​I am a potter and sculptor and I have loved teaching those those things for many years. A number of years ago I started hearing the words “art as a healing process” in my head, and as I left academia I have been on a quest for what I am meant to do with that.

A few years ago, when looking for a coaching program, I discovered Psychosynthesis and I could not imagine a better fit! With two years of study and developing my coaching practice, I have been thrilled by the similarities of the work to my own creative process. It is the sense of discovery and allowing or trusting that everything we need is all there inside us already- we just need to make space to see/hear/feel it.

​When I make sculpture, I begin with a sense of not knowing and let myself follow what is intriguing in my hands. I try to stay in the not knowing as long as possible so that my thinking function does not take over and show me something that it is already comfortable with. 

 The Shutesbury Artists' Collective is 5 women who have gotten together to support each other in our creative work. Three of the Five of us were interviewed on TV the other day in prep for our May 13th open studio event. click here to get to the show!

​​There is something magical about to happen. Thursday- tomorrow- I will load all these babies up into the salt kiln at Snowfarm and Saturday I brick up the door and fire it up! Won't know until Monday what they all look like. Total transformation. Wet maliable clay to hard rock. All form no color to form with luscious skin. Almost always the piece that was my favorite becomes unnoticable and one that I had completely forgotten about becomes the star of the show. So much to learn in this process of transformation and letting go. I love the kiss of the flame- being connected to and dependent on the gifts not just of the kiln, but of a process so much larger than myself.
If the kiln is kind, I will have these all for sale on May 13 at my open studio sale and I will also be demonstrating on my wheel which is now outside! And yes, I will be announcing classes soon- think pottery in June!

 
I had to laugh at myself- it is just so funny. Once again I had decided to get serious about losing that extra 20 lbs, and started paying more attention to what I am eating and actually getting out to do some exercise and I step on the scale and the numbers are going up instead of down! It is like there is some part of me that is saying “Oh no you don’t!”

Yes this is a about creative work. Bear with me.

That inner rebel is there for so many of us when we decide that now is the time to take our art making more seriously- to really make the time for it- to focus on doing that creative dream.

You decide that you are going to devote one hour a day- first thing- to your studio time, and you find yourself doing last night’s dishes instead, or just not being able to get out of bed. Or deciding that really you would rather start your exercise routine in the morning.
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And then all the inner critics come pouring in- saying things like, ”you are not a real artist”, “a real artist would be driven to the studio, unable to keep yourself from the studio- you are just a wanna be- you don’t have what it takes!’

Oh my god it is painful!

The thing is that both art making and losing those extra pounds are about taking care of yourself. And the question of why it is so difficult to take the time and energy to do this is one of the questions I have been asking for a very long time.​ 
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As personal as it feels- it is also very common- especially among people who dedicate their lives to serving others or making positive change in the world.

This is what I am finding and one way to aproach the healing:

Why do you gain weight every time you focus on getting in shape with exercise?

It is so frustrating! You are really excited to be taking it on again- getting in shape- wanting to feel really good in your body. You have an intent that seems healthy and straight forward- maybe an exercise class or a renewed commitment to get out and walk every day, or maybe you are focusing on healthy food. Whatever it is- as soon as you start- you notice that the numbers on the scale are actually going up! What is this?!!
 
This is the body’s and the psyche’s natural resistance to change. Yup it is normal. And yes there are creative and playful ways to get through and past it without gaining a ton of extra weight that might even take you to a new understanding of what is going on emotionally in your life.
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Let me just clarify- There are both practical things and also playful creative things to do. This is because the body and the psyche are deeply intertwined. There are amazing lessons to learn by acknowledging and engaging that connection. And the creative process is a great way to do that. So let your practical logical mind take on the practical tasks, and lets play a little in the creative realm to open up the psyche connection!
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It is shockingly hard to keep that creative work alive in the world of job-house-kid-car. Life is full and busy, and there are a million excuses for not taking the time for art. And there is definitely something essential that is missing without it- something feels kind of flat. There is a hole where the art used to be.

In our culture the arts have been de-emphasized and it is taking the humanness out of us. It is in the schools and it is our adult daily lives. There is a pervasive assumption that the arts are fluff- only decorative- just for a break from reality- not essential. The truth is that the arts are essential- they are where we touch our humanness- they are where the juice comes from- they restore our sense of self and they allow us to grapple with the really challenging questions. It is creative play that allows for kids to express and learn from their strong emotions- to grow to be well rounded compassionate adults and it is creative play that keeps adults tapped in to our ongoing growth. And living in a beautiful space, surrounded by one's own art- or art that reflects our own inner truth, is nourishing to the soul.

It is time to crawl out of the all or nothing fallacy. You can have both the rich exploration of color and form, melody and rhythm, metaphor and alliteration, sensory creation of all sorts and all the unknown places it can take you, and also be an adult with responsibilities in this world. Not only that but it is a really good idea to get that creative juice flowing again. You need it. We all need it.

My passion is helping people find or re-energize their own voice and direction, set their own goals and move past any hurdles that get in the way. ​

​Wisdom of the Creative Unconscious: 
Using Active Imagination and Guided Meditation to Hear the Call of Self.
In-Person Workshop
Date:  Sunday, February 26, 2017
Time:  4:00 to 8:00 pm
Location:  St. James Episcopal Church, 8 Church Street, Greenfield, MA
$5-10 suggested donation

On-line Zoom Workshop
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2017
Time: 5:30-8:00pm
$5-10 suggested donation


Workshop Description
How do you integrate what is happening in the world around us and what your heart is longing for? Come feel the support of community and connection as we tap into the creative unconscious. Our process will allow messages from our own deep wisdom to emerge. It will be an experience of rich creative play and deep integration!
 
In this experiential workshop we will:

• explore our own images in a guided visualization
• engage in creative play with our chosen material
• refine our skills in witnessing and holding safe space in partner work
• create a circle of compassionate sharing as we consider the relationship between our inner lives and calls to self and our experience of current cultural issues
• share insights into the use of the psychological functions along the journey into creative unconscious
• build community!

This is a workshop for both seasoned psychosynthesists and people who don't know the form, so feel free to bring interested friends!

Please bring journals and any art making materials that are easy to transport. We will have clay, markers, colored pencils and paper.

Val Gilman 
is a Psychosynthesis coach specializing in working with creativity and the creative unconscious as tools for healing and personal growth and working with artists to bring their much needed creative insights to the world. She is the founder of Taproot Arts and Insight which is dedicated to the concept that  our individual creative insights are essential to the health and well being of our world. In addition to studying at the Synthesis Center in Amherst MA, she brings to her practice a long show record as an artist, 14 years of full time college teaching, training as a massage therapist and a rich practice in authentic movement. 
For more information visit Taproot Arts and Insight
To see Val's art visit valeriegilman.com

Spronsored by Psychosynthesis Northeast Community

I am thrilled to say that I am featured in the Hampshire Daily Gazette today in the Art Makers column!
You can see the article here.

I am reflecting on why it was such a good thing for me to do this in- case you need a nudge to go ahead and reach out to your local paper and see if there is a simpilar opportunity.

1. Fun- I have to say it is really fun to write about and reflect on my art, why I do it, what my process is, where it all came from- it gives me a boost!
2. Validation- there is nothing like seeing your words and your images in print or on someone else's web page! Wow that is powerful!
3. Connection- I made a great new connection with the photographer for this piece- totally unexpected and worth the whole thing! Also a number of folks who knew me a little bit know me a lot better now because of what they read. And from the comments I am getting it feels a lot like there is common ground for us to play with.

Back to you! Have you been featured like this and have a sense of the value of it? I would also love to read your comments about the article itself- did anything I say touch something in you?

​The good news is that you have been getting into the studio and making work, at least some. You are trying to get your creative work moving again and you have decided to go ahead and do short, quick studies- what I would call doodles. The key is that they are low pressure things- throw away work, nothing serious- just a way to get the juices flowing. I will talk more about this process in another post.

The bad news is that when you walk away from it, your inner critic starts yelling about how stupid it is, and how scattered your ideas are, and how you have no discipline or direction and you are never going to amount to anything as an artist. Ouch. It is hard to keep going in the face of this!
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I don't know if it really helps to know this, but it is completely normal. I go through cycles of this as does every artist that I know. And it can be very painful.

As frustrating and painful as it is, what is going on here is really good stuff!

Ahh- its over! I had a wonderful time connecting with the people coming through- some old friends, some new. In fact there were a couple of people who I had not seen in 25 years! What a gift. I also had a chance to connect to older work and to see it all together in a way that never happens when I have shows in galleries. Very cool. And eclectic. The piece you see in the slide show that has two views is one that I did before grad school- so probably 1992 or 3. I was thrilled to see it again- and inspired to work with that idea again. I love the way light plays on it. 

So I am happy to have my studio back- the work tucked away- the beautiful cloth folded in its box and my tools available. I have started to take photos for etsy (this is going to be a long project- not a one fell swoop like I thought!), make pots for a firing in December, and create 5 x 7" sculptural wall pieces for the December small works show at Gallery A3. It feels great to be actively using my new studio.

I had been wondering whether it would be worth all the work to do this studio sale- and as I think about advice I might offer in this regard- these are the things that make it worth while:
1. Validation- letting my community close at hand know about what I do. It feels really great to be seen as the artist that I am, and not just as my daughter's mother (though that is still my most significant role). My identity is filled out a bit and validated. 
2. Connections- I have no idea what will come of this, but I had the strong sense that the conversations with people were equally important to the things I sold. I feel very inspired to follow up on the leads and directions that were offered.
3. Activating my studio- getting the energy of affirmation in my studio feels good- makes it a juicy place to work
4. reacquainting myself with the breadth of work that I have done- I can feel a creative stirring and churning going on as I enter a new phase in my creative life- this feels like a kind of marker and portal.
5. Community- I am so lucky that when I put out the word in the local list serve that I was thinking of an open studio event and wondered if there was anyone else who wanted to do it with me, 4 fabulous women artists responded. We have so enjoyed working together that we now have a name: The Shutesbury Arts Collective. And we are planning to keep working together to produce open studio events and other things as yet defined. I needed a community of artists and what a great way to invest in it!

Please come to the Studio Tour and Sale
I am pulling out all the work I have had in storage for way too long as well as showing stuff hot out of the kiln. Bronze and clay, sculpture and pottery! For me this is a big welcome home party as I have finally set up a studio here. I would really love to have you come see it to infuse it with good supportive energy as it is now the center of my career. I will be teaching there as well as making and selling. And of course coaching!

10% to Cancer Connection!
I am excited to announce that I will be donating 10% of proceeds from this open studio event and any on-line sales that happen through the end of December to Cancer Connection. I think this is an amazing organization and I am honored to be able to teach clay classes that support both cancer patients and their care givers.

Shopping on-line and getting it shipped
I am working on getting my new Etsy shop (ValAtTaproot.etsy.com) up and running though I am not convinced I will have it fully stocked by the time of the open studio. I will send out another email notice when it starts looking good! In the mean time if you have something you want, email me!

Event Directions
There are five of us up here in Shutesbury who have joined forces to present this tour. Make a day of visiting all five of our places- 4 houses and a business. Check out the map and address list at the bottom of the page for directions.

Who we are
The images below will link to our individual web sites.

This is Essential Voyage in her completed state! I will post many more images soon- of the finished piece, of the process of making and of Margaret moving. And then I will be posting images of how she looks as her natural decay takes place- drying and cracking and also being washed by the rain.

Please come to the opening reception on Thursday October 1 form 5-8 pm. Margaret will be stepping back into the site for another improvisational site specific interactive dance at 6:30.

Essential Voyage is supported in part by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Coucil

Margaret Bowrys is a teacher of children’s dance, expressive movement and creative yoga. She is a facilitator of Authentic Movement integrating mindful movement and compassionate healing practices. A performing activist, she is a touring member and choreographer with the Survivor Theater Project. Margaret was a member of the Dance Generators dance theater company. Margaret is currently performing with choreographer Fritha Pengelly in New Work and Michelle Marroquin's Day of the Dead. Margaret presents place-based dance as a member of Movement Arts Ensemble. She brings dance into interdisciplinary collaborations with other local teaching artists including, project Motion with abstract landscape painter, Marlene Rye. 

Margaret is a Laurel Park Arts board member and American Poodles At Work ambassador.

Essential Voyage is supported in part by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council

Paper Clay
There are still a few spots available in my Paper Clay class at Snow Farm. It is a one week intensive- think art retreat of the very best kind! Great food, cool people, beautiful setting, and fabulous fun with paper clay! It runs from September 27 to October 2.  Register through Snow Farm

You dream up a creative project that feels right on, and gives you a lot of joy to imagine it, but it never really gets off the ground. In fact after dreaming of it for so long, not only does it lose its joy, but it can actually begin to be a drain on your confidence!

I have so been there, and it is painful!

The thing is that you are an adult and you have a ton on your plate. 
It is really hard to prioritize a creative project when you need to pay the bills, tend to the kids, get the car fixed, buy groceries, and have some sort of a social life.

Not being able to get past that first hurdle of getting the project firmly in the line-up of priorities can be what keeps a person from doing their creative work for years and years, and this is a travesty.

The world needs your creative work!
If you have a creative itch it is because it needs to be expressed and if you need to express it there are others out there who need to be able to connect with it! It is part of the collaborative project of our human culture- we are all in it together and we need each other’s wisdom, questions and creativity. 

I believe firmly that each of us has something very particular to offer the world and it is our job to do it. And it is not always easy to know what that thing is and to find the energy to make it happen.

Why can't I make real art any more?
Is this question familiar? It goes like this: You are frustrated because it has been forever since you have made any real art and you doubt that you still have it in you. You have always thought of yourself as an artist, but sometimes you wonder whether you can really claim that anymore. I have so been there! If you have been like me, there are things that you have done to try to be creative, and they have satisfied a certain part of you, but they go now where and end up feeling like dabbling. The feeling of really making art is like a distant memory. Art school is long since over and life kicked in- responsibilities took over and here you are 20 years later and you don’t really know who you are anymore. It’s like that old Talking Head’s song  “this is not my beautiful life, how did I get here...”. You do things to get yourself grounded and centered like yoga, walks in the woods, even taking a day to clean and organize helps sometimes, but there is something missing.
 

First I want to acknowledge that this is not actually small. It is a big issue. You and so many others like you have been able to keep on living and taking care of the stuff of life, but underneath it all- there is this 

Ahh the holiday is over and my joints are creaky and achy again! This is not too surprising- I have not been able to avoid the candy dish and there is desert after every dinner. And wow the wonderful pancakes, bagels, homemade rolls, waffles, and cookies not to mention the extra coffee inserted in an effort to peel myself out of the over-eating stupor. Yup sugar, flour and caffeine are definitely taking a toll on my body again. The good news is that after trying to cut back on them  for the months before the holiday and finding that indeed my joints were feeling better, I now have even stronger proof that those are the culprits. Ok and I admit that the lack of long walks might be a contributing factor as well.

So what to do? I could start harassing myself about it- and wake up my inner rebel who appears any time I give myself restrictions or rules. Does this sound familiar: My inner military officer commands, “no more sweet luscious delights- must get back in shape! Serious backsliding! Look at that scale- look at yourself- you are never going to fit any of your cloths again if you keep doing this.” And then my inner rebel says, “Get lost you hard-nosed bully – you can’t talk to me this way! I will eat what I want, I deserve the treats! I work hard- I am a mom, and I have a lot of responsibility- I need to have a little something just for me- a little pleasure in life!”

I don’t know about you, but as soon as I begin a diet concept, and I have tried a few, I immediately have to eat more and worse. Some part of me cannot stand the feelings of restriction and control.