by Trista Cornelius

​Our next Creative Minds workshop is February 4th, which got me thinking about how it all began.

A few years ago, I was attending at least four yoga classes a week to bend and breathe my way through a rather confusing and challenging time in my life. In Robin’s classes, I noticed

something lovely happened to me.

Whether I attended her sweat-inducing vinyasa class or her more soothing hatha class, I’d walk home filled with writing and art ideas. But even more remarkable: I felt great about those ideas. They all seemed viable and interesting and full of rewarding potential. I felt fully capable of pursuing those ideas, of crafting essays and composing illustrations.

I’d get home and wonder, “Why do I ever think I can’t do this? Hm. Weird,” and I’d settle into work as an Artist Who Believes in Her Craft.

But then, by the next day, my more habitual critical thoughts would return and I’d wonder how I’d been so sure of my ideas yesterday.

So, one day after class, I asked Robin, “Would you want to collaborate with me and teach a writing and meditation workshop?” She said “Sure!” and it’s been a natural and inspiring

collaboration ever since.

As artists, Robin and I both know the subtle and layered resistance artists face. Robin is both an actor and a director, and I am both a writer and illustrator. We talked at length about our own struggles to believe in ourselves and our craft. We’ve also both been teachers for a long while; Robin teaches yoga and meditation and I taught English at the college level for 15 years. We’ve seen the struggles play out in our students and have ushered them through anxiety, doubt, creative blocks, resistance and fear.

We created a workshop we both wanted to take and felt eager to offer to others dealing with a creative slump. Our first students gave us great feedback about the workshop, and the most rewarding part for me was seeing them look as light, open, and happy as I always felt walking home from Robin’s yoga class.

So, we decided to continue the collaboration and now offer short workshops at writing conferences and longer workshops like the one on February 4th. This one is being hosted at Santosha Yoga (4876 NW Bethany Blvd, Suite L4
Portland, Oregon  97229). If you want to sign up, call Santosha Yoga at 503-372-9825 

We're very excited to be hosting our October 29th workshop at Another Read Through, which is one of our favorite local bookstores on NE Mississippi Ave. Here's a photo of it so you'll recognize it when you get there!