I often get asked what a workshop looks like. The short answer: it's not a 101 watercolor lesson, and it's not paint-by-numbers either. What I offer instead is a guided creative experience, grounded in curiosity and exploration.
Sprig + Stone's guided creative experience is a structured session where you're led through a watercolor painting process from start to finish. The guidance removes the pressure of a blank page so your mind can settle into the work itself.
The creative process is the experience, and it's grounded in something real: focused creative activity has been shown to reduce cortisol and activate a state of relaxed attention that's hard to access any other way. It's like entering a "Flow State," that time-disappears sort of feeling.
A rigid 101 lesson tends to work against that. Too many rules and you're focused on getting it "right." Too little guidance and you're stuck staring at a blank page. My format sits in the middle on purpose, with just enough structure to remove the pressure and enough open space for you to settle into the work.
I really appreciated the pathway to approach painting. Ease of painting without expecting too much.
- Workshop participant
So that begs the question: what should you expect at an event?
01 Arrive & settle in
All supplies are provided. Paper, paints, brushes, water, and any session materials are ready when you arrive. All you have to do is arrive as yourself. Being present is the only requirement.
Some sessions explore creating textures with watercolor as seen above, while others explore color mixing or mixed media (like pens, water soluble crayons, etc.).
02 Guided watercolor exploration
I walk you through some quick watercolor basics, one small step at a time, to help get you started and familiar with the media. There's no art background required or prior experience with painting. I merely provide a framework and tools to get you started. Once you've got the basics, I step back.
03 Create freely & connect
After we've covered the basics, I offer a grounding exercise to bring us in the present moment. Then you're on your own! This is where the room gets quiet in a good way, or loud with laughter, stories exchanged, or new connections made depending on the group.
There's no right or wrong way to explore painting.
You're not being graded on output. You're just making something with your hands and tapping into your inner artist (who most likely has been hiding since childhood!).
04 Leave refreshed & inspired
You walk out with art you've created based on curiosity that's yours to keep, and a version of yourself that feels a little less wound up than the version of you who walked in.
05 What people walk away with
Feeling more calm and refreshed.
Reduced mental fatigue, sharper focus.
A little more connected to the people around you, whether that's coworkers or a new friend.
And something made by hand, which turns out to matter more than you'd expect.
WHAT I'M INTO LATELY
Our garden is going wild right now! We're past our first round of raspberries, our beans our flourishing (mmm, dragon tongue beans), and we have teeny tiny watermelons and pumpkins growing. We didn't know what to expect with the ground cherry tomatoes we planted, but we've really enjoyed them, too.
I try to catch myself in moments like this and just take it in: the giggles, snacking on what we've grown, and watching everything we my husband has put into this garden finally pay off (well, the kiddos and I helped some...).
I can't complain when the kiddos eat more than they pick!
THIS MONTH'S RESET | AN INVITATION TO PAUSE
Remember that grounding exercise I mentioned earlier? Here's a version you can try right now, no workshop required. And you don't need paint for this part!
Try this quick body scan:
Sit where you are. Take notice of where you're holding tension, be it your shoulders, your jaw, your hands, or your back...
Take a deep breath in as you hold that spot tight for a slow count of five. Pause for 5 more seconds as you hold it even tighter.
Then release your breath for another 5 seconds as you relax your muscles.
Do that twice more.
For an added challenge, try this with your whole body. Start with your upper body, scrunch your face, tighten your neck. Release. Then move to your shoulders, stomach, and hands. Release. Finish with your legs and feet.
And that's it. It's the same concept behind the grounding exercises I use during the workshops just before the brushes hit the paint.
SOMETHING TO SIT WITH - THIS MONTH'S STILL POINT
“What does my body know before I understand?*”
- Theresa Hubbard
I keep coming back to that question since hearing it during a guided meditation. It's one I've sent to a few friends and bookmarked to revisit myself.
It points to something I think about often: the body tends to sense something's wrong long before the mind is ready to admit it. Explaining something away can be a quiet way of staying comfortable, even after something inside you has already felt it. You don't need an answer, just curiosity.
The next time you catch yourself explaining something away, pause and ask what your body already knew.
*From the meditation "Honoring Your Boundaries: Meditation for Clarity and Care" on Insight Timer.
Talk soon!
Kate
MOMENTS FROM THE STUDIO
Book Launch — Aug 6 at The Nest
Whew, what a night! Green Bay author Julia Rowlen absolutely delivered. Her Forever Youngs series launch at The Nest Cowork + Club was energizing from start to finish, and I am so glad Sprig + Stone got to be part of it!
Congratulations, Julia!
A Seasonal Pause — Aug 9 at Sole 2 Soul Wellness Center This month's Sole 2 Soul Wellness Center's Summer session in Appleton we explored water soluble crayons alongside watercolor. Watching someone who doesn't consider herself an artist discover what she could do with different brush types and a little curiosity was exactly the kind of moment Sprig + Stone exists for.
