Hearing the stories of people who are pursuing their dreams is one of the things I find most inspiring in the world. I'm lucky, I get to hear these stories every day in the Creative Dream Circle, my Online Incubator for Dreamers, Artists, Healers, Coaches and World-Changers.
So I'm sharing some of their stories out here!
Today's spotlight is: Briana Goetzen, MA, founder of Orange Spiral Arts.
Briana is an expressive arts facilitator living in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) area of Minnesota, in the USA.
As an artist, avid photographer, visual journal keeper, and deep conversation enthusiast, Briana supports people who desire to fully express themselves in mind, body, and spirit.
She helps people re-connect to the inner artist and divine inner wisdom that is inherently theirs.
Check out Briana's work here.
I asked Briana to tell me about her project and this is what she said:
My dream for a long, long time has been to teach/facilitate mixed media art workshops for adults. My personal mission is to inspire the inner creativity in others. I believe we are all born creative, and somehow along the way, many adults have lost touch with this part of themselves.
Some adults simply have not had the opportunity to explore their own creativity.
I also believe that being in touch with our inner creativity allows us to access our innate inner wisdom. Often this wisdom helps us grow, change, and transform our lives for the better.
I have been developing in person workshops and online classes off and on for the past fifteen years. Now that my son is "school age," I have been focusing full time on developing more online classes that are intended to inspire and spark your expressive, intuitive self.
In September 2019, I have released two online classes. The first is called Introduction to Abstract Alcohol Ink Art.
The second is what I call my "signature course", which is Liquid Watercolor Mandalas.
I am really excited about Liquid Watercolor Mandalas because I am finally starting to integrate some of the mind, body, spirit elements into my teaching, which I have felt a little nervous about sharing in the past.
Liquid Watercolor Mandalas also integrates my background as an early childhood educator along with my graduate school program in human development. I share my wealth of knowledge about the range of art supplies, from children's paint to professional grade/artist quality paints.
In Liquid Watercolor Mandalas, you learn how to ground and center your mind, body, and spirit while experimenting with colorful art supplies! It's meditative art that does not require any previous art experience.
Plus, it is tons of fun! In graduate school, I studied creativity, healing, and spirituality, and where these three intersect. I wanted to know how people heal from emotional pain, and I found the field of expressive art. I am not an expressive arts therapist, however, I am a certified facilitator for the Renewing Life through the Expressive Arts program offered at
Pathways of Minneapolis in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
I also offer workshops at Wet Paint, a local art supply store in St. Paul, MN and in March 2020 I will be offering my first class at The Minnesota Center for the Book Arts aka MCBA.
Then I asked: What were the biggest obstacles you faced with this?
Honestly, the biggest obstacles have been confidence in myself and marketing. That is embarrassing to say, and I am hoping that by being brave enough to admit this, other people will be able to relate.
The other big obstacle has been figuring out my rhythm and routine of working; in other words, structuring my day, that is otherwise unstructured.
And I asked: How did you work through the obstacles?
Working through the confidence issue is ongoing. However, lately, I am aware of a shift in my thinking. I believe in myself more, which makes it easier to promote what I am offering.
Isn't that something? Andrea's meditations are also really helpful in maintaining this shift in thinking.
I have also been working with a career counselor, who helped me update my resume into more of a CV, curriculum vitae, or "course of life". Seeing on paper all of the things I have done and the courses I have developed boosted my confidence.
I am actively teaching and facilitating groups, which has given me the opportunity to receive positive feedback from participants. I have started to get a better picture of who my "audience" is, and what my audience finds helpful or interesting.
As far as the obstacles around developing a routine and structure for my day, I had to start before I felt ready. I dove in, took action, tried different things, until I fell into a rhythm that served me and my goals.
I have been writing out monthly goals, which has been helpful, motivating, and clarifying. Again, Andrea's Creative Dream Circle monthly calls has been helpful in this process. Between seeing the career counselor, a therapist, and being part of the Creative Dream Circle, I have finally been getting the support that I need.
Each person helps me work on different aspects of these obstacles. In other words, support is good; get all kinds of support!
Thank you so much for reading all of this. May there be something here that you find helpful!
Many Blessings to you,
Check out Briana's work here:
Blog: orangespiralarts.com
Email: orangespiralarts@gmail.com
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/OrangeSpiralArts
Facebook: facebook.com/OrangeSpiralArts
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/brianacreates/
Instagram: @orangespiralarts
Pinterest: pinterest.com/brianacreates/
Twitter: twitter.com/BrianaCreates/
