Speaking
While visual art and storytelling can be wonderful tools, exploring creativity during grief is about so much more than art-making. After all it takes a heck of a lot of creativity to figure out why you should get out of bed the day after your child has died. Our presentations are all about this foundational aspect of creativity!
Testimonials "...THANK YOU so much for coming, for speaking, for just being. Your words were perfect...we are so grateful..." |
For over a decade, Kara and her partner Hawk have been offering presentations and workshops on Grief & Creativity for clients such as the MISS Foundation, Burning Word, Antioch, LIOS, University of Washington, and bereaved mothers' groups. Based on Vashon Island, WA, they are available for local or world-wide travel.
The style of their presentations is flexible enough to fit your 45 minute lecture spot or your 3 day retreat. Here are a few examples of how sessions have been customized:
Professionals Training
A 3-day, Hero's Journey retreat where individuals explore their own grief stories and learn how to let this inform more compassionate caregiving.
Bereaved Moms' Retreat
A full-day, self-care retreat where participants share memorial rituals, exploration of creativity beyond just art-making, and learn how to start their own, every day practice of gentle permission for learning to live life again after loss.
Graduate Students
A half-day module exploring Grief & Creativity. Not just about creative arts, but rather knowing that clients will have to be creative in figuring out how to live life fully in the face of loss, mortality, grief. Exploring what this touches on for us individually and how that will inform your medical, theraputic, social services, or coaching practice.
Undergraduate Students
A 45-minute to 1.5 hour session exploring the uses of poetry to document the grief experience. Looking at how to write poetry as individuals, in documenting partnerships, and in cooperative groups or family systems.
List of available topics...
In the darkest most stuck times of life, it can be a simple willingness to experiment, shift perspective and see the miraculous in the mundane that brings back Light and Meaning. Our Radically Creative workshops & presentations do not deal in prescriptions, closure, quick fixes, but instead give you the chance to play with creative tools, try out new ways of seeing the world, and honor your heART as a sacred way of being in your everyday life.
- Grief & Creativity: more than just art
- Finding Our Way: an artistic path through grief
- Stillbirth: When giving birth to death
- heART of Life in the Face of Loss
- Grief: I think I am doing this wrong. How do people learn to do this?
- Using Poetry to Document the Grief Experience
- Getting to the heART of it
- Self Advocate: Does asking for help mean I am weak?
- Renewing your heART
- The Hero's Journey
- Dancing the tango with your Demons and Gremlins
- BodyWrites!
- Henna heART 101
- Reiki Certification for Level I, II, III
- Sipping Tea with Dreams
- Blow bubbles as meditation
- Permission to be Radically Creative
- Finding Solutions As Unique As You
- 1,001 Ideas Consult
There is no requirement for previous art experiences.
Our offerings aren't just about art, but rather about the heART of Creative Living and BEing.
Our audiences include, but are not limited to, the following: bereaved families, professionals, students, and volunteer caregivers in the fields of Western & alternative medicine, social work, nursing, midwifery, clergy, coaching, art & poetry therapy, transformational art, hospice, grief support, and academia.
Presentation, workshop, and consulting fees...
Testimonials “...I had an incredible breakthrough with my Nana tonight about her baby who died, and you got us there!..." S.C., Pennsylvania “...KARA!!!!! you are an amazing woman! thank you for coming and sharing with us tonight...it was so nice to meet both you and Hawk." ~N.S., Pennsylvania "...thank you and Hawk again for your extraordinary contribution to our mini-conference-- "...top notch – innovative, artistic, responsive, and always friendly! "...extraordinary! I am constantly astounded at the gifts that you and Hawk keep on giving to the world..." ~C.J., Workshop Attendee |
Sliding Scales available from
- $150 - $225 per hour for college level lectures or staff presentations;
- $450 - $750 for 2-3 hour interactive workshop & intimate seminars;
- $1,000 - $2,000 for conference keynote, college wide or public presentation;
- $1,000 - $3,000 for 1 day to 3 day workshops/modules
Contact us to customize a presentation for your group, students, conference, business team, or organization.
If your group is comprised of bereaved mothers, we will work with you to make an event happen within your budget. Please just call us [206-251-6706] to talk about options before letting dollars stop you from hosting this kind of self-care for yourself and your group!
Sampling of Past Events
Free Samples - If you'd like to hear some of Coach Kara's ideas, get free podcasts, and free sample creative prompts and PDFs, click here!
Grief & Creativity Keynote
Spring 2010, SHARE Annual Auction & Dinner, Lancaster, PA.
Using Poetry to Document the Grief Experience
Winter 2010, University of WA, Tacoma Campus, for students in seminar with Prof. Rich Furman.
Grief & Creativity Workshop
Fall 2009, for LIOS first year students, half-day module with Prof. Alex Onno.
Hero's Journey & Losing Layla:
personal retreat & professional training
Summer 2009, three day workshop & training for bereaved parents and those who care for them.
heART of the Hero, small group session, 2009
Click here to see session flyer
Getting to the heART of it, small group session, 2009
Click here to see session flyer
Poetry UNslam, conference workshop, 2006 & 2008
Click here to see session handout
Grief: Finding Our Way, conference workshop, 2007 & 2008
Click here to see session handout
Writing to Heal the Heart, conference workshop, 2006
Click here to see session handout
Exploring with heART, conference workshop, 2006
Click here to see session handout
Grief & Ritual with facilitated screening of Losing Layla
Summer 2006, WA State MISS Chapter Retreat
Give Sorrow Words; and Poetry As Healing Art
2004 and 2005 MISS Foundation International Grief Conferences
Expanding Poetry
2002 and 2004 WA State Poet's Association and Burning Word Fest
Stillbirth: Giving Birth to Death
2001, feature spot on NPR's "The Human Condition" hosted by Megan Sukys
Home Workshops
Testimonials "Kara is an awesome facilitator!! I have personally attended Kara's workshops and was really impressed with her abilities. It's well worth the money to have her nurturing guidance on your creative journey." |
Not to worry if you are unable to join us for one of our in-person events. We've created our Home Workshops just for you. Now you can take one of our sessions at your own pace, online, complete with consultation support from Coach Kara. The following session are online now:
*Grief: Finding Our Way
*The heART of Life & Death
*Hero's Journey: heART of hero, dance of shadow
*You Have Permission
Coming soon:
*Business of your heART
*It's a Practice, Not a Perfect
*Getting to the heART of it
*Renewing your heART
See Events Registration page to get started today.