Intuitive writing therapy workshop at Evolve Jam Festival

Our Intuitive Writing Therapy workshop demo took place as part of the Evolve Jam Fest at Ras Al Khaimah. This was the first time that we had travelled beyond Abu Dhabi and Dubai into the rural areas of the UAE, the desert of Ras Al Khaimah. It was the right place to let nature and the stillness of the universe help us in a quick pick-me-up which is so needed in our daily lives. The event, the Evolve Jam, took place at a very unique and beautiful Bedouin-style eco camp with food and tents provided. It was organized by Evolve Events, an international arts, culture and communications initiative based in the United Arab Emirates.

This is where I left my footprints while climbing the sandy hill. The sand crumbles into a delightful nothingness.

The musician and the designer already making their way up the sandy hill. I was weighed down by my luggage and collapsed, but not yet, as I managed to take this picture!

The desert always presents a special atmosphere and the atmosphere at the event enhanced just that. There was a fine balance between music, sounds and silence, movement and stillness, beats and meditation. The weather tended to be extreme  – very cold in the night (and the roof of the tent heavy with dew drops) and hot during the day.

Up the hill, away from the camp, this is what the whole eco-friendly camp looks like.

To the right of me was the glorious sunset. Just the right time to meditate and reflect in gratitude for all things good!

And to the left of me, was the moon, already burning her silvery beams down to us, her silent witnesses

At the camp, various activities were going on such as meditation, visualization and spontaneous artwork. Staying faithful to our intuition, we ourselves did some intuitive artwork, being inspired by the desert around us,  the stars above us and the fire dancers in front of us. Fire dancing has been a traditional part of many cultures, and modern fire performances include visual and stylistic elements from many traditions. At the other side of the fireplace dancers started capoeira, a Brazilian tradition that combines martial arts, dance and music

Babok, the acoustic guitarist, preparing for the evening. His work is so amazing. I laid down on the rugs and gazed at the stars in the night, while his music lifted me to another realm. He’s also a big fan of cracking the funniest of jokes. Photo Source: Evolve Events

The Capoiera team – I had my fill of their acrobatics and music. One of the team who is the photographer attended our writing therapy workshop the next day. Photo Source: Evolve Events

The dinner table laid out. Fabulous meal, fabulous folks, fabulous ambience at the majlis

Our dinner roasting on an open-fire spit.

Not the best photo. It was started to get all dewy. Bring on the drums!

The swirly things on the right is the fire dancer doing this bit, around the open fire. By this time, I was already working on my intuitive painting. Photo Source: Evolve Events

Artist FlorDelisa, puts her thoughts and feelings on paper and paints. The resulting painting was an absolute winner. Photo Source: Evolve Events

The Next Day…

Before the writing workshop started, I had to catch the sunrise and the quietness of it all.

The sun is just about to rise. I’m seated in the reception tent waiting for breakfast to be served.

The reception tent catches the morning light.

The previous night, most of the guests huddled close to the fire – it was very very cold. This was the place where the fire dancer did this dance stint

Love these vibrant colours used at the entrance of the bedouin tents.

The next day, the spit where the chickens were roasted, remains quiet and asleep

Freshly prepared breakfast by these two cooks. The previous night’s roast spit is untouched.

Little donkey, little donkey! Not sure what the donkey’s role was, but I had to take a picture.

For a little more than an hour, we led our intuitive writing workshop. As the Oxford English Dictionary reads ‘Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning’. Using our intuition and expressing it into characters and letters gave us a tool of self-expression and understanding of our feelings. The workshop was attended by people who were either creatively repressed or just wanted to find another form of communication, like the dancers who usually express themselves through their moves and dances.

Writing as therapy has been proved by scientific studies and personal stories (like the one written down by Min Min) to make a difference in a person’s life while dealing with hardship, stress, or illnesses, or simply by activating resources. In his article ‘Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process,’ Prof. James W. Pennebaker states that ‘an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that when individuals write about emotional experiences, significant physical and health improvements follow.’

Sadly, no pictures were taken of the writing therapy demo in progress.But here’s what happened at the intuitive art workshop.

Judging from the turnout at the art workshop as compared to the writing workshop, I am assuming that, in general, people are attracted to colours as opposed to the word? Or is it a question of the ‘word’ being a very out-of-the-comfort zone place for people to go? Photo Source: Evolve Events

And how did our paintings turn out? Well, unfortunately the dew had melted the colours into each other. The sand had blown its way through the paintings. But that’s the act of allowing spontaneity into our lives – at these times, it is the process that is the important part, not the final product. So, after the desert had inspired us it took our painting back, but leaving us with its special spirit and truly evolved.

The next day, my artwork colours ran into one another, thanks to the night dew. Even sand became part of the painting.

Those are my feet. It was so hot the day we were leaving, I had no choice but to dig my feet deep into the sand.

Who do you know would be interested in our intuitive writing and crafting-with-intention workshops? Drop us a line