Mandalize: Transformative Art Circle with Friends

I am amazed how easy it can be to share a moment of silence, dive into ourselves and open our heart. The requirements look simple: Time, location, art supplies, and people. If it’s so simple, why is it that so many people lack these creative conscious connections with family and friends?

Maybe it’s lack of education, or lack of appreciation for this type of practice. Perhaps no one ever guided them properly into an art circle, or maybe they aren’t ready to show up. Trauma, in our mind, heart and body, may keep us closed off, unable to express through art or other mediums. Having a solid container, with trustworthy people and skillful guidance makes it easier to drop in, feeling safe, as we give ourselves into the moment. In many ways, this was very similar to Sureya’s “Heartgasm Tantric Puja”.

Art Circle Adventures

The art circle was at Devin Lafferty’s home in South Boulder. Devin is a student of  Naropa’s Transpersonal Art Therapy program. Janis Dochterman and Amy Van Sweden, the co-organizers, graduated from the same program in 2016 and currently offer art therapy in Boulder

We had nine people in the circle, half of whom I had met before, most from the Boulder dance community (Shout-out to Sunday’s Boulder Contact Lab). Devin’s home was the perfect place for the event. We opened with a name circle, did a few eye-gazing shares and got right into the art, using the insight we got from our shares to inspire our painting. After 20 or 30 minutes we all took a pause to reflect our process and share with each other. Here is a photo of what we made. You can guess which side was mine. =P

Artistic Satisfaction

I am super glad that I attended this event. It was absolutely lovely, we even got to kick it for an hour at Devin’s after closing the circle. I felt satisfied with my piece and the overall result from everyone’s contribution. I made solid connections with every single person in the group and received a dozen hugs. Got to indulge in lots of eye-gazing and gave a couple short massages.

This was my first art circle, at least that I can remember. I also don’t recall ever sitting with anyone to put so much intention on an art piece. Makes me wonder about the power from the combination of art and community.

It definitely left me wanting more experiences like this, and more time with the awesome friends I’ve been making around Boulder.

Recommendations

Most of the people in our art circle today were in their 30’s, with a 3:1 ratio of females to males (guess art circles are a good place to meet ladies?… jk). It’s obviously a space where every age and gender are welcome, as it can be practiced with almost anyone.

I am curious what this would look like in a family environment. Maybe I will try it with my family and report back to you. I am also wondering what it would look like in a business setting… can you imagine a handful of top-gun magnates from Wall Street, getting together closed-doors, with some paint and brushes… Maybe, the world needs this.

– Bruno Treves