Writing While Tender:
on Softness As Resilience
June 14th (12-2PM PST)
What If you could be soft and resilient at the same time?
The word “resilience” has been floating around a lot lately. It feels as though it's mention is imbued with a flavor of toughness, like our capacity to survive the hard moments depends on being a wall of impermeable energy, unmoving, unrelenting.
“We must persist."
“We must overcome.”
“We must endure.”
It makes sense that we wish to steel ourselves to the dangers of the world, but what if assuring our collective survival meant being called into a soothing, a comforting, the softness of our shared humanity?
What makes you soften like clouds?
What let's you flow like water?
Join Sofiya Ko, a licensed counselor and expressive arts therapist, for a two hour creative writing workshop on the theme of Softness As Resilience.
ALL LEVELS WELCOME
How might our nervous systems respond if we lean into nourishment and tenderness as a means for sustaining hope? Can we harness the power of ease?
At a time when the events around us already sow harshness, rigidity and division, this workshop is your call to exploring resilience through a lens of softness.
Tender Exploration
on the agenda
for your virtual Class
Opening
We’ll begin with introductions and a gentle check-in to get you grounded in the space, including breathing and a somatic exercise.
Warm Up
Next, we'll use prompts to access a tender writing mindset and greet the central theme of the workshop.
Deepening
We'll gently move into solo writing time, on the theme of SOFTNESS AS RESILIENCE, exploring what this means to you and how it aligns with your life.
Connection
The space will be open to sharing clarity, insights or a few passages from your writing. Sharing is encouraged, but you're welcome to just witness.
Closing
We'll exit the creative portal with a guided visualization to help you wind down and come back to your body in the present moment.
While this space is facilitated by a licensed and trauma-informed counselor, please note this is not group therapy.
this Class is For
The Sensitive Soul
You've got a lot of feels, you notice the little details, and you are fascinated by rhythms, patterns and mysteries of life.
The Self-Reflector
You yearn for an understanding of yourself that connects you to everyone and everything. You value being rooted in the present as much as you wish to translate the past.
The aspiring Memoirist
You've done a lot of your own reflecting on patterns and contexts that have shaped your path, and you're feeling the call to shaping those insights into a story.
The Curious and Open
You're new to writing as an art-form but are eager to explore narrative and oral history as a form of agency and empowerment.
Writing While Tender is a space to explore themes like letting go, softness as resilience and radical creativity through writing.
Beyond the traditional format of writing class which provides prompts, this series incorporates breath-work, somatic regulation, and guided visualization to help you go deeper.
This Class Is
Not For
Folks Seeking Therapy
If you're in needing 1:1 support for distressing memories that may activate trauma, please seek private care like group or solo therapy.
Writers Desiring Critique
This is not a technical writing class. We won't be focused on providing feedback on projects or creative ideas, but rather focused on the process of self-expression.
Those in Active Distress
Please be mindful of your boundaries and needs. If you're navigating a crisis situation, therapy or immediate medical attention may be more appropriate.
Practice Taking Up Space
Join us for
a softer Creative experience
$47
Use code JUSTICE to access a 50% off sliding scale.
No questions asked.
Key INFO
When/where Do I attend the virtual Class?
After securing your spot you'll receive an email with a zoom link. Classes happen on the third Saturday from 12-2pm PST.
DO I NEED PRIOR writing Experience?
This class is thoughtfully crafted to be worthwhile for a range of experiences. Whether you're seasoned or new, the exercises and prompts will help you go deeper in your writing practice.
CAN I ASK QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE SESSION?
There will be time for questions before we begin structured writing and at the end of the group share. I will also be available via chat to provide clarity and encouragement during solo-writing.
How should I set up my area before class?
Please bring something to write with/on. A quiet place where you will not be disturbed is ideal. Creature comforts like soft and loose clothing, a warm beverage like tea, and a supportive seat are recommended.
How do I set myself up for success?
Please review the guidelines above on who this class is and isn't for. As this isn't group therapy, you will be asked to gauge your own consent throughout the session and refrain from engaging in exercises if you become activated.
Is this a one time class and Will I get a REcording?
This class will have 4 sessions and you must sign up for each one individually. A recording of the class will be sent to all participants, but will not be sold separately. Future class dates are September 20th and November 22nd.
Liminal: A Self-Care Work-Book
Liminal is an accessible and easy to use self-care workbook created in response to the challenging backdrop of 2020. Filled with mental health tools, resources and prompts, this workbook helps you ignite your imagination for self-care practices outside of the traditional 1:1 therapy space. While not a replacement for therapy, it is a beautiful addition to the rhythms you already engage in.
FREE when you secure your spot for Writing While Tender.
Your Facilitator
Sofiya Ko
bi, cisgender woman,
Ukrainian-American Immigrant,
multi-modal creator
As a child, I would scribble pictures of my family and pen fanciful stories for the joy of it. But surviving the traumatic process of immigration taught me that safety lay in a quiet pursuit of the “American Dream”. So I traded in curiosity and imagination for the soul-crushing goal of assimilation and success at all costs: I graduated both high-school and college in 6 years and burned out by age 23.
Through therapy, I learned to feel safe standing out by recovering my own voice and making meaning from my past. It transformed my life so deeply, that I decided to become an Expressive Arts Therapist. I'm grateful to now help others reclaim the stories of their lives too.
You are powerful.
Give yourself permission to access your creative life-force.