glitterchowder

✨ Why Strangers? Why is it that we are able to tell strangers some of the most tender parts of our lives but often struggle to get support or be seen by our close circle? What if we had a place to practice active listening, tuning into our intuition and the wisdom of our bodies? What if we could hold hopes and dreams for one another - the ones that feel too big to carry alone? A growing body of research has found that talking with strangers can contribute to our well-being. Even passing interactions can enhance empathy, happiness, and cognitive development, ease loneliness and isolation, and root us in the world, deepening our sense of belonging. ✨ What's Actually Happening? Allison will host a collaborative conversation about the places we may be looking for support - love, wisdom, courage and strength through some gentle movements, a conversation game and some intuitive art making: collages, mark-making, stamp-making. This is a co-created space for exploring ideas, sharing, listening and whatever that comes up in the moment - whether you’re new to the conversation or returning, have a thriving art practice or not - you are welcome! Using a conversation deck we will explore different levels around the themes of love, wisdom, courage and strength. Some reflections will be about looking into the past and some into the future. Players may choose to share as much or as little as feels helpful. Between sessions of game play, there will be solo making sessions to use our creativity and turn inwards to notice and document what stands out to us. As a part of the community practice, at the end there will be a chance to exchange your affirmation card with someone if their story stood out to you, or/and have it documented to a collective deck that will be presented in a Slice of Life Gallery show in August. *Disclaimer: Allison is not a licensed therapist. “My work and this practice comes from my observations as a community engaged artist, working in the social sector and my own lived experiences. My training as a designer and human-centered research inspires me to imagine different kinds of tools for auto-ethnography - the ways we might seek to notice and understand the world around us. It is in these moments of connection and deepening our relationship with our intuition and less dominant narratives I think we can be more present with ourselves and each other for richer connections and communities".