4 weeks of creative journaling…

A workbook written (and doodled) just for you, creative writing, creative play, a small supportive creative community…

And the chance to put your goals on hold, write something for yourself so you can create something that matters.

Next Program Dates to be announced.

Why you need to dig under the surface, play in the mud, and grow your creative roots.

If I were going to write a blog post on how to starve your creativity and silence yourself as a writer and creative guess what I’d say?

• Focus on your goals, goals, goals.

• Obsess over whether or not you’re ‘doing it right.’

• Read up on all.the.rules.

• Isolate yourself: from the people who could help you—people just like you who have questions too.

• Forget what matters to you, forget what inspires you…

• Forget that inner world that’s yours alone, forget the roots that feed your creativity…

Here’s what gets me:

We’re smart people—multilinguals with all kinds of degrees, teachers, academics, creatives, writers, translators. But…

We still sometimes forget how important it is to:

• create something meaningful and just for ourselves

• have some serious, silly, creative fun doing it

• scratch the surface, get underneath appearances, and find that underground place where your creativity comes from.

Creating something matters to you, it’s who you are.

So maybe it’s time to try something completely different…and completely you.

• Put your goals and outcomes on hold so you can create,

• Get under the surface and be authentic in your writing,

• Find out how visual thinking, doodling, coloring and engaging in creative play can change the game for you as a writer,

• Write all over the page, make a mess, thumb your nose at the rules,

• Dig in and roll in the mud, have FUN and…

• Write alongside others (I’m coming too!)

So here’s an invitation…

Join me for some creative play so that you can reconnect to yourself, to your meanings, and to the fun of journaling.  

And that all that fun, messy ‘stuff’ we’ll engage in? No, it’s not a distraction or a detour from your creative goals.  

That’s the stuff of writing that’s truly beautiful, that connects with your reader… that sounds like you.

It’s the writing that feels great when you’re doing it.

Maybe it’s the only kind of writing worth doing.

Join me for 4 weeks that will get you writing from your roots.

Here’s the short and sweet summary of the program:

• A written-for-you workbook delivered one chapter a week to your inbox.

• Inspiring metaphors, writing prompts, coloring pages, doodling, mind-mapping suggestions to inspire short, sweet, fun and playful creative journaling sessions 3-4 times a week.

• A small, supportive community where you can ask your questions and share if you like.

• Guidance from me along the way—I’ll be there in the forum to answer your questions, show you examples. And I’ll pop in weekly with a short informal video to keep you on the right path.

4 weeks of support and inspiration so you can dig deep, play in the mud, surprise yourself, and find a new relationship with your writing.

Program begins Tuesday, June 9th

If you want to write, not just think about writing one day, start doing that by taking this program - it'll help you find out what you want to write about, develop your ideas, see what stops you and makes you doubt yourself. You'll awaken your creative powers and you'll find it easier to just be yourself in your writing...

I felt like this program unearthed a well that had been stoppered, untended and unused before. I noticed that writing for my FB page and drafting for my blog got much easier. I worry less about how silly and inadequate I sound, and more - what I want to say exactly and why. I think I started writing in a more "natural", human voice…

—Tetiana Bilokin 2019

Still have questions? Read on, this is just for you…

What exactly is creative journaling?

It’s too easy to forget what creative play looks like if we don’t make a conscious effort to keep it up. But I’m sure of this:

You’ll know creative play when you find it.

We all grew up playing, writing, telling stories, scratching our doodles onto anything we could find.

Read on to find out how we’ll reconnect to your sense of creative play so you can start writing, surprising yourself…oh and I’m told that a newfound interest in doodling and coloring is also a side effect.

We’ll go on a creative journey in 4 metaphors.

Each week you’ll unwrap a new metaphor and discover something new about yourself (or rediscover something fundamental) through your writing.

Our creative play and self-discovery will center around that theme for the week.

Metaphors are beautiful and powerful things—they make big, beautiful ideas and dreams into tangible things you can step in or gaze at…

The Story Underground

Scratch below the surface to learn more about who you are and what matters to you. Try out some fun creative writing technique and a simple but powerful mind-mapping doodle…

Creative Constellations

Gaze up at the stars and think about the creative inspiration that nurtures you and how you can find more in your life. Write, but also chart your stars with an invitation to doodle and draw.

Creative Waterfalls

You’ll work with your creative constraints and the obstacles in your life and learn to see them from new perspectives. And speaking of new perspectives, learn to ‘see things differently’ with a fun and coloring project that will give you a fresh view of things.

Remember Your Roots

You’ll put all your creative play together in a final chapter that will help you capture your moments with a new purpose and use mindful, creative play to help you create anything you want…

We’ll experiment with a unique, visual approach to writing.

This is something you may not have encountered before in a writing class.

You might be thinking something like this:

• I’ve never ‘arted’ before…

• I’m not good a drawing…

• I haven’t colored in ages…

that’s exactly the POINT.

No, you don’t need a background in art, a degree, previous experience or anyone’s permission to do this for your writing, your creativity and yourself (and have a blast.)

If you’ve been struggling to find your words?

The little details that make your writing real or even the grain of a good memory or story, using visual journaling, dooding, coloring and non-linear writing can help you write in a different way—adding more fun, creating a better flow of ideas and just letting you get down to business.

And if you’re already an established writer?

Thinking you might not need coloring and doodling to get you going—well, wait ‘till you try it. This will be an ‘eye-opening’ experience for you.

Trisha helped me give myself permission to make a mess. I’d never thought of using doodling as way to stimulate creativity in my writing and was surprised by the results. I also loved her writing prompts, which got me thinking about parts of myself I’d forgotten about.

If you’re new to journalling, this course offers a safe, supportive learning environment where you can develop your creativity. You can share as much or little as you want and Trisha is always on hand to answer questions in the Facebook group. I especially liked the way she showed us examples of her own work in the videos.

This course is not just for beginners. If you’ve been writing for a while like me, you’ll also get a lot out of it. I love trying out different creative techniques and This Story Starts Underground gave me a fresh perspective on my own writing.

Thanks, Trisha!

—Linda Alley 2019

We’ll support each other in a small creative community.

You’ll get an invitation to a small, private discussion group to help you work with the right mindset and draw inspiration from others.

I’ll post weekly videos. And you’ll see what other people are coming up with, ask your questions, and share (if you like).

And don’t worry, I know, some of your writing is just for yourself. Sharing is always optional.

Have you tried writing alongside others before? It’s a powerful thing.

You’ll find surprises, invitations, permissions and plenty of inspiration

What if I really want to write, but I’m not sure I’m a writer in English yet?

Part of the beauty of being multilingual is that you decide who you are in all of the languages you speak. I know, because I live and play in multiple languages. And maybe the idea for this program also came from the fact that journaling, playing and writing ‘like a writer’ in French is just part of who I am.

And guess what that means? It means that when I engage in creative play the words show up in more than one language. I encourage you to do the same and if you join our community and come out to share, you’ll find you’re not alone.

This isn’t a learning English program—but look—if you made it this far, and you read all of this? I think you might be more ready than you think. And if you have doubts, get in touch with the form at the bottom of the page. I can help you figure out what’s best for you.

In the meantime…some wise words from someone who knows:

I wasn’t quite of how the journaling exercises would be. I was afraid of not being able to do them, but most of them was very simple and extremely powerful.

I wanted to improve my English writing skills, but I didn’t know where to start. Plus I was insecure about my grammar and I wasn’t sure if jumping into an english writing program would be the best option at that moment. When Trisha told me about the details of the creative journaling program I knew that would be a good way to start.

I had always struggled with writing, and frequently it has been painful process. The most helpful thing about the creative journaling experience was to get rid of all the pressure and allow myself to had some fun with it, relax and let my thoughts and words just flow. Also, it helped me to enjoy and trust the process and stop being so worried and critic about the results I would get. I find myself losing track of time in many exercises.

This is a great opportunity to dive deep into yourself and in the language you didn’t grow up speaking (if that’s the case). English is not the language I grew up speaking and for many years I thought I didn’t belong to me. The journaling experience had shown me that writing about myself and things that make sense and matters to me, is a great way to develop a intimacy with a language.

—Isabella Moimaz—2019

Ready to dig in, make a mess, play…and create something again?

The next round of This Story Starts Underground officially starts Thursday, June 25th.

Want to reserve your spot now?  Just click the button below.  

Need to get in touch?

Still have questions about the program? 

Maybe you're still not sure if the This Story Starts Underground is for you? Get in touch. 

I'm happy to answer your questions and point you in the right direction.