Exploring inspiration
Artists living in Norway and working on themes related to violent conflict and exile are hereby invited to take part in a unique series of online workshops in March-April 2021 to Explore Inspiration.
Deadline for applications is March 1
The focus of our group will be to deepen our relationship with and understanding of inspiration and how it is guiding us in our lives and creative work. What is inspiration and where does it come from? How does inspiration live in our bodies, psyches, minds and hearts? What opens it, what blocks it and how can we more consciously work with this source of energy and intelligence? What particular knowing do artists hold about inspiration? What is the relationship between inspiration, conflict and love? The intention is to open to, feel, embody and put words to our inspiration in ways that support each participant in their work, through shared learning.
These workshops are funded by a research project on inspirational creative practice and the work of artists in times of war (INSPIRE), funded by the Research Council of Norway and hosted by the Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO). INSPIRE-researchers Cindy Horst and Sara Christophersen will actively participate alongside six artists. More information about the project and researchers can be found here.
The workshops will be facilitated by Miriam Latif Sandbæk, a transformational coach and group facilitator who has worked extensively with artists. The work is exploratory and emergent, and Miriam will offer teachings, resources and tools in response to the issues that are most relevant for the participants in the group. In between our gatherings, you will receive e-mails with questions and practices for deepening our explorations, including invitations to go out into nature to work with themes that arise.
When we share our experiences and are witnessed by others, it moves us forward. Exploring in community allows us to tap into a bigger field of intelligence and opens us to new ways of seeing. By opening to the many aspects of inspiration with different artists working on similar themes, our hope and intention is that each participant will gain new insights and experiences that will enrich and inspire their artistic work as well as personal lives.
LOGISTICS
We will gather for five two-hour sessions, every Tuesday for a period of five weeks, from March 16 to April 20 (note that we skip a week during the Easter holidays).
The scheduled times for our meetings are Tuesdays 16 March, 23 March, 6 April, 13 April and 20 April from 13.30 to 15.30.
How to Join
If you are interested and fulfill the criteria, please send a letter of inspiration to cindy@prio.org briefly describing your background and what inspires you to join the group. We are looking for artists who live in Norway and work on themes related to violent conflict or exile from lived experience. The deadline for applications is 1 March. We have space for up to six artists and will select candidates based on the information provided. Key selection criteria will be people’s ability to commit to the full series, and diversity in the group composition.
More information about the INSPIRE research project here.
To apply or for questions about the application process and eligibility, please contact Cindy Horst at cindy@prio.org
For questions about the group process, please contact Miriam Sandbæk here.
About Miriam Latif Sandbæk
Miriam guides individuals and groups through transformational processes of exploration, growth and healing. She is a certified coach from the Co-Active Training Institute and a member of the Climate Coaching Alliance and the International Coaching Federation. Miriam has worked as a coach since 2015 and since 2017 as a coach for Talent Norway with artists in feature and documentary film, theatre, dance and music. Miriam holds an MA in Social Anthropology. More information here.