Archive for the ‘Workshops’ Category

the birth of a dream

August 11, 2011

i’m once again sitting at my computer in my bathrobe… a common morning occurrence in this household over the past months.

i am tired. fragile. excited. terrified.
sharing the birth of one of my creative dreams with you here.

a couple of years ago i had the good fortune to attend the squam art workshops.

and, as well as taking incredible classes by andrea jenkins, jen lee and chris frost
and making incredible friends like lisa, jeanine, darlene, kristen, vivienne, liz and ms squam herself, elizabeth maccrellish
and meeting some of my long-time girl crushes like christine and jen
and being invited to contribute to the squam art journal volume 1
it planted a seed in my mind.

i left filled with joy, ideas, photographs, memories, new friends clasped firmly in my heart. and i also left with longing and a sadness that there is nothing like these glorious workshops available in the southern hemisphere (well not that i could find anyway).

and so the seed grew…

it germinated during a conversation with my dear friend carol when we were last in new zealand. before my logical mind could intervene with “are you CRAZY?” i had shared my dream. and a whole-hearted YES was carol’s response.

since then, this dream has been tended with early morning and late night phone calls. there has been laughter in spades, doubt enough to fill the ocean, tons of emails, texts and ideas volleyed back and forth.

and this past weekend. with hearts on our sleeves, we shared our dream…
new zealand creative retreats.

our first retreat (summer 2012) will be held in a very special place – the riverslea retreat centre in otaki – over 3 nights: from the evening of thursday 01 march until the afternoon of sunday 04 march.

i will be flying back from the uk to facilitate one of the workshops, with the other two being led by carol neilson and katherine quinn.

i am holding on to the hope that people feel called to share this dream with us and that our open invitation is answered.

for more information, visit www.nzcreativeretreats.com

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leonie wise is a regular contributor to Gypsy Girls Guide; one of the founders of the New Zealand Creative Retreats and one of the inventors of TripWallet –  a way to keep tabs on your holiday spending.

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Posted in Creative, Workshops

Mountains, Yoga, Photography and Me

February 12, 2011

Hi everyone ~

This is your host Alessandra here! I hope you’re enjoying the new format of my blog these days with the awesome posts curated by my lovely contributors! I miss posting here :( by this break is quite necessary as I settle into motherhood and continue to pursue Photography. I know you get it. Thank you for sticking it out with me through all the ups and downs and turns over here. You will always be hearing from me now and then though. Like today! Yep. because I want to invite you to join me for a retreat in beautiful Colorado in the Spring!

The Makerie is a creative retreat for anyone who wants to take some precious time to recharge and feel inspired! You don’t need to be a crafter, painter or the least a photographer to enjoy this retreat. The Makerie is for everyone! In addition to the creative workshops, you can also enjoy yoga and/or hiking, and eat healthy, local, organic yummy foods as part of the weekend. Also, our lovely host Ali de John is making special efforts in the event planning process to emphasize recycling, re-purposing, organics and natural materials prior, during and after the retreat, so we can all have an all around ‘feel good’ experience.

I’m so thrilled and I can hardly wait to wake up surrounded by Colorado’s meadows, mountains and fresh air! I think the setting will be so inspiring and we’ll have lots of opportunity to take awesome shots. Why don’t you come with me? I soooo would love to meet some of you in person!

As you know, I am a self taught photographer who is passionate about inspiring others to explore the world and follow their passion! So I am teaching two super fun photography classes that are for all levels of experience in Photography and especially rooted on my belief that everyone is creative and capable of taking beautiful shots! If you are an artist or crafter, I also have something especially designed to help your business soar… Read on…

From Snapshots to Photographs

On Friday, April 8th, I am teaching a class on how to take snapshots to the next level. In this class I will you give you tips on how to better approach your subject matter by observing lighting, framing, angle, focus, perspective; while also creating soulful images. My goal is to alternate tips, demonstration, shooting time and discussions about each student’s visual style and personal expression. You don’t need to have any technical experience to attend this class. I will meet you wherever you are with your photography skills and help you meet your goals. My emphasis will be on removing creative roadblocks, highlighting your unique point of view and inspiring you to develop your talent and style further. My goal is for you to have fun and come out of this class with a small body of images that you love. To participate in my class all you need is a camera (doesn’t have to be fancy or SLR), a curious eye, and the desire to take your photography to the next level.

Product Photography and/or Still Life Photography

On Saturday, April 9th, I’m teaching a class focused on still life and product photography. This class was originally conceived to teach crafters and artists to photograph their work, but now I am also expanding the curriculum to accommodate anyone who wants to focus on still life in general. This class is for anyone who wants to improve their skills and learn how to take beautiful, warm, crisp photos of their product offerings (crafters/ artists/ store owners) or of their favorite things (your books, your vintage collections, pretty things around your house that reflect your style and your heart, etc), or… If you are a photographer and you want to expand your portfolio by adding some commercial/ product shots, this class is also for you! I will share with you examples of effective and beautiful product and still life shots, and together we will explore how to best convey the shape, size, color, texture and style of your work and brand, or your own personal style and soul, by using just a few helpful tricks. We will also look at different ways of lighting, styling and composing shots. You’ll learn how to take advantage of natural lighting, and I will teach you how to make a lightbox/tent to simulate studio lighting at home as well. Fun stuff! :)

You can take just one of my classes or both! I say go for both if you are into photography. Why not make this a weekend of pampering and shooting?! I fully support that! :) Otherwise, there will be some other pretty amazing teachers teaching fabulous workshops!

Feel free to email me if you have questions. You can also check the class pages (snapshots to photographs & product/still life) on The Makerie site for details on materials and curriculum information.

Finally on April 9th and 10th you can shop at the Makerie Market and get all sorts of cute handmade wears! Yeah! My kind of weekend, for sure!

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So what do you say? Wanna join me?

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Posted in Workshops

Begin 2011 with yoga and self-kindness: a giveaway

December 10, 2010

by Marianne Elliott

When Alex asked me to be a regular guest here at Gypsy Girl’s Guide she suggested I write about aid, human rights and humanitarian issues around the world – like my recent post on questions to ask yourself before you volunteer overseas – and also about yoga.

Because as well as being a human rights and development consultant, I’m a joyfully devoted yogini. And my practice on the yoga mat is intimately linked to and influenced by my practice off the mat, including my human rights advocacy work.

What links it all together is this -

The root cause of so much suffering in the world is the illusion that we are all separate. And part of the solution to this problem is simply to wake up to the truth that we are not only all connected, but that we are all the same.

So – part of my mission in life is to help people connect to themselves, other people and everything around them through yoga. As part of this, I’ve created an online yoga course and today I’m giving away a place in the January 2011 term.

Whether you’ve never practiced yoga before and want to get started, or have attended classes regularly for years, 30 Days of Yoga is an online program designed to support you to begin a regular practice of yoga in the comfort of your own home. I’ve crafted it lovingly to meet the needs of people who are not getting what they need from large yoga classes or mass-produced DVDs.

My approach is grounded in a radical form of self-kindness because I believe that we all respond better to kindness than criticism and because kindness works. It’s a powerful and transformative force. Never under-estimate the power of kindness!

The approach in this course works because I’m teaching what I know best. I’m the expert on struggling to get into a steady home practice of yoga because I’ve struggled myself. I’ve tried bribing myself into it, nagging myself into it, forcing myself into it. None of them worked. What works – for me and for hundreds of others – is the simple, transformative, compassionate approach that I set out in this course.

If you are a beginner then you’ll be pleased to know that the January course of 30 days of yoga is going to include a brand-new beginners version. You don’t need to have any experience of yoga at all, nor do you need fancy yoga pants. That’s the beauty of yoga at home, you can do it in your underwear if you like!

The 30 days will begin on 4 January 2011 (the first new moon of the new year). Read more here.

To enter - simply leave me a comment telling me why you’d like to join the 30 days of yoga course this January. The giveaway will close on Sunday 12 December so leave your comment by close of day Sunday.

If you’d like to leave a comment without entering the giveaway, that’s also totally fine. Feel free to tell me why you don’t want to join the 30 Days of Yoga course this Janaury as well!

Namaste,

Marianne

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Posted in Giveaways, healthy, Soulful, Workshops