take a read through when you wish. it's your right to design if, how, and when you take in the all that's beyond you.
the first invitation is for an offering that begins this Monday 12/4 so if you're intrigued to join, you might want to read that part sooner rather than later.
take in the view of this note:
- riff: listening is a concoction
- #1 invitation to join: Co Woah begins Monday December 4th
- #2 invitation to join: Last Supportive Spiral is Tuesday December 19th
- #3 invitation to join: Let's chat about being Creative Partners
riff: listening is a concoction
I've been thinking a lot about listening lately.
I write that I'm a listener on the home page of my website. Listening is a part of my job as a Creative Partner. It's a part of my job as a nature-based early childhood educator. I can't actually think of a job I've had that listening wasn't an essential part of the gig.
Listening certainly isn't just a part of jobs. It's a (huge! massive!) part of being in relationship with well, anyone!
Listening, to me, doesn't mean hearing. I'm referring to a way of engaging with the worlds around and within each of us. The eyes and/or ears, depending on how you're taking in words and meaning, certainly play a part in what I mean by listening but there are so many more elements.
I think listening is a concoction of:
- observation
- attention
- love
- curiosity
- space
- recall
To me, listening also means listening to the inner parts of oneself. Lately it's felt that some of these internal parts have been requesting my attention so loudly that it's been challenging to listen to beings out beyond me. I know that we all can get loud when we aren't being listened to and that applies just as well to all that's inside.
One way I listen to the inner parts of myself is through written dialogue. It's "parts work" where I offer different parts of my inner landscapes (or maybe oceanscapes?) their own distinct names and voices.
In dialoging, I write as each distinct name and voice, it's "me" writing all of it but it's also (in this recent one) "Loving Parent" writing this part, "Voiceless Adolescent" writing this other part, and "Scared Child" writing the other part. It's this piece of me talking with this other piece of me. Sometimes the parts interrupt each other, sometimes they YELL!! onto the page. In this dialogue, two of the parts transmuted into different parts, the voiceless adolescent claiming the name "Curious Adolescent" and the scared child claiming "Silly and Scared Child" (in her words, "because I do [still] have a lot of fear inside me and right around the corner.").
You might want to try this technique but really, I imagine you have your own techniques that already work for you to (re)engage with listening.
I imagine you have your own ways of gathering all the signals and messages that are showing up beyond you and within you into a bouquet and inviting each's breathing cadence to slow down and deepen so that you can tune into each and tune into you – and understand.
Listening isn't a one off thing. It's certainly a practice, a lifelong practice that I sometimes feel very far away from. Thankfully, thanks to that written dialogue I gave time to, I feel closer to the practice right now. I think it sometimes takes courage to listen to what's really going on.
Thanks for listening to me share this with you.
#1 invitation to join: Co Woah begins Monday December 4th
I've been feeling lost lately (see listen above). I have a long list of things, people, places I feel lost in/about/in reference to. Fortunately for me, I haven't felt lost from my creativity and my ability to design experiments in belonging.
I figured I'd design an experiment in belonging that could support my feeling of lostness specifically in relation to my relationship with work. Maybe it could help me in feeling less lost? at least in this one realm of life?
Do you feel lost in your relationship with work, too?
Or do you feel so found in your relationship with work that it feels like a big bore?
Well, whatever your relationship with work is, I have information to share with you:
I am setting up a co-working pop-up for the month of December.
I'm calling it Co Woah.
Get it?
It's co-working with a woah!
Want to join this pop-up? Subscribe to the Co Woah newsletter over on Substack.
Want to know more about the pop-up? Read the invitation here.
I hope to see you over in the Co Woah pop-up sometime in December!
#2 invitation to join: Last Supportive Spiral is Tuesday December 19th
It's been great connecting with incredibly curious people every month through Autumn in our Supportive Spiral gatherings. Thank you to you if you've showed up, your presence has meant a lot to me and fellow participants.
The last Supportive Spiral of 2023 will be on Tuesday the 19th!
After this one, I'll be pausing hosting the Supportive Spiral to see what wants to unfold in 2024. If you've loved taking part in a previous one or you've been wondering what they're all about, this is the one to show up for.
Curious what a Supportive Spiral is? Learn more
Want to register and join on December 19th? Register here!
I look forward to perhaps supportively spiral with you.
#3 invitation to join: Let's chat about being Creative Partners
In designing the role called Creative Partner, I've realized that it can be interpreted in many ways! It's an exciting challenge, honestly. I get the opportunity to share more about what it is with folks who are intrigued and ask me questions.
If you've been wondering what a Creative Partner does, I wrote a list of the client-related tasks I did over this week. Perhaps it can help answer some questions:
For all the new questions that the list reveals, I'm happy to hop on the phone and chat with you about being your Creative Partner. You know I love connecting, I'd love to talk with you if you're curious.
Hop over to this short form where you can share the details I need to jumpstart our chat.
If you're not a form type of person, I get it. Just reply to this emailed note and we can dive in that way. :-)
I look forward to potentially connecting with you, answering any questions I can, and asking you questions about your delightful creative process.
Maybe we'll connect soon through one of these three ways: Co Woah, Supportive Spiral, or a chat about Creative Partnerships! Oh the possibilities!
Til next time,
Cassandra