Tell It Journaling Workshop
Please note the May workshop is being rescheduled. New dates to be shared soon.
Tell It is an art journaling workshop held in the Pacific Northwest in Tacoma, Washington. Read on for all the juicy details.
This workshop is about gathering tools to help you tell your story through art journaling. We will begin to fill a journal with stories and secret dreams and the words you most need. We will explore collage, write, poem, take photos, play with watercolors, and even use my vintage typewriter. I will share peeks into my journals, give you lots of prompts to play with, and spill all my journaling secrets.
This workshop is also about paying attention and noticing the world around and within you. It’s about gathering in community with like-minded souls to connect and listen and hold space. It’s about playing and recharging as you put color and words and photos onto the page. It’s about dancing with the poet inside you, practicing listening to your inner wisdom, and opening your heart to what’s next in your world.
At Tell it, you will:
DIVE INTO AN ART JOURNALING PRACTICE
We’ll fill up a journal with paint, collage, words, dreams, and so many other good things as I teach you some of my favorite journaling practices. (Workshop kit included!) As we create together, we’ll find inspiration in Mary Oliver’s instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
PUT PEN TO PAPER AND POEM/WRITE IT OUT
I will also share some of my favorite poems and poetry + writing prompts to help you put pen to paper and write the poems and other journaling just waiting inside you. If this scares you just a bit, don’t worry. I’ve got you!
PRACTICE TAKING SELF-PORTRAITS
We will play with self-portraiture to create images you can add to your journals and have fun with. Self-portraits are such an incredible way to enrich your art journals and creative practices at home. If you’ve never taken them before, you’ve come to the right place. And we will print photos out during class!
CONNECT WITH LIKE-MINDED KINDRED SPIRITS
There will be time to share and listen to the stories of others and just enjoy being together. Many kindred spirits who attend my workshops and retreats form friendships that last far beyond the our time together.
Location & other details
At Tell It, we'll gather in my delightful town of Tacoma, Washington. Tacoma sits right along the waters of Puget Sound, has gorgeous views of Mount Rainier, and has beautiful forests that you often see in my photos. There are many things to love about visiting Tacoma, so whether you are a local or from out of town, you’ll have a chance to explore some fun spots. Lodging and meals are not included with this workshop. Before we gather, I’ll share recommendations for places to stay, eat, and explore.
Our workshop will be held at Lauda in downtown Tacoma on Saturday and Sunday from 9 am and end around 6 pm (with a two-hour break in the middle of the day for lunch and down time). Amelia Bowler is the owner of Lauda, and I can’t wait for you to meet her! We have space for 10 participants and are already creating a thoughtfully curated gift of supplies and other goodies that you’ll receive when you arrive. There will be snacks, tea, and a few beverages available throughout the workshop, but meals will be on your own.
Your Workshop Experience Includes
Creative prompts, tools, and inspiration to help you create/continue a journaling practice & tell your stories. You will leave with a journal that you can keep filling along with clear ideas about how to continue your art journaling adventures.
An open environment that holds space for truth, laughter, moments of quiet, and the opportunity to share your story.
Time in community and on your own to explore mindful ways to be more present in your daily life.
A workshop kit that includes your journal, some journaling supplies, goodies from my studio, surprises from Lauda, & other treats.
Access to various art supplies to try + photo printers to get those photos out of your phone and into your journal!
Space away from your day-to-day roles where you can just show up as you, and the opportunity to connect with kindred spirits who might just become life-long friends.
Snacks and hot tea/coffee provided daily.
A peek at my world here in Tacoma and ideas on how to continue inviting in creativity into daily life when you get home.
Cost of the workshop: $475
More Information and Questions you might have
No previous experience with journaling, art journaling, writing, or being crafty or artsy required. This is a workshop for you wherever you are in your creative journey. You just need an open heart and willingness to dive in. And if you’ve been journaling for a while, this retreat is for you, too! You’ll probably learn a few new things plus be surrounded by kindred spirits and have a chance to get away and play, recharge, and connect.
A note about COVID protocols: We will follow Washington state/Pierce county mask regulations in place at the time of the retreat. In order to participate, you must be vaccinated and have a negative Covid test that’s taken within 24 hours of the start of the workshop. Please just get in touch with questions.
Coming from out of town? Note that the nearest airport is SeaTac which is between Seattle and Tacoma (this is the main Seattle airport). Depending on traffic it’s 30-45 minutes from Tacoma. Transportation is not provided. We highly suggest staying at McMenamins Elks Temple Hotel in Tacoma, which is just a few blocks from Lauda.
Cancellation policy: Because this is a small workshop taking place in just a few weeks, cancellations will not be refunded or partially refunded. I'm unable to make exceptions to this policy, so please be thoughtful when making the decision to come along. However, your spot is transferable if we have a waiting list and someone from the list can take your spot (if we do not have a waiting list, you would need to find someone to take your place), and then everything but $75 will be refunded.
Have you attended a past Tell It Retreat/Workshop? Be assured that each time I teach this workshop we play with a variety of prompts and ideas. No two experiences will be the same just as you aren’t the same every time you open your journal and dive in.