Life Book 2017

Who can sign up to Life Book?

What if I haven’t ever created art before, can I join? Darling, OF COURSE YOU CAN! Life Book is for EVERYONE! :) Sure, the course will be easier if you’ve done some art already, but don’t deprive yourself of learning the awesome magic making and healing power of art just because you haven’t done it before! The course is suitable for beginners/ intermediates and masters alike! Everyone will get something different out of the course. The course is run in an open, supportive, inclusive and encouraging environment where you can play, experiment, make a ‘fool’ of yourself and start all over again! There will be no judgement, we will only love you and encourage you! :) All lessons are conducted in such a way that you can follow the tutors step by step, so you can do what they do, and if that bores you, then you can go totally off the rails and do your own thing inspired by their lesson! Sounds good? :) You are loved and welcome here, no matter what skill level, for serious! :D xoxoox

Things to consider before joining:

Life Book is all about “inclusivity” and welcomes every person no matter gender, ethnicity, religious background or age. That said, the course might not be suitable for you if:

• You are under the age of 18 – it is recommended that children and teenagers do the course with a parent or custodian mainly because of the personal development element of the course. (Many parents have done the course with their teenage or younger children, if you have questions about this pls email us on willowing.arts AT gmail.com).
• If you are bothered by references that are more ‘new age/ “woo woo”‘ in nature. We may refer to concepts such ‘the inner goddess’, ‘the muse’, “Intuition”, “Shamanism”, “Mandalas”, “Crystals”, “Yoga”, “Sacred Ritual”, “Being Here Now” etc.
• If you strongly do not enjoy or if you do not want to be exposed to personal development/ healing concepts (though these sections can be skipped)
• If you are hoping that each lesson will present a completely new technique and that no technique is ever repeated. Each lesson is fresh and newly created by each teacher, BUT we all work in the same field, so we will likely overlap with some techniques here and there. That doesn’t mean you don’t learn anything new because we all do something different with each technique, each teacher has their own unique style and creates amazing work, just be aware that some techniques may overlap or that some styles are similar.
• If you hope that Life Book can be the sole treatment for an existing mental health issue (Life Book can be used in support of a therapy treatment, but should not be used as the only treatment for a mental health issue.)
• If you don’t like drawing faces/ portraits. Though all lessons are different and many lessons will not include drawing/ painting a face, expect approx 30-40% of the lessons to include a face of some sorts (either attached to a little whimsical body or as an actual portrait by itself). The rest of the lessons can include: abstract shapes, natural shapes (flowers/ trees etc), animals, landscapes including houses etc.

What do I need and need to know in order to join Life Book 2017?

• You will need a highspeed internet connectionto be able to download and the videos. If you have a slower connection you can stream the videos online and/ or learn through the PDFs, but the best option is to have a highspeed internet connection.
• It will be helpful to have a basic understanding of IT, like reading emails, navigating sites like Facebook and flickr etc. If you’re having trouble with some IT related stuff some help can be given, but in depth IT guidance cannot be given.
• If you are planning on downloading and keeping the videos you will need to make sure you have “a few” gigabites available. Each video can be between 200 – 900 MB in size. Multiply that by at least 32 lessons and you can see you’ll need quite a bit of space! (Aim for a minimum of 80gbs – we recommend you buy a separate external harddrive to which you can download all the lessons). Unfortunately I am unable to offer the entire class on DVD/ CD (it would be at least 20 DVDs).
• Be aware that you will have access to the Life Book content until the end of January 2018, so make sure you download what you want throughout the year, DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE, because the content will really disappear after Jan 31st 2018.
• With regards to the personal development exercises: please understand that none of the art teachers on the course are qualified psychotherapists or psychologists. Therefore if you are prone to depression or if you think you might be triggered through one of the healing exercises it’s important that you only embark upon the healing exercises knowing that you have an adequate support system around in the form of friends, family and/or a therapist to help you deal with painful stuff should this happen. Though there will be an ’emotional support thread’ on the course available, the teachers and I are not able to provide you with in depth emotional support (as much as we would want to!)
• This course should not be considered a substitute or a replacement for face-to-face therapy. It is designed to help and encourage the participant to love and accept themselves more fully through personal development exercises and connecting with their inner creative nature. Participants who suffer from any kind of mental health issues are advised to seek the help from mental health professionals. Life Book can be used as a supplement to any therapy treatment, but should not be used as a main form of treatment for any mental health issues.
• The course is not based on any specific religious faith but may refer to and base lessons on and around ‘non-dual’ teachings. The course is inclusive of every human being regardless of their chosen faith (or non-faith). The theme focus of the course is ‘self-development/ self-love/ self-healing’. We may refer to concepts such as: “The Goddess in You”, “Intuition”, “Shamanism”, “Mandalas”, “Crystals”, “Yoga”, “Sacred Ritual”, “Being Here Now” etc.