Holistic Creative Chat with Kara LC Jones
If you've ever had a run in with grief (you have), or expect that you will in the future (you will), give yourself the next twenty minutes to listen in to today's Holistic Creative chat with Kara Jones. Both Kara and I are passionate about expanding our understanding of grief - and welcoming creativity as a highly effective outlet for all the facets of loss that become indescribable with words or conventional communication.
But don't worry - this isn't all sad, doom and gloom talk at all - Kara is such a joy that you almost forget we're talking about grief to begin with... and yet she touches on the many ways grief shows up, caregiving, the importance of not putting people into a sequential grief formula, and a bit about re-framing the Hero's journey for a more helpful and unique perspective when 'facing the dragon.'
You can visit Kara RIGHT HERE.
Kara’s workshop for the 2015 SPECTRUM Holistic Creative Circle ::
Alternatives to Slaying the Dragon
For me, a key model in all the work I do, from narrative / appreciative inquiry conversation to mixed media artworks, has always been The Hero’s Journey. Especially in the exploration of living life after the death of my son Kota, I found there was a level of trauma that absolutely would not allow me to accept “slaying the dragon” as the answer to my wrestles with grief. The idea that I needed to enact more violence and trauma to overcome the violence and trauma I felt grief had already brought to us was…baffling at best, sickening at worst. In naming my dragon Grief and visioning its approach, it dawned on me that I had many alternative options besides slaying. Sit in silent, non-violent protest. Take up its hands, put on some music, and dance. Invite it to tea and crumpets. Play Twister with it.
The point was that “ridding” or “fixing” or “getting better” in any way that meant rejection of, violence toward, or “closure” with grief was not happening for me. So I explored the alternatives. And in my work now, even 15 years later, pretty much every person I meet who is given an option for alternatives will, at least, be intrigued, if not outright excited, to try something other than slaying the dragon.
In our time together for Spectrum 2015, I’ll offer you space to discover your own alternatives to slaying the dragon.
(There are 24 other inspiring teachers for Spectrum this year as well!)
by Kara