Archive for the ‘Workshop’ Category

When was the last time you watched the sky progress from shades of grey to streaks of purple with smudges of pink, peach, and yellow? Ultimately, revealing an orange globe dominating the horizon and allowing shadows to shape shift from suspicious objects into trees, homes, cars, and people. Permit yourself to the slow down and become absorbed in the minutes waiting for the show to begin, and watching it unfold. I’ll never forget attending a week long writing workshop in Minnesota where part of our coursework was to go to the shores of Lake Superior to greet the dawn – and then write about our experiences. Now, I know that it’s not necessary to go to such lengths to watch a sunrise, but they were memorable. You’ll be amazed at the sense of peace, ability to focus and joy you will discover after witnessing a sunrise.

They say February is for lovers. So focus your love close to home. February is Boost Your Self-Esteem Month. Boost your self-esteem with demonstrations of self-love because you are most deserving of your own attention for affection. Consider observing boosting your self-esteem; not just as a temporary indulgence on Valentine’s Day, but as a way of life. Don’t wait for a special occasion to wear your favorite pair of earrings. Put on make-up in the morning even if your reflection in the mirror is the only face you’ll see all day. Give yourself permission to indulge in a special chocolate treat, splurge on a favorite meal, soak in the tub with lots of scented bubbles and a new paperback, or eat popcorn for dinner and watch a movie on a weeknight (no, don’t fold laundry and empty the dishwasher – sit down and watch the whole thing without multi-tasking).

Writing a journal entry about a specific accomplishment or milestone is a major self-esteem booster. I’ll share one that has been seven years in the making. I have volunteered for several years for The San Francisco Writers Conference (www.SFWriters.org), a prestigious 3-day conference and the brainchild of legendary agents Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen. It features blockbuster keynote speakers, award winning workshop presenters, and attendees in the hundreds from all over the world. The first year my comfort level only allowed me to babysit the purses in the Volunteer lounge. This year, I was invited to chair the “Book Doctor Panel.”

Mary counseling a writer at SFWC

This is a conference-long marathon event where attendees spend five minutes one-on-one with Independent Editors. I am no longer content to relegate myself to the shadows. As the Book Doctor Coordinator, I claimed my position as a professional sharing my expertise with eager attendees, and as a peer with other writers awash in the wealth of knowledge shared at the conference.

Successful writers confident in their literary skills intimidate me. Many speakers and workshop presenters over the weekend impressed me. I made up my mind to show up in my life and go after my dreams rather than stay in safe situations. This year, instead of  wishing I were brave enough to be like the speakers and presenters, I sat up front, engaged with them during their talks, gave them positive feedback, and asked for advice. Do you know what they did? They gave me advice and thanked me for showing up!

Let’s all keep showing up!

Have you ever set a goal and been disappointed when you didn’t meet that goal? Well, attending the WNBA-SF sponsored Coaxing Creativity Vision Board Workshop is a step in the right direction! By creating a vision board and a plan with simple steps on how to achieve that goal, you are set up to succeed in 2010. This is the year your intentions become your reality! It’s not too late to sign up and join us on Jan. 30, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Half Moon Bay. It’s a bargain for a day of purposeful play at $30/WNBA-SF members and $45/non-members. Register now at wnba-sfchapter.org.

Fall means back-to-school for both the young and the young-at-heart.

Awaken to Your Authenticity Workshop is an opportunity to discover a new way of thinking and learn how simple shifts can create significant changes in your life. Give yourself permission to play and invite your imagination along as we explore ways to balance obligations with opportunities to have fun! 

Wed., Oct., 7, 2009, 9-11:30 a.m.

Bella Luce Skin Care and Healing Arts, 2014 Palmetto, Suite A, Pacificia, CA

$40 includes play materials, refreshments, and raffle ticket for a special give-away.

Workshop facilitated by Mary E. Knippel, Creativity Mentor. Space is limited! Sign up today with Pay Pal

Or, send a check to PO Box 244, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019.

Questions? Contact Mary at mekcreativitymentor@gmail.com.

While at Target recently I was picking up notebooks at the back-to-school sale, and the scene made me think of a black and white photo of my brothers and me heading back to school in 1960. Standing among harried mothers clutching their school supply lists and children choosing between the playful dolphin or the neon pink Barbie embossed notebook, I knew we’d never been given those choices for any school supplies.

Allen, Gale and Mary Fall 1960

We attended a small parochial school run by Franciscan Nuns whose brown habits covered every inch of their body, except for their hands and faces. We only saw their long slender fingers and faces framed in starched white wimples. No matter what the Midwestern weather, they were always calm and collected under all that wool fabric. Classrooms and teacher were at a premium, so I spent five out of my eight years at Sacred Heart Elementary School in the same classroom with my older brother. Back then school supplies didn’t get more high tech than a mechanical pencil. Kids today may be required to do not only research on a computer, but also turn in a document in Microsoft Word format and hot off the printer. And with all the texting and e-mails, our younger generation feels they don’t have to learn spelling or grammar. As long as the message is received and understood, they are satisfied. Well, I am not. That’s not an adequate method of communication and it’s up to us as adults to set a better example.

I love language. I love how words comfort and soothe, excite and ignite, invite and entice. Children’s literacy appears to be a priority, but when Story Hour consists of popping a DVD into the computer and sitting the child down in front of the monitor I feel sad for both the child and adult involved. I grew up in a little farming town, but I knew the world through books and reading. And I learned to love writing. Writing in my journal has been a safe place to vent, a confidant, and where I work out my problems. Writing in my journal helped me to cope with challenges as catastrophic as being diagnosed with breast cancer, to the annoyance of developing an allergy to fragrance at the advanced age of 50.

“Wow!” a young boy in a green t-shirt and baggy shorts commented on all the notebooks in my cart. “How many kids do you have?”

“Actually,” I smiled as his mom looked up from the pile of red notebooks in her hand, “these notebooks are for ladies like your mom. I like to have lots of them on hand to offer to the ladies who come to my Creativity and Simple Abundance Close-to-Home workshops. They use them for class notes, or as a place to record their thoughts, hopes and dreams. I like to use them as journals and sometimes I decorate the covers with collages, colorful papers, fabric or even paint.”

“Oh, cool,” said the soon-to-be 3rd grader.

“Interesting,” said the woman who recognized she was being acknowledged as her own person rather than a busy wife and mother of 4 children less than 10 years-of-age.

“Way cool,” I said as we finished selecting our notebooks and headed for the check-out.

Today I attended a presentation by Sam Horn, a wonderfully articulate and consummate professional speaker. Sponsored by the N. Calif National Speakers Assn, the program was a bonus for me as a  Pro-Track student. Sam’s talk combined pearls of wisdom about the business of speaking with audience participation. The morning was so jam-packed with valuable information, I felt as if I’d attended a weekend “write your intro pitch” boot camp. Everyone in attendance had a chance to get personal feedback from Sam on how to share what we do to anyone at anytime. More importantly, she gave us tips on how to craft those 30-second pockets of opportunity so that our listener not only understands what we do, but has them raising their eyebrows indicating interest and asking for more information.

Yesterday I spent time at a workshop learning about the business of email marketing. There were lots of tips about how often to send out the messages, what was a good format and size, how to include pictures and graphics and how to overcome the ultimate culprit from robbing us of realizing the fruits of our labor. While the workshop organizers were encouraging us to “push send” so that our finished product could be emailed to potential readers, I was trying hard to place a fellow student who looked so familiar to me. I had this sense that I’d spent a great deal of time with her, yet I couldn’t recall her name or our connection. Finally, at the end of the day I couldn’t stand it any longer and approached her with a very uninspired line, “Have we met? You look so familiar but I can’t place you.” To which she replied, “You do too, but I don’t remember your name.” We laughed at the situation, exchanged names and quizzed each other on where we lived and what organizations or circumstances we had in common. Almost simultaneously it clicked. We both have attended the same women’s retreat – a silent retreat for several years.  Stepping over the threshold of Santa Sabina, I always feel as if I’m entering another world. From the fountain’s gentle spray in the courtyard, to the serene silence in the chapel and all the blessed spaces in between, Santa Sabina offers salve to our world-weary bodies and calm to our over-stimulated minds and I am eternally grateful.  In another life Santa Sabina was a convent where women turned their backs on the outside world to reach inside themselves to find a world of spirituality. Today, we come seeking Santa Sabina’s soul-soothing atmosphere to not only reach inside ourselves, take stock of our lives, reflect, refuel, and emerge refreshed, recharged and renewed.

Taking time for ourselves is not always easy, but it is important. If you only have 15 minutes to sit alone with a cup of your favorite beverage in the back yard to breathe in the summer sunshine, then that is wonderful. With this message, I am planting a seed of creating time for you by attending a weekend at Santa Sabina. You may spend time writing, reading, perhaps sitting and dozing in the sun. Or you may spend your time doing all three! I know I have found my creative spark reignited while on retreat. My dear friend Carolyn Foster facilitates the wonderful weekend retreats I have attended at Santa Sabina. Visit her web site at www.creativechoices.net to find out about the one she has coming up September 18-20. You’ll be glad you carved out the time. I know I savor every moment I’m there!