TO WRITE, TO BE

$250
3 ratings

TO WRITE, TO BE : A Writing Workshop with Lisa Olivera

THREE SUNDAYS: AUGUST 6, 13, 20
Two hours each Sunday: 10am-12pm PST on Zoom, recorded
$250; scholarships available (see FAQ)

Signups open until mid-July.
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How might writing become a tool in seeing ourselves more clearly? How can we utilize writing as a method of inquiry and understanding? How does cultivating a writing practice create more space for possibility in our lives? And how can we get out of our own way so we can use writing to stay tethered to ourselves, to solid ground, to what matters most?

TO WRITE, TO BE is a three-week experiential workshop series meant to support you in creating a more intentional writing practice, using writing as a method of self-inquiry, integrating writing into your daily life, tapping into the writer within, and writing as a way of cultivating more presence, aliveness, and self-compassion. I will share my own process, what's worked for me, and what I've learned in my own writing practice through book-writing, sharing on social media, and writing for my weekly newsletter, Human Stuff. We’ll write together, ask questions, explore ourselves, and create a deeper relationship with what wants to be written.

Each workshop will begin with a grounding meditation and orientation toward our time together, followed by a short teaching, guided writing practices, discussion related to the week’s theme, and time for q&a. After each workshop, you will receive a recording of the workshop and a downloadable PDF with further writing prompts, reading suggestions, musings to ponder, and a playlist to nurture your writing practice.

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TENTATIVE OUTLINE (may shift a bit depending on what arrives between now & then, and what feels most intuitively alive throughout the workshop):


SUNDAY AUGUST 6th: WHAT MATTERS
What’s important to you? Central? Integral? Needed?
What are you called to put on the page?
What do you hope to cultivate through creating?

We’re called to write for a reason – whether it’s to process or dream something, stay open and curious, create a specific project or tend to what’s swirling within us. Getting clear on how writing aligns with our values is a way of supporting our writing practice; naming why a writing practice matters to us creates momentum in making it a priority; orienting toward what's important to us about writing creates more room to prioritize and make space for it. We'll tether to what matters as a mode of staying connected to our creative practice.

Writing, journaling, list-making and discussion around exploring what’s important to us, why space to create matters, and how we can stay rooted to our values, desires, and aliveness.

SUNDAY AUGUST 13th: WHAT STOPS YOU
What makes writing & creating hard?
What gets in the way? What blocks? What impedes?
How can we relate to our limitations and barriers with curiosity?

Limitations to creating are real, whether we can change them or not. From caregiving responsibilities to internal self-judgment, comparison & imposter syndrome to lack of time or energy, we’ll explore how to ride the wave of what gets in the way so we can return to the page, and the work we’re longing to create, with as much spaciousness and intention as possible.

Writing, journaling, list-making and discussion around moving past valid limitations in order to create time, space, and energy to do the writing and creating we’re called to do.

SUNDAY AUGUST 20TH: WHAT'S POSSIBLE
How do you stay connected to what’s possible?
What wants to be said?
Where is there room to dream, to imagine, to create momentum?
How does writing tie into visioning what could be?

Writing can guide us toward what we want and what’s possible: from where we want to focus to what change we hope to create in the world, putting it to paper helps us clarify and points us in the direction we must take next. We’ll dive into using writing as a method of self-connection, a compass, a road map toward possibility, both within ourselves in and in the wider collective.

Writing, journaling, list-making and discussion around possibility as a practice, using writing as a tool for creating new ways of being, and how writing can guide us closer toward what we desire.

Beyond this outline, I want to focus on creating presence and curiosity in the space, which might mean parting from a rigid structure or outline at times to attend to what's alive. I find this to be the most rich and meaningful process of being in space with others -- and with myself.

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FAQ:

What made you create this workshop?
I've been exploring these questions in my own writing process for years, and have been asked countless questions from others about my process and exploration of writing. I've also been in a deep contemplation around my relationship with writing lately as I've been making a pivot from more therapist/self-help/professional-based writing to more personal, narrative, memoir-based writing, and it has me in this swirl of questions all over again in new, illuminating ways. To engage in relationship with our writing practice, whether it's just a hobby or something we're wanting to pursue in new ways, is really an exploration of ourselves: what we desire, what blocks we have to move through, and what's present for us. It feels like a gift to create a place and space to share of myself in this way, and to create a collective container for growth and curiosity through writing.

How much does the workshop cost?
The full price of the workshop is $250. There is a scholarship available in solidarity with marginalized folks and those experiencing financial hardship; to access the scholarship, enter the discount code TOWRITETOBE40 at checkout for 40% off, no questions asked. Please note, offering a scholarship is aligned with my values and doesn't imply I'm able to charge less for my work; if you're able to pay the full price (even if it's easier to pay less), it is much appreciated.

Is this workshop for experienced writers only?
Not at all. This workshop is for anyone with a nudge, an inner pull, a desire to write, and to build a more nourishing and open relationship with writing. It isn't a professional-oriented workshop, but instead is about how we can cultivate a more alive and meaningful way of writing. Everyone is welcome -- no experience needed.

How do I join the workshop?
After purchasing and before the workshop begins in August, you'll be emailed a link with the Zoom meeting information, where we'll meet for three Sundays.

Do I have to attend all three dates live?
No -- feel free to sign up if you're okay with missing one of the live meetings. You will get a recording of all workshops.

Will you offer this workshop again?
I hope it's the first of many! And my hope is that feedback/experience from this workshop will flow into future offerings, with various price points/timeframes.

Will I get feedback on my writing?
This isn't a craft workshop, nor is it a workshop where we'll read our writing out loud. This workshop is aimed at exploring our writing practices, how to weave a love of writing into our day-to-day, how to use writing as a mirror to deepen our self-knowing, and how we can create practical, tangible ways of staying tethered to our writing practice. The writing we do will be more about self-exploration in support of our writing practice.

For craft, I can't recommend these spaces and teachers I've learned from enough: Molly Wizenberg, Julia Cameron, The Shipman Agency, Corporeal Writing, Jami Attenberg, Chelsea Bieker, Kimberly King Parsons, Natalie Goldberg, Mary Karr, Dani Shapiro, Courtney Maum, Ann Lamott

Is there one-on-one time with Lisa in this workshop?
This workshop is a guided experience in a group setting on Zoom. Lisa will be facilitating for the group and will have time for some q&a each week. With that said, Lisa is considering opening up spaces for 1:1 creative consulting calls if there are folks interested in doing so after the workshop or if 1:1 guidance would be helpful.

Is this therapy or mental health support?
While Lisa is a licensed therapist, this offering is not a mental health offering, nor will Lisa be facilitating this workshop as a therapist. She is showing up to this space as a writer first and foremost, a human and a fellow traveler, exploring these questions and musings alongside participants.

Have more questions about the workshop? Please feel free to email Lisa at lisa@lisaoliveratherapy.com for further clarification if needed.

Hope to see you there!

//
https://lisaolivera.com/
lisaolivera.substack.com
instagram.com/_lisaolivera

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TO WRITE, TO BE: A Three-week experiential writing workshop to support you in creating a more intentional writing practice, using writing as a method of self-inquiry, integrating writing into your daily life, and writing as a way of cultivating more of what you desire, both within yourself and in the world.

Three consecutive Sunday workshops on Zoom
Downloadable PDF and recording emailed after each workshop
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TO WRITE, TO BE

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