The Creative Alchemy Cycle
Creative Living
in Rhythm with the Seasons
How do we manage and make sense of a rapidly changing world and climate? The news cycle peppers us with daily signs of catastrophe, injustice, and ecocide and it is hard to know how to respond or offer alternatives for new ways of engaging.
The Creative Alchemy Cycle was born out of my longing for another way forward that centered creativity as a tool for transformation. Olivia Laing best describes this longing in her book Funny Weather:
“What I wanted most, apart from a different timeline, was a different time frame, in which it might be possible to feel and to think, to process the intense emotional impact of the news, and to consider how to react, even perhaps to imagine other ways of being. The stopped time of a painting, say, or the drawn-out minutes and compressed years of a novel, in which it is possible to see patterns and consequences that are otherwise invisible.“
The Creative Alchemy Cycle is a way of attuning our creative process to the rhythm of nature and mirroring Earth’s instinct for healing and regeneration. It is a way of making the invisible patterns and consequences visible. The Creative Alchemy Cycle invites us to intentionally hone our creative impulses with a focus on justice, right-relationship, and personal innovation. It is a homecoming.
Now more than ever, the world needs creative minds, rooted in curiosity, with clear, expressive voices, connected to purpose, who trust, deeply, what they know, feel and see. This is how we shift culture.
What is the Creative Alchemy Cycle?
The Creative Alchemy Cycle is a year-long journey that will sync your creative life to the rhythm of the seasons. It will expand your awareness, shake up limiting beliefs about your own creativity, and inspire you to make your own mark.
Out in the great wide open with Sarah as your guide.
Back in Sarah’s Eastern Oregon art studio.
Who is the Cycle for?
The Creative Alchemy Cycle is for anyone who has a story to tell. It is for anyone who wants to transform their writing and art into a tool for healing, justice, and community building. It is for artists with experience or none at all. It is for story-tellers, teachers, healers, activists, and meaning-makers who are ready to strengthen, empower, and activate their creative practice. The Cycle is also for the nearly-ready who are tired of waiting for the “right time” to invest in their own creativity.
The Creative Alchemy Cycle is your invitation to come close and work alongside me as I share the structure and arch of my own creative process.
My creative life is most potent and catalytic when I work within the framework of the seasons. I come from a Celtic tradition, which honors the annual cycle of seasonal festivals consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. Observing and living in rhythm with nature is essential to our health and well-being. But it’s also essential for our creative health and prowess.
What does the cycle include?
The cycle consists of eight bundles packed with creative content, exploring themes that are intimately linked with myths, traditions and symbols of each seasonal festival. The bundle includes videos about creative process, engaging podcasts, unique writing prompts, and so much more. I'll be coming to you directly from my art studio, but I'll also take us out into the great wide open to mark the seasons and absorb inspiration directly from the source.
During the course of the Creative Alchemy Cycle, you’ll be alongside me as I gather supplies, create work, paint, collage, and write in real time. I share my process and invite you to explore your own unique expression through a variety of prompts. It’s also important to name that these are not step-by-step art lessons with tips and tutorials for art making. This is a cyclical, deep-dive, creative process using the seasons as our guide.
If you’re craving fresh perspective, connection with nature, and a clear path for socially engaged, courageous art-making, then the Creative Alchemy Cycle is for you.
This is your invitation…
The Details
What will I find in each bundle?
VIDEO
The Great Wide Open — Fill your cup! Let’s get outside. This is our chance to expand, think big, and absorb the beauty and wonder of the natural world. All videos are filmed and photographed by Sarah in Eastern Oregon. These season-focused videos explore creative inception, inspiration, the profound beauty of wild spaces, and how to be in relationship with your source material.
In the Studio — Pour it out! Welcome to Sarah’s studio space. This is our chance to digest, synthesize, and manifest. These are process videos where Sarah shares painting techniques and creative motivations in real time, while creating art in her home studio.
AUDIO
Story of the Season — Powerful thematic stories in the form of a homily, written and read aloud by Sarah, to set our container for each season.
Collaborative Alchemy — an engaging podcast conversation between Sarah and another multi-disciplinary artist. Themes are wide-ranging and the dialogue always rich with meaning and laughter. You’ll receive early access as part of the Cycle!
Seasonal Playlists — specially curated music for each season delivered to you as a Spotify playlist.
WRITTEN CONTENT
Fuel for the Fire — Writing prompts geared towards self-use, focused on themes of the season. These will be intricately connected with the videos, podcast, and Story of the Season.
Water Your Seeds — Resources, reading list, poetry, and links for further exploration.
SUPPORT
Creative Alchemy Community Call — Everyone engaged in the Creative Alchemy Cycle will have access to a monthly one-hour Zoom call facilitated by Sarah. These are lively gatherings designed to foster community and invite participants into a deeper conversation about the themes of the season. They happen on the fourth Sunday morning of each month. We’ll reflect on our work, laugh, write, and for those who wish, share some of our writing and artwork.
Creative Alchemy Cycle Mighty Network — All Cycle members will have access to an online community platform that invites open communication, collaboration, resource sharing, and creative alliances.
Creative Alchemy Perks — Discounts for future in-person retreats, online workshops, and one-on-one offers. Sarah will be in touch throughout the cycle with exciting add-ons and offers!
When will I receive each Bundle?
Your bundle will be delivered just before each festival.
Imbolc - Delivered on January 26
Vernal Equinox / Ostara - Delivered on March 15
Beltane - Delivered on April 26
Summer Solstice / Litha - Delivered on June 15
Lughnasa - Delivered on July 26
Autumn Equinox / Mabon - Delivered on September 15
Samhain - Delivered on October 26, 2021
Winter Solstice / Yule - Delivered on December 15
What does the landing page for a “bundle” look like?
In the video below, Sarah shares a sneak peek at the Autumn Equinox bundle landing page where participants and subscribers access all of the virtual content.
Fellow Travelers on the Creative Alchemy Cycle have:
rekindled their creativite spark
returned to their art after years away
found consistency in their creative practice
used the Cycle as a source of profound healing and restoration
developed creative confidence and curiosity
released perfectionism
found creative community
stretched their capacity and imagination
started drawing, painting, and writing
developed and invigorated a journal practice
started hosting their own circles of creative community
awakened their intuition by communing with nature
learned to love seasonal shifts and invite transformation through creative ritual
re-discovered that they are a creative soul, ready and worthy just as they are
About Your Guide
Hi! My name is Sarah Greenman and I am a Creative Alchemist. I am an artist, a cultural worker, a community organizer, a story-teller, and an archeologist of the soul. I am an intuitive contractor, tapping on the walls of our lived experience to find weight-bearing beams of truth on which we may build our own work. I am a process junkie, a practical optimist, an eco-spiritualist, and a creative midwife. Situated in the vast and rural, unincorporated wilderness of Eastern Oregon, I am an ear to the ground, listening for the low rumbling of Earth’s call. My tools are simple yet potent: stories, art, and nature.
((More about my work HERE.))
The Full Creative Alchemy Cycle Experience
The full Creative Alchemy Cycle experience gives you intimate access to me and my art making process. The full cycle, which includes everything listed above, is available FREE to Sarah’s newsletter subscribers. Or you can join via Patreon at $45 a month. This is an ever-green offering and you can join at any time. Join today by clicking the button below and you’ll receive the very next bundle.
Equity Pricing
I value ethical and inclusive representation. That is why I offer pricing options and accessible rates. Coming together in mutual support and moving away from valuing dollars over humans makes all of our communities healthier and happier.
The reduced rates I offer are a critical component to making my offerings inclusive, accessible and equitable. They are intended for those whose voices have been historically marginalized and silenced, and are therefore underrepresented. This means non-white, queer, people with disabilities (visible and non-visible), and people who cannot typically access these kinds of programs due to prohibitive cost and/or cultural insensitivity.
The Cycle is now available from September 2023 - August 2024 for FREE when you subscribe to my NEWSLETTER.
(If you’re interested in spreading the love and want to donate to the mutual aid fund, which goes to support equity pricing and my free and low cost sessions, please do so at paypal.me/sarahgreenmanart. Please add “mutual aid fund” to your donation note. Thank you.)
Questions?
Refer to the answers below or please contact me.
How long is The Cycle?
The whole cycle is one year. But this experience is also ever-green. ((A second year of the Creative Alchemy Cycle is just as impactful and generative as the first year.))
Can I start at any time?
Absolutely. You can begin at ANY time. Sign up for the full cycle through Patreon at the $45 per month level and you’ll receive the very next digital bundle.
So in a nutshell, what is the focus of each season?
Winter ➜ Creative Incubation & Contemplation
Spring ➜ Creative Energy & Growth
Summer ➜ Creative Fruition & Sharing
Autumn ➜ Creative Harvest & Reflection
How will I access each bundle?
All eight bundles will be delivered via email with a private link to the festival webpage.
When are the Zoom Q&A connection calls? What if I can’t make it.
Our Communnity Connection Call generally happens on the fourth Sunday of every month at 10am (Pacific Standard Timezone.) If you can’t attend live, you’ll receive a recording.
What if I have questions or need additional support?
The Zoom connection calls are a great place to ask questions, dive deeper into the themes, and receive one on one coaching. If you’d like more one one one time, I’d suggest scheduling a Creative Consultation. Everyone signed up through Patreon receives a discount on Creative Consultations.
Can I cancel midway through?
If you are paying month to month via Patreon, you’re welcome to cancel at any time. When you cancel, you’ll stop receiving the bundles. But all previous bundles you received are yours to keep forever.