Saturday, April 19, 2008

Retreat event at Sanctuary house

Minutes from first 3 meetings

The intention of the first meeting was to get to know each other better, to discuss what we can expect and hope for in one another, including the weaknesses and strengths of our personalities. We then discussed what sort of skills we each posses, who we know as potential collaborators, resources and venue to which we have access. We then began to narrow the conversation to specific ideas for an event that we will facilitate soon.

1. Individual characteristics we are putting on the table

Ruth
positive traits:
Enthusiasm/visionary, experience, improvising skills, Generate enthusiasm in others,
Passion for supportive loving community
less positive traits:
Time constraints, Time management, Less pragmatic, Benefits from being kept on point and on time and given realistic reminders,


Kenna
positive traits:
Enthusiasm/ visionary, mediation skills, Pragmatic, Service oriented mana aloha
Organizational experience
less positive traits:
Less improvisational, Sensitive to criticism

Sarah
positive traits
Enthusiasm/ visionary, Service oriented mana aloha
Less positive traits:
Less organized, Managing time and resources, Benefits from others being pragmatic.

2. Potential services list expenses and income for each
Referral services in booklet form that can be passed out at events as incentive and compensation to participating artists.

Ruth
Body work: bowen, sweedish, Transition therapy, Health Educator, Motivational/ inspirational speaker/guide, Yoga nidra, Art display, Food and gardening workshops

Kenna
Body work, currently only sweedish, other modalities forthcoming, Guided meditations,
Motivational/ inspirational speaker/guide
art display, workshops painting, drawing, still life, collage, collaboration
Artist organizational skills, Facilitating Creative expression and wellness

Sarah
Body work currently only sweedish, other modalities forthcoming, Tamalpa: Movement based expressive art therapy, Motivational/ inspirational speaker/guide, Workshops: raw food,
Pilates, yoga, visual art
performance and visual art dispaly, Astrology reading, Holistic healing guidance.







3. Potential performances

Ruth
Music Performance painting

Kenna
Performance painting

Sarah
Performance art, Performance painting


4. Potential commodities
books, paintings, prints, cards, ceramics, preserved foods, lotions, salves, cosmetics, healthy foods for all creatures, cosmetics, jewelry,

5. Potential venues : Sanctuary House, Maintain Youth, Potter’s Studio, McCree Goudeau Gallery, Circle Center, 8th Street Studio, JFKU,
Contact info

6. Potential collaborators, Kyle, Jeanette Goudeau, BJ Conrad, Ciaran, Kristen, Anna, Grace, Isaac, Christine, Nathan, Steve, Shanna, Tom, Sam, Joey, Angela, Emilio, Suzanne, Jody, Caroline, Stuart, Karen, Deanora, Bethany, Mei Ling,
Contact info

7. Set a date
Options
Sunday, May 11, 08 possible Mothers day event,
Saturday May 10th
Saturday 17th, Less specific event
Sat March 31


8. Specifics
o Schedule
• Set up creativity stations for participants to do responsive work while other massages are in session.
• 9:45 Have a lovely hostess present to facilitate arrivals
• Tour , brief introduction
• 9:45 arrival 10 am Massage sessions 3 at a time, 1 hour each.
• Hostess facilitates engagements at creativity stations.
• 11:30 3 more 1 hour massages
• 1:30 Interactive, cooking eating demo,
• 3:00 grounding in, presentation of intent, group discussion
• 3:00 – 6:00 potential workshops or interactive demos
• Meanwhile starting at 3:30 15-minute massage sessions will be available for those who purchase standard tickets.
• 6:00 pot-luck style party begins.


9. Income
o Premium tickets $100 if purchased in advance $110 after May 24th
• ticket includes 1 hour massage, the full days demonstrations, lunch and party
o Standard tickets $50 if purchased in advance $55 after May 24th
• This ticket includes a 15 minute massage, the full days demonstrations, lunch and party
o Suggestion, Other: if we have more requests for premium tickets than the 6 we have allotted, perhaps we can offer massages after 6pm in the healing room, for this we can invite other massage therapists and offer them $50 per massage they give


10. Expense / budget $600
o Advertisement $150
o Food $300
o Massage supplies ?
o Art supplies? Kristen will provide a list of materials. We already have butcher paper, newsprint, crayons,
o Paying ourselves as coordinators, massage therapists, hostess-art coordinators, and others as helpers and additional massage therapists. Consider offering free entry to event to a few people who will help with set up, clean up, and facilitating day of event, random things we didn’t think about.


11. Preparation
o Check with other tenants to be sure there is no conflict about date.
o Advertisements
• Postcards: 250 or 500?
• language/text determined,
• name of event, name of our group?
• Send all relevant images, text etc, to Ruth
• design by Cullen
• April 26th, print, 1+ week in print production and shipping, not counting weekends
• Begin distributing by May 10
• Premium event tickets (30) these can be distributed to people we know who we think may have interested clients. We number the tickets and if someone wants to purchase one and reserve a spot they call us, send us payment and register the number on the ticket they hold as sold. They will then have a registered ticket that they will present upon arrival. Kenna can coordinate this. 510-336-1126 should be on tickets
• Event program to be handed to guests the morning of the event
o Room preparation. Clean to deodorize carpet, decorations, divide the space for privacy, lighting adjusted?,
o Buy sheets, oils, tapestries
o Prepare a basic form for massage clients to fill in before their session and perhaps another for after
o Prepare a map to and maybe of the trails near our house
o Buy Food, acquire cutting boards, study up on info to be presented, Kenna and Ruth discuss and narrow intention and agenda for the demo, practice once at least with friends. How many people can we fit in the kitchen?
o Make journals for handing out. Newsprint, yarn, staples, other.
o Arrange creativity stations, be sure floor etc is protected, supplies available, books for inspiration, hostess/ guide present, tables (borrow from school?)
o Coordinate other massage therapists, for possibility of additional later evening hour massages and 15 minute massages to $50 ticket holders. Perhaps we pay them $50 for each hour they are massaging (for every 4, 15-minute sessions they give.)
o Create schedule for other workshops if there will be any
o Prepare material for discussion at 3pm
o Be sure massage tables are moved outside if there will be other uses for the healing room, or if there is reason to let people use them to practice massage themselves.


12. Day of events
o 9:45 Hostess greats guest, three therapists waiting in room. Hostess presents a form to be filled out so that there are no privacy issues about discussing personal physical issues in a room where others can hear the conversation. Should spend only about 5 minutes on this
o 10:00 guests led to healing room, therapists given the form for their client. Massage takes place one hour, meanwhile hostess sets up creativity stations
o 11:00 1/2hour to rest and re-prep room.
o Hostess meets 3 new guests, gives all 6 massage clients a tour of the space and a map leading to the trail through the woods and creek. New clients fill form out form
o 11:30 three new clients led to healing room where therapists are waiting
o 11:30 hostess guides the 3 first arrivals in art practices, facilitates needs for beverages, snacks, music etc
o 12:30 second round of clients finishes massages and hostess repeats facilitating for them. One hour of rest for therpists, light snacking, visiting with clients if appropriate, perhaps doing some of their own art practices or strolling through the woods.
o 1:30 cooking demo begins led by Ruth and Kenna will finish with everyone eating
o 1:30 Sarah and Kristen begin making any transitions for other demos events etc that may be necessary. Moving massage tables etc.
o 3:00 presentation of our intentions, inspirational speaking and casual group discussion.
o 3:00 clean up in kitchen and begin preparing light dinner and snack items to present through out the night (who will do this?)
o 3:30 to 6pm other demos
o 6 pm be sure most things are straightened up and pot luck party begins


13. Liability insurance?


14. If we will provide any alcohol for the later party portion there are temporary liquor licenses that can be purchased that cover a full weekends events.

Artist interview with Kaleo and Elise Ching

Kaleo and Elise are very inspirational figures for me. They are doing almost exactly what I envision for my future. They have integrated art practices into wellness practices such as chi gong, guided meditation, ritual and transformative experiences. Sarah and I interviewed them together at their house. They were very generous hosts and their hospitality exceeded my hopes. They entertained and answered our questions for several hours. They also were perceptive and offered questions that we should address to one another (Sarah and I) They helped tailor the advice they gave us by asking us questions to help them understand our intentions and hopes for the future.

They advised us in embracing the spirit of mana aloha instead of using the word service. I loved this. I want to contribute to the wellness of people and society but I am also motivated to establish a means of living abundantly. To me that means being surrounded by good people having a beautiful home, plenty of healthful food and health-care. I was using the word service to describe the desire I have not to become caught up in an existence where my subsistence is dependent upon the ill health of others and in which my assistance to them is unattainable for a lack of money. Kaleo explained that embracing mana aloha (Hawaiian words that mean something to the affect of sharing or giving of divine kindness) will allow me to position myself not as a person dedicated to serving but one who is dedicated to sharing the goodness that I generate and that I receive. He explained that with time and practice we develop our own strenght of intuition that will guide the decisions about when to do pro bono work, when to give discounts and when to stick firmly to the fair fee system I develop

We also talked about teaching, about how to generate clients and about cooperating with a collaborator as he and his wife Elise do. I will listen to the conversation we had and write more later. We recorded the interview. I tried to upload it, but no... wrong kind of file.

my first artist date

I went to San Rafael for an event that promised a holistic living expo and a an evening of live music and dancing. It was great. Generally I've not been comfortable in social scenes of the sort by myself. It's nice to have the camaraderie of friends. But despite initial feeling of discomfort as I sat waiting for something to happen I wound up meeting a few cool people and incidentally bumped into someone I know form Oakland. The coordination of the event was problematic. I saw a lot of people leave as there was nearly an hour in between the breakdown of the retail expo and the set up of the music. Had they even set up a dj or some form of spoken word to keep people engaged while the sound guys set up I think they could have kept a larger crowd.

The whole thing was good for me because I did dance for 3 + hours which I love! Live music is among my favorite things in life. But also because I'm interested in coordinating similar events. it was inspirational and informative for me to see how things went along giving me ideas for how the event might be better. Even being there by myself was important in the process because had a friend been there I'd more likely have spent the time talking than observing.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

MY first blog

I've successfully begun the blog. The first hurdle was coming up with a name. Now that's done, there's still topic for discussion to decide on. For now I'll just make note that I have chosen at least one artist I'd like to interview. Kaleo Ching teaches at JFKU with his wife Elise. The work shops they teach here are very similar in nature to the type of educational, healing and entertainment events that I and my collaborators, Sarah Theismann and Ruth Moss envision facilitating. Since we will be working together in the future we agreed that it is appropriate for us to collaborate on this assignment as well. We will each most likely interview one of the two artists/teachers above.

For my art date, I intend to take myself tonight out to San Rafael where I heard that there is a festival, pertaining to art, wellness and entertainment. Right up my alley! I'm going to go see how it looks, how it feels and maybe even get some information about the second artist interview I want to do. Finding out more details about where and when are all I have to do first.