Biography and Social Art Services
Many individuals carry questions about events in their lives – Why did it happen? What does it mean? What does it say about who I am and what I am here for? Biography and social art work invites individuals to explore these questions and the significance of life experiences through artistic activities, self-reflection, and sharing into a space of deep listening.
I offer workshops on a wide range of themes, some of which are listed below. These workshops generally last from 2 to 6 hours, and some have multiple sessions with time in between for the work to deepen.
Public workshops are listed on the Workshops and Lectures page.
Please reach out to me if you are interested in a private workshop for your organization or group.
I also offer private consultations for individuals, couples, and families who are interested in working closely with me on specific questions or themes. For instance, perhaps you have noticed that you have difficulty working with certain kinds of people, or maybe you have questions about your career path and how to best use your talents. We will typically work over multiple sessions, with time in between to allow the work to deepen and ripen.
Visit the Consultations page to learn more and get started.
Grief and Loss
Grief and loss are fundamental human experiences, yet it can be difficult to integrate these experiences into our life stories. And while we often associate them with death, there are many other forms of loss that can evoke grief – a breakup, not getting a desired promotion, or even an injury. Through biographical work, you can take a step back from these experiences to explore the threads of grief and loss in your life, find new ways to honor what you have lost, and build your capacity for resilience.
Aging and Eldering
Becoming aware of our own aging can give rise to a wide range of questions: Have I lived a good life? How can I forgive myself or others for past mistakes? What will be my legacy? How can I become a vibrant elder in my family or community? Similarly, witnessing the aging of loved ones can make us aware of the preciousness of our relationships and create interest in hearing their stories and harvesting the wisdom of their experience. Biography work provides many lenses through which to look at the arc of life, along with a space where these stories can arise and interweave in new ways.
Emerging Adulthood
As a college professor, I know of few questions as daunting to pose as, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” During these later teenage years and into the early 20s, young people have to make weighty decisions about their own futures – choosing and following a career path, becoming independent from their parents in a healthy way, navigating romantic relationships, and so on. Biography work helps to put these decisions in perspective, allowing individuals to see their strengths, limitations, and passions as integral parts of their life stories.
Peace and Reconciliation
In a world full of turmoil and stark divisions, how can we begin the process of coming back together in healthy relationship? The tools of biography work provide one possibility. By cultivating the capacity for deep, nonjudgmental listening and sharing the stories that have brought each one of us to the present moment, biography work can begin to humanize “the other”. We can develop compassion for others and their experiences and increasingly see them as striving human beings equally worthy of love and respect.
