Finding Comfort Within Change

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."
—Alan Watts

It's a new year and things seem to be changing for many of us - our career path, where we live, how we see the world around us, our relationships and how we view ourselves all seem to be changing in one way or another. So often change isn't comfortable because we have no idea what to expect once the transformation is complete. It can feel scary especially when we know things are changing but are unsure of the end result. When we don't have all the details our brain tends to make them up for us and then we have a million scenarios running around upstairs all wanting our attention.

In the studio, we play with the question, "What if change and the unknown could be met with curiosity?" and we arm ourselves with the comforting knowledge that everything changes eventually--it is the only certainty we have. This knowledge lends itself to an exploration of the grandest kind and we discover a freedom in creating just to see what happens, unsure of the outcome. Carrying this freedom out into our lives creates some space for whatever arises and we remember to breathe, movewith it and join the dance.

Wishing you much love and peace in the new year,

Steph and Jen

Nectar's Next Chapter Is Here

The new studio has been built and we are so pleased to share with you some pictures of Creative Nectar's new sister studio! Housed in Stephanie's home, Inside Out Studio is nestled in a small tree-filled lake community just 8 minutes North of downtown KC.

The studio is in a secluded setting and feels safe and nurturing. 6 People can fit comfortably in the space and painting will officially start the first weekend in March 2015

Stephanie will be facilitating 2-3 classes a week and seasonal day-long retreats with both Steph and Jen will be scheduled throughout the year.

We are also very excited to launch our new website early in the coming year. The site will be easy to maneuver in and have interactive options that will expand as time goes on. Basically, you won't have to live in Kansas City to be a part of our community because our website will be able to meet you right where you are with blog posts, MP3 downloads, videos, products and eventually on-line classes.

Also on the horizon, we will be offering another process painting series at Awaken Whole Life Center in the Spring and painting mixed with Equine Therapy this Summer. We have much going on and are excited for the future. We are constantly blown away by what occurs when we go with the flow and allow what is wanting to happen next.

With gratitude and many thanks,

Steph and Jen

The Magical Properties of Hibernation

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”

                                  ― Roald Dahl

 There are times in the studio and in our lives when we feel as if nothing is moving. We are stuck beyond belief and cannot find our way out. It is in these times that we question whether anything at all is really happening. "Why do we do this work?" "What could possibly be the purpose?"

We can feel our wheels spinning as we go nowhere fast.
As we paint, we are asked to trust these moments and lean into the uncomfortable stickiness of them. Could we see our stuckness as a type of hibernation, knowing that as we slow way down we our resting for a big awakening in the Spring?
So much lately, individually and at Nectar, appears to be in a grand pause and as we move closer toward the Winter solstice, the desire to burrow ever deeper underground is an intriguing idea. Feeling into that perceived lack of movement and getting curious about its' magical properties is a way for us to navigate through the muck. Both in our painting and outside the studio, we can trust that our being stuck is absolutely fine and that even though things feel stuck there is indeed movement happening just below the surface.

Wishing you all the best this winter season,

Jen and Steph