Growth and Gratitude

As the Executive Director of Northwest Creative & Expressive Arts Institute, one of the things that I am most grateful for is the opportunity to work with an organization that promotes the arts as a fundamental part of life. Art is truly for everyone. This is a core value held by NWCEAI and it guides us in our growth. I believe we are all connected deeply to art, through culture, heritage, tradition, and ancestry. We are all storytellers in some way. We all need to be heard and understood, and to share our stories.

Sometimes stories are shared by creating with the voice, visual images, dance, enactment, or poetry.  The arts help us to understand ourselves, connect with others, and make sense of the world. Whether we are poets, potters, or weavers, snap photos, dance the Samba, or collage vision boards, we exist to find purpose and meaning, and the arts offer possibility.

The Expressive Arts put forth the availability of all the creative arts. When the door opens to the possibility of using more than one art form to tell our stories, we step into an authentic experience of wholeness, integration, and connection. The Expressive Arts also honor the learning, teaching, and practice of traditional arts. These art practices contain the stories of our lives and where we come from, creating connection and pride. We interweave our individual experiences by sharing them collectively, thereby strengthening our communities. Art can heal the great divide. There is freedom here; liberation in this awesome space of creativity and expression.

So, what is our story to share with you in the New Year?

2024 marks our 9th year as a non-profit organization!

If you have taken workshops or programs with us in the last 9 years, thank you so much for your support! If you’re new to our mission and organization, welcome! We can’t wait to meet you at one of our upcoming events or workshops!

In Fall of 2023, we moved into our new digs in the Interbay Neighborhood of Seattle and are so excited to have a new studio space to welcome you!

We invite you to join us this year, whether you are looking for continuing education, professional training, or are just exploring the Expressive Arts, we have something for you! We are always exploring new mediums and relevant workshop topics to expand our offerings while being fully committed to providing you with high-quality, unique, and fun Expressive Arts education.

June of 2023 marked the graduation of our 6th cohort of our Expressive Arts therapy Professional Training Program! What an amazing group! They are dedicated to bringing the Expressive Arts into practice in many creative ways and in a variety of meaningful settings. We are so proud of them!

The 2024 cohort is about halfway through their program, and it has been wonderful getting to know each one of them and the unique gifts they contribute to the cohort community.

If you are a therapist and have always wanted to learn how to bring the arts into your professional work, contact us with any questions about joining the Professional Training Program. We’d love to help you decide if the Program is a good fit for you! Applications will be available in early March on the website.

 

Our signature workshop, Ethics of Self-Care: an Art Based Approach, is going strong with monthly offerings via Zoom, and now regular in-studio workshops in Seattle as well!

We hear consistently from participants that this workshop is not like any other ethics workshop they have experienced before—in a good way! We’re so proud of the feedback we have gotten and the work we have put into updating the workshop and keeping it fresh and inviting!

We are excited to now offer a new workshop: The Ethics of Self-Care: Exploring Resilience through Expressive Arts, designed and taught by our own Courtney Oliver. This workshop expands on the Ethics of Self-Care and also offers CEs in ethics. The feedback from participants has been fantastic! Watch the website for upcoming dates.

We are launching a new monthly offering: Open Studio Process, which is a loosely structured expressive group experience. We hope that it will be a place to shift emotions, encourage a deeper understanding of yourself, and build an expressive community. This will be held in-person in our Seattle studio. All are welcome, but space is limited, so please register early!

Our Certificate program In Narrative Expressive Arts Coaching begins again in March 2024. Check the website for all the details and to apply.

Our new SoulCollage® Certificate Program begins this month! This 3-level training program is a complete package of workshops, groups and bonus material specifically meant for Mental Health Therapists, Counselors, Social Workers, Coaches, PTs, OTs, Nurses, Naturopaths, Massage Therapists, and other allied professionals who are interested in the method of SoulCollage® as an additional tool for personal growth and self-care, along with learning this powerful tool for clinical insight, peer supervision, and community-building.

Did you know that most of our workshops offer OSPI Approved Clock-hours for Educators? It’s true! So, if you’re a teacher, or school counselor you’re in luck!

Remember, you never need to have any prior experience in any art form to join us!

From all of us to you and yours, we thank you for your interest, engagement, and community. We wish you a new year filled with happiness, good health, and much peace.

Creatively yours,

Sibel