weeks of fall, it’s time to prepare for winter. In our neighbourhood, holiday decorations are early and abundant this year as people try to light the way through what continues to be a challenging time. I’ve been thinking about how to do that here in the studio, how to create a bridge of light to bring us through winter. This will be the intention for all of our winter offerings, all the things we choose to share a do. Here is a look ahead. I hope there is much in this that brings some light to you.

The Planning Day Retreat. At the beginning of any great adventure, you don’t really know what lies ahead. In response, we often create our plans out of a desire to allay our fears of that unknown and control the outcome. This often leaves us feeling constrained, diminished and, when we inevitably find ourselves unable to control life, like a failure. What if instead, we made plans that are more like star charts? What if we tune our inner compass so we always know when we are pointed in the right direction? What if we plot a confident course but leave room for side trips and wonder? What if we became adventurers? (Registration is open now.)

Devotion. In this new program, an intimate group of creative hearts will join me in a 13-week journey of artistic devotion. This is an intensive program designed to lift you into an unshakeable relationship with your creative work. No pushing or proving. No selling or justifying. Instead, a winter immersed in your art, a chance for you to fall in love with one another all over again. Devotion is a season committed to exploring and embracing your own voice, your own style and the artist you are truly meant to be. (Registration is currently open only to the waitlist. Open registration starts next week.)

Journal Club. In the dark days of winter, nothing is better than grabbing a cuppa and your journal, lighting a candle and cozying up for an hour with the welcoming community of Journal Club. Whether you are new to journaling or a seasoned pro, you’ll discover fresh avenues into the workings of your creative heart. Unlike when you journal on you’re own, you’ll have the opportunity to share your discoveries with others who will bear loving witness to your truth. Journal Club holds our joys, our tears, our foibles, our fears, our dreams and our sorrows – just like our journals do. (Registration will open next week. This season several scholarships will be available.)

Mindful Mondays. Mondays take on a whole new tenor when they begin in a circle of celebration, intention and support. In this gentle and powerful gathering, we begin with a practice of journaling and meditation. We then use a unique combination of imagination and focus to develop our plans for the week. As we move through the season, this process draws each of our lives deeper and deeper into alignment with what matters most. We do this in a circle of support and shared wisdom. Each Monday, as I plug in my twinkie lights and step into this circle, I feel a sense of hope and joy. There is magic in knowing that we are each stepping into our week with awareness and intention. (Registration will open next week.)

The Studio Yearbook. Remember when you were young and you believed that books could hold magic? (Maybe, like me, you still believe.) There is magic in the yearbook, [FIRST NAME GOES HERE]. There really is. This seasonal fill-in-the-blank journal is like a studio for your life and your creativity. As you move through winter, it will guide you to open your awareness, to seek inspiration and express gratitude. It will remind you of the wisdom you are gaining and prompt you to dream. As you fill your Studio Yearbook with your words and imaginings, your doodles and papers, your colours and quotes, it will shine a light on the unique beauty of your artistic heart. Then, as in all good magical books, you will discover what you had hoped for all along: the magic is in you. (The Studio Yearbook is available now.)

And More…

As we set the winter season in motion, I also intend to bring you more Quiet Studio videos and maybe even some live events. I intend to spend the season continuing to build a bridge of light.

An Invitation for Your Creative Spirit to Come Back Home (and Stay)

At the heart of my work in the studio is a mission to restore and strengthen the relationship creative souls have with their art so that they can be whole, fulfilled and radiant. When our creativity comes home, when we recognize it as an irrevocable part of who we are, we can finally fully be ourselves and create the life and the work we long to create.

What I want for you is an unwavering relationship with your art.

One pathway to developing this relationship is the Studio Yearbook. This simple black-and-white fill-in-the-blank seasonal journal is a daily invitation to your creative soul. Each page offers an opportunity to partake in practices that have been a part of my own creative toolkit for years. Day by day, as you embrace these practices, you will feel your creativity come to life and you will see your artistic heart reflected on the page.

Each one of us begins with the same black-and-white journal and, in no time at all, each of us has a Studio Yearbook that is unmistakable our own. Our yearbook comes to reflect our unique spirit, our singular voice. In these pages, we discover our colours, our words, our priorities and our point of view. We express our passions, our preferences, our personality and our desires. In these pages, we are free to be fully and completely ourselves – free to tell the truth, free to make a mess, free to make magic and free to dream.

And dreaming is one of our creative practices. In the Studio Yearbook, we dream along with the blessing and guidance of each full moon. This magical act involves not only the creation of a dreamboard but also a process of inquiry and reflection. When you follow these steps, your dreamboard becomes a visual road map, revealing the inner workings of your creative heart and guiding the way.

In addition to dreamboards, the Studio Yearbook provides many unintimidating ways to make images a part of your creative life. On our daily pages, there is a spot to add an image of any kind. You can glue in a picture from a magazine, use a stamp or put in a sticker or print a photo from your day. I love to encourage people to create a little drawing. On Halloween, I doodled our two Halloween zombie dolls (as you do). Though not great works of art, they delight me and bring me back to the day. In your Studio Yearbook, your drawings don’t have to be skilled (though they might be). They simply have to be yours. Every season the gentle creative act of doodling opens up intrepid yearbookers to a whole new world of possibility .

As well having fun with images, much of the Studio Yearbook practice is writing. For example, in our dailies we document our day, gathering memories and moments of everyday life. We also make note of what has inspired us, what we have created and what we are grateful for. We collect our insights and, in so doing, we reinforce what we have learned. These learnings can range from the personal to the practical. I’ve personally made note of everything from identifying limiting beliefs to listing which colour combinations make ‘mud.’

On our artistic journey, when we acknowledge our growing wisdom, we deepen our creative roots and grow our confidence.

There is so much more to explore in the Studio Yearbook – identifying your true priorities, setting new moon intentions and, of course, just plain having fun. I can’t tell you how much joy and solace I get from simply cutting and pasting, drawing borders and embellishing pages with washi tape!

I hope you are inspired to dive in and get a Studio Yearbook for the season ahead. The winter edition has the added bonus of including a Crossing the Threshold section to move you powerfully into the new year. I have a video here that gives you a peek inside an actual yearbook and if you want to hear a yearbooker’s experience, please check out this video from Sundeep, who reconnected to her creativity through this practice. If you have any questions at all about whether the Studio Yearbook is for you, hit reply and ask. I’m happy to help.

This has been a heck of a year and we continue to move forward with so many unknowns. Our creative practices can be a powerful lifeline on the road, keeping us connected to ourselves and to the art that is always within us. I hope the Studio Yearbook will be a part of your journey this winter.

Studio Yearbook Winter Edition

TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY FOR THE PRINT EDITION!


Order your Studio Yearbook today!

Remember, print copies are only available until tomorrow, Monday, November 9 at 10:00 am.

 

Fall Classes in the Studio

Back to school is in the air and registration is now open for a new season here at the Studio.  I hope you’ll join me for some wonderful creative adventures online. We start in just a couple of weeks!

Journal Club (September 25 – November 27)

Find Out More & Register for Journal Club Here

Many creative hearts have been awakened through the simple act of journaling. In the pages of your journal you will discover your heart, your truth, your spirit. The gifts of journaling are rich but it can be a challenge to start this practice and to keep it up. Journal Club can get you over the hurdle of starting and then keep the inspiration flowing, all while in encouraging company!
We meet live on Fridays for an hour rich with deep introspection and soulful sanctuary, as well as laughter, doodling and the occasional dance! If you’re looking for a community of encouraging creative souls – you’ll find it at Journal Club!

This is my invitation to you: this will be the easiest door you’ve ever opened. You will be received with open arms and hearts. You will grow even braver. You will go deeper into the tender places in your heart and the laughing places in your belly. Come laugh and live with us; on the page and in the room with Jamie. I can see you’ve cracked the door open…fling it wide and step on in, we await you in our circle. Vugs, Laura


Mindful Mondays (September 21 – November 30)

Find Out More & Register for Mindful Mondays Here

What would be different if you started your week with time for you? What if, in a space of quiet and calm, you could hear your heart and build your plans from its wisdom?

With Mindful Mondays, you will embark on a weekly practice of meditation, imagination and journaling that connects you to your inner compass and allows you to develop and focus your plans based on insight and self-trust.

The practice is simple. The impact is palpable.

I find that I look forward to this focused time to get my week off to a great start. I know I got things done this season that I wouldn’t have otherwise because I had a place to announce my celebrations. I loved hearing everyone’s comments each week, gathering inspiration from their touchstones and celebrating our accomplishments. While I found it challenging to get up earlier the first few weeks, it’s now a dedicated part of my week that I really look forward to. Starting Mondays like this has helped me focus more mindfully throughout the week. Thank you Jamie and everyone in the circle. Mindful Mondays made my season more magical. Such a supportive, insightful group of women. I will miss you all during the break. Who knew that one special hour could mean so much? Amy


The Studio Yearbook Seasonal Journal (Available Now – Begins September 22)

Find Out More & Get Your Studio Yearbook Here
Imagine having a journal that supports your creative process and practice, a journal that not only holds the space for your inspirations and celebrations but that also becomes a beautiful keepsake of your journey as an artist. The Studio Yearbook brings together creative practices that have been in use at Jamie Ridler Studios for years! Imagine one place to celebrate the seasons and make a dreamboard under the full moon, one place to gather your gratitude and acknowledge yourself with gold stars, one place to be inspired, to learn, to experiment, to grow – a special place to bring your creativity to life!

My Studio Yearbooks have changed the way I journal. I love that the yearbook can be anything I want it to be and mine has become a place where I dream, create, and capture memories of what’s important to me and my family. Before I discovered the Studio Yearbook six months ago, I found it difficult to incorporate art and creativity into the pages of my journals. The prompts Jamie provides make this simple and fun and now I use collage, color, and sketches (something I thought I’d never do) as well as words, in my Yearbook daily. I still rely on my version of morning pages to vent and release frustrations, and this leaves my Yearbooks free to become the memory keepers that I’ve been wanting to create and just didn’t know how. I’m so glad I found Jamie Ridler and her many studio resources! Denise


In addition to these LIVE classes and timely offerings at the Studio, there are self-study classes available in the Academy.  Register now and gain immediate access!


And Coming in 2021 ~ A Brand New Program for Your Artistic Devotion

I am creating something beautiful and transformational for those of you who are ready to deepen your commitment to your art.  (Be sure to sign up for the Studio to stay up-to-date as details are released)

The Summer Studio Yearbook Is Available Now!

“I have never considered myself the least bit creative but exploring the yearbook has changed that big time. It is truly the best thing I have ever done for myself and it brings me more joy than I could ever have dreamt of.” Ulrika Persson

What is the Studio Yearbook? It’s a powerful fill-in-the-blank seasonal journal designed to support your creative practice and awaken your creative spirit. It offers core practices for your days, your weeks, your months and the season too. It is a private place for creative exploration, discovery and growth – and as you fill it, it becomes a reflection of the artist in you!

In your Studio Yearbook, you will tune into the energy of the season…

Learn to identify and focus on what matters to you…

 

And establish a daily creative practice that includes documenting your day, gathering gratitude and celebrating with gold stars.

And there’s so much more – setting course under the New Moon, creating dreamboards under the Full Moon, a place for creative challenge and for finding sanctuary, supportive video lessons, a live Q&A with me, an encouraging community…. the list goes on!

The Studio Yearbook is a creative adventure!

Let me give you a sneak peek into the Studio Yearbook!

Three years ago, the Studio Yearbook poured out of my heart and into the world. Since then hundreds of creatives have joined me on the journey, discovering more and more each day the magic and beauty that lies within their artistic heart.

“I’m having so much fun writing, drawing, colouring, painting, gluing (is that a word?) with my Studio Yearbook! There are also days I just write, think, write, feel, write, notice, write, fight with life, write, become aware, write etc, etc. … The Studio Yearbook is such a great way to help me see, to be mindful more often, to be ME more often and to make choices that suit me, nurture me, feed me.” Esther Jansen

Folks I’m in my 9th season now with the Studio Yearbook! Jamie says “love what you love” and I love my Studio Yearbook! It’s become an integral part of my days and it’s where I get to create, capture, celebrate and process life! I am grateful to Jamie, who is my favourite creative coach and one of my favourite human beans for sharing this with us! She is awesome, the Yearbook is awesome and a bonus…the community is awesome! Come join us!!! Sundeep Grewall

I hope you’ll join me and an encouraging community of Studio Yearbookers this summer!

If you’re ready to get your Studio Yearbook now or want to find out more…

Click here to order your Print or PDF copy today!

Important Notice: Print edition is only available until Monday, May 11 at 6:00 am EST.