Collaborative imaginative engagement: an approach to arts-based reflective practice.
By Louise Austin
“Collaborative Imaginative engagement has the power to unlock doors I didn’t even know existed, and hence to unearth hidden treasure. A profoundly healing experience.”
6.00pm – 8.30 pm
November 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
£120.00 (entire course)
£100.00 students/low income
Are you ready to nourish your creativity and connect with your imagination?
Are you yearning for a supportive space in which to stop, pause and reflect?
Would you like to learn new skills to rejuvenate your practice?
Winter is a time to slow down and go deep, to retreat even. The dark nights of November offer a perfect time to take time out from the perpetual flux and speed of living. In this ‘slow time’ you may wish to reflect on aspects of your work, your practice, a project, or simply connect with your intuitive imagination.
This 5-week programme is aimed at educators, researchers, academics, leaders, creatives, clinicians, and imaginative souls who wish to engage in a collaborative process of deep reflection.
My method of collaborative imaginative engagement, developed from my PhD empirical research, offers a way to travel down to the roots of your practice to discover or re-discover purpose, vocation, and the ‘soul’ of your work. This peer-based method of arts-based reflective practice aims to nourish your creativity and rejuvenate your practice. I follow the principle that by awakening to the imagination we gain access to our deepest wisdom – the unconscious – which can be the most insightful, soulful companion available to us.
This highly participatory weekly programme gives you opportunity to explore your practice through making and working with images, poetry, and reflective dialogue. This experiential approach is grounded in depth psychology and the latest developments in neuroscience. This approach blends individual inner work with experiencing the power of community. No art experience is needed just bring along your lively curiosity and an openness to experiment.
Who is it for:
- Anyone who is keen to explore creative and imaginative ways to engage in reflective practice
- Anyone who is interested in going beneath the surface to connect with the unconscious
- Anyone who wants to integrate an arts-based reflective practice in their day-to-day life.
What you will gain from learning the method of collaborative imaginative engagement:
- How to awaken to your imagination and broaden your repertoire of what is possible.
- How to work with image and metaphor to deepen understanding and meaning.
- How to think beyond the rational to gain new and fresh perspectives.
- How to process difficult emotions and relational encounters to feel more grounded.
- How to utilise emotions as supportive guides into your inner realm – the unconscious.
I am a senior lecturer/course leader, group facilitator and researcher with clinical training in integrative arts psychotherapy. Currently, I am a senior lecturer at the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education. I am in the process of completing my PhD in Psychoanalytic studies with an innovative collaborative arts-based research methodology investigating transformative learning in adult education from Jungian, relational and psychoanalytic perspectives. My specialisation is in collaborative and arts-based approaches to qualitative research and adult education. I have over 30 years of experience in researching, designing, and delivering transformative programmes within higher education, organisations, and the community. I have researched, designed, and led the first ever accredited one year diploma in Creative Collaboration, delivered in the UK and Shanghai. I co-run the Jungian arts-based research forum with a keen interest in exploring ways of utilising the unconscious in ways of knowing and meaning making.