“Spend some time with a natural being (could be a rock, a tree, a cloud, the ocean) and ask if you can speak to it,” she invited. Mid-way through our Workshop In Wild Places Experience in Crete, Greece, our workshop facilitator, Janice Mason Steeves, had encouraged us to connect at a deeper level with the natural world around us.
Workshops in Wild Places is an international art teaching initiative developed by Canadian artist and educator Janice Mason Steeves. In these unique, innovative workshops, students travel to remote locations throughout the world to connect with the beauty, energy and power of the wild landscape and then — through a facilitated and contemplative creative process — translate that response into non-objective art.
“Our workshops go further still, fostering a deep and essential connection with the earth. At this critical time, we aim to rekindle a relationship with nature that encourages us to care for and protect it,” she explains. Janice brings 40 years of painting experience to her teaching and her focus is about ‘mindset, orientation and the inner work of art’ according to her website.
I sat down across an old olive tree whose branches swept out in different directions. There was a slight movement in her finely shaped leaves that shimmered very subtly in the soft breeze. She whispered. Her bark was marked with patches of yellow and the wounds of being trimmed over time. There was new growth coming out of old growth. She was well-rooted, witnessing the passing of time around her. She was supported by the elements: air, water, earth and even fire.
“Can we talk?” I said to the tree, adding: “I’m tired.” There was silence for a few minutes. “Then just be here with me. Appreciate the breeze. Listen to the birds. Listen. Be here,” the tree replied.
“What is your life like?” I asked.
“It’s hard putting up with all the elements. Life is unpredictable. Everything is always changing. We endure. We are enduring. We are all holding space for one another,” she said of the trees around her, adding: “I can hold space for you while you rest.”
I closed my eyes for a moment. I took a few breaths of the warm air and the fragrance of the flowering vines just around the corner. I noticed the tension and unease in my body.
“How do you keep growing in this unsettled world?”
“While we are rooted, stable, taking in nourishment and giving back, we are growing. It’s important to support new growth, giving it space to expand. Being still and resting is necessary for new growth. We are always growing no matter what state we are in. There is no end to life – life is change and transition. Allow yourself to be moved, let go of resistance and be open to what’s next,” the tree said.
Trees are wise. Trees give me hope.
