Thank you for your interest in VIVID 2020. Registration is now closed. Go here to add your name to our list to stay informed when registration opens for 2021.
Do you have questions about this event, the course, online and offline activities, what's needed to attend, or curious about certain terminology?
We hope you will find the answer on this page.
Your contact is jena@musea.org if you need to reach us.
She Eats Lightning for Breakfast
“Initiation, or the process of undergoing an expansion of consciousness, is part of the normal process of evolutionary development, viewed on a large scale, and not from the standpoint of the individual.”
― Alice A. Bailey
What is Intentional Creativity®?
Everything within us, past, present, and future lives in Story. When we create around our story, we gain clarity. When we create with intention, we activate both sides of the brain. When we activate our brain, we gain greater access to our own information, how to articulate it, and how to move it from the stuck places.
Creating with intention is simply working with mindfulness into wherever we set our hands: whether it is creating a soup, a garden, a business plan or a painting. We are more present because we choose to be and the results are different than if we are not paying attention. Intentional Creativity® is an approach to creating that yields greater access to who we are now and who we are becoming, and what is possible for us and our unfolding future.
Often we fear the places within us, because we don’t understand them, or don’t have any idea how to reach them. The wounds are many layers deep – how do you get inside to where the stories live? In our work, it is at the canvas and the visual journal that the hidden stories start to come unraveled and revealed. The light pours into the wounds with brush or pen in hand. This is Intentional Creativity®. Wounds become tools for transformation, and then the potential for teaching and healing others emerges.
This is the movement the soul has been seeking for so long – to be expressed. Self-expression is one of the keys to healing the past, living in the present fully-embodied, and authoring a fascinating future, a legend even. This is about fearless belonging. To yourself. To your life work. To the universe. To one another. We belong here – when we create, we come to life. We tug on the red thread and realize we are indeed connected to everything – and that connection cries out for self-expression.
We invite you to watch this video, where Shiloh Sophia explores the depth, impact and layers to which creativity can be used as a mindfulness practice for ourselves, each other and the earth.
What is a Rite of Passage?
An anthropologist and ethnographer named Arnold van Gennep was the first person to use the term ‘rites of passage.’ He noted that people go through 3 stages: separation, transition and incorporation as they are supported through major life events. Van Gennep also used the terms preliminal, liminal, and postliminal (before, at, and past the limen [Latin: “threshold”]) to describe the 3 stages.
Common events are birth, puberty, and death; however, social and religious transformations (marriage, vows, graduations etc) can overlap with crisis rites (serious illness, disease, cataclysms) to create a multilayered picture of rites within a society.
You are invited to join us fully and treat this as a Rites of Passage. To commit. To show up. To take the time off work. To get child or partner care. To find someone to walk the dog. Have your food ready. Consider sleeping in your studio or finding a remote cave with internet. If you treat this as a real Rites of Passage in continuity, staying with the group, you will be able to receive the greatest experience - which means surrendering.
The Purposes include:
Rites of passage foster a sense of renewal, since they mark the beginning of a new phase in our lives. They remind us that we are constantly evolving and that life is a transformative journey. On the other hand, they also provide a sense of belonging, since a rite of passage is always performed by and for a community.
Ceremonies that function as rites of passage connect us with our own past selves, but also with the past of our forebears. These ceremonies can be highly ritualized and are passed from one generation to the next, in a flow that evokes the continuity of life, and reminds us of our place in the great scheme of things. Rites of passage often include ritualistic symbols. Ritualistic symbols are special and important, such as different clothing, jewelry, or body ornamentation that stand for important character traits (e.g., strength or courage), values, or beliefs in the culture.
When we take part in a rite of passage we find ourselves in a sacred space. There are often rituals regarding dress, place and time that must be respected. As humans, we need this sense of sacrality to feel more attuned to our individual journey. In our case, your studio will be your sacred space.
One of the main purposes of a rite of passage is to help us make sense of change as individuals but also as a community. A rite of passage can help people gain a deeper awareness of the transitions going on in their lives, while providing a sense of continuity with their personal story and of connection with their community. They can also help others learn to treat people in new ways after experiencing certain rites of passage. They are also important because they help to keep society stable. For example, rites of passages and rituals define the (expected) behaviours or norms that help us cope with unexpected and difficult times in life.
(Ref Akoma Unity Center)
What are the 13 steps we will use in the painting process?
The 13 steps are a way of building a painting that has been practiced for over 13 years with thousands of students. Using a layered, step by step approach, someone with almost no experience can make a painting. It is reverse engineering of both concept and technique.
What if I have no experience?
You obviously have all you need because you are here reading this! The Legend course will invite all that your soul is willing to allow you to come forward. It is designed for all levels of art experience and you are invited to join us. Our courses are often a mix of women who have not picked up a paintbrush in years, as well as women who make their living through selling their art and teaching others.
What materials will I need?
You will need materials for making a Cosmic Smash Book as well as a big canvas and colors of acrylic paint. See an overview of the materials needed on the event details page.
How much does Vivid cost? Do you offer scholarships?
We outline this information clearly here on the registration page.
Am I required to attend all of the live gatherings?
No. Join when you can - all gatherings will be recorded and are yours to keep (downloadable).
Am I required to paint in the allotted time frame?
No. Paint at your leisure. The schedule is provided for anyone who can and wants to follow along, but there is no requirement to keep pace with the 7-day schedule.
Why participate in "real-time", as in within 24 hours of the schedule?
To be a part of the flow experiencing the energy of the group. All the material will be presented, in sequential order, for you to complete in your own time.
What is iMusea Classroom?
The iMusea is a private app for all associated with Musea to communicate and share virtually. While we have a Facebook presence/ community, the iMusea app provides our members with a safe space to share and connect.
Are you already awake and not sure how this event/course can contribute?
Have you ever painted yourself as a mystic before? You may already feel awakened. Even if you aren’t sure where to go next in your work. You may feel you have already done so much therapy and self-healing that you feel kind of Done with working on yourself over and over. Good News! We won’t be visiting the past, rather, we will be projecting ourselves into the future. And you will create an IMAGE of this part of you - an incredible painting that represents your sacred experience of yourself.
What is the Legend Course?
The Legend Course is a voyage to meet your Legendary Self, the storyteller within. You will meet this Archetypal aspect of your inner self and invite her to the canvas to speak to you in symbols, patterns, codes, and markings. You can almost think of this as a 'cosmic, spiritual, futuristic self-portrait'.
Regardless of your level of experience, you will be able to build a painting step by step with our 13 step process. Every year we choose a different theme, as many women do the course over and over, theme in the past are things like, Oracle and Ally, Archetype, Falling in Love, and in 2020 our theme is Mystic. The theme of Mystic invites women to explore themselves, as mystics and to step into a more powerful level of lived intuition, sensuality, and ritual. You will be introduced to 7 archetypal facets to learn more about your points of access to the imaginal realm - Painter, Priestess, Prophetess, etc.
No experience is needed, you will be guided, you will make a large painting 24X36 minimum, with acrylic paint. You will also receive as soon as you register a one hour video on brush strokes and techniques to prepare. Of note, Legend is the pre-requisite for Color of Woman, the Intentional Creativity® Teacher Training which provides women with the tools to teach this approach to creativity.
We have offered this annually for over ten years with thousands of women. See student work
Note: that you could just do the LEGEND videos, which are downloadable and yours to keep - all of the content is there. The additional calls are optional but definitely lead to the Rites of Passage culmination on the 7th day.
What is Cosmic Smash Booking?
Cosmic Smash Booking was created by Founder, Catt Geller, who is a Graduate of Shiloh Sophia's Color of Woman: Intentional Creativity® Teacher Certification. Catt's method is based in Intentional Creativity®. Watch this fun and informative video. It is a wonderful way to bypass your inner critic and perfectionist to discover deep surprising answers to your questions about your life.
How is VIVID/LEGEND relevant to current times?
Today we are faced with unprecedented challenges as women in a culture where our voices have been systematically silenced often by ourselves and others. We all know that times have changed and we are being requested to show up in a new and potent way. But this isn’t something you just think about—or dream about—it is something you actually have to DO. TO do it, you need to make something—infusing whatever you make with intention, energy, and emotion. This is where art comes in.
What is BIWOC? and What will it cover?
The Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color are invited to join Dr. Semerit Strachan for a circle exploring women as mystic creatives and the creative process. There will be a chance to share what is arising for you, your painting, and your experience as a woman of color. This is a culturally specific circle for women of color only so that there is a container where you are free to be self-expressed. Dr. Semerit is one of our BIWOC leaders and is guiding this programming in our Intentional Creativity® education. Dr. Semerit is a graduate of Color of Woman, our Intentional Creativity® Teacher Training, and has been working with our Founder, Shiloh Sophia since 2014.
What is Sanctuary Red Tent Circle?
The 'Sanctuary' Red Tent Circles are designed as a place to connect, listen to music, be guided in red thread, and integrate the material unfolding in VIVID. These circles are guided by women trained in Intentional Creativity®.
What is Opening & Completing Circle?
Each day we begin and complete together with a process guided by those trained in Intentional Creativity®. In our first opening circle you will meet the team for VIVID as well as experience music and a blessing by Native American Elder Carmen Baraka.
What is Red Thread Ceremony and Vows?
The Red Thread Ceremony is an approach to leading a women's circle with a Red Thread. When we are in person the red thread is passed around to each woman, but in a virtual context, we pass it 'in our imagination' although many women have red threads right on their desk by their computer and we hold it up to show the connection. The ideas of the red thread are drawn from connection and protection - creating a sense of belonging across the world. Our founder has lead Red thread circles for over twenty years and shares it at the United Nations and online with thousands at one time
The Red Thread Vow of Connection is a 5 part of teaching that we share as a community about our commitment to ourselves and our community, even if we don't know each other. They focus on including yourself, respect, listening to the story, and coming from a space of love.
What is Pop-up Cosmic Cowgirls Salon?
These gatherings are guided by Cosmic Cowgirls, women with our feet in the dirt and our head in the stars - we will be leading you in different Intentional Creativity® process as well as providing an opportunity to share in small groups. Cosmic Cowgirls is a woman and girl owned company founded in 2004 to carry on the teachings of Intentional Creativity®.
What is Mother-Daughter Circle Salon?
The Mother-Daughter Circles are guided by Katherine Witteman and her two daughters, Julia and Katie who have been a part of the Cosmic Cowgirls community for over 13 years. They will share the Intentional Creativity® process, storytelling, and the joy of creativity in a family.
What is Mama Circle?
This circle is guided by Michelle Dench, a mama of two young children who has been painting through motherhood. This is designed to provide a space for mamas to share their creativity and commit to creativity in their lives.
Questions? Contact jena@musea.org
© 2020 MUSEA
