Canvas & Supplies Note: The painting demo is on a wood in a 24 x 48 size. You can use wood or canvas in a 1x2 ratio or 30x40 canvas - whatever you have. The first part demonstrates a process using Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay India Ink, but you can use black paint if you don't have black ink on hand.

A Note from Shiloh Sophia about the SoulFire Series
There is so much I care about seeing transformed in the world, as you well know. I started all of this work in the world with art as a path of healing in my desire to end suffering for women and girls. Without actually planning it, art became the method by which I attempt this. My work now is to teach others so they can share their gifts and unique content with the world – and ease whatever suffering is connected to their piece of the red thread and their heart desires.

I teach you everything I know – I pretty much share and bare it all. But if I cannot pass on the gift of HOW to think and access YOUR own material I don’t know what good all my teaching is. In our initial interview, I spoke to you about this – about this training being a vehicle, a way to your own gifts. With this series what I have to share with you is about how to think and access your own material. To get it conscious and create deeper access.

For this, we need the energy of SOUL FIRE!!!! I have found that most women feel called the the energy of the ALCHEMIST  - one who can transform one thing to another....by choice. The painting is the PLACE where our alchemy lab is located.

“Whatever is rejected from the self, appears in the world as an event.”~ Carl Jung

During the Soul Fire Session Videos, you are invited to be SUPER present so ideas arrive for you and TO YOU while you are creating. The vision is to create an ‘arena’ in which information will ARISE for you, to you, and through you. This is a sacred vessel - this area is your alchemical consciousness and your painting is holding the actual physical space for it to emerge. We call this area alchemical consciousness, it's a new place to play in the field.

You will notice many similarities in this material to other classes rooted in the Intentional Creativity method, similar to what we did when we worked with the Muse painting as well as in the Talisman and the Legendary Self paintings. However, with Soul Fire, we go to another layer. There will be some repetition for learning so when you teach you will have these tools (wing, heart, right left brain etc.) used as a foundation - then, something emerges all together different. A powerful call to freedom - to you finding your own voice and even, releasing what you  have already learned. I am asking you to look through a deeper lens with intense attention to what is happening for you, and to you, while you are painting. DURING THE PAINTING YOU CAN ACCESS A HEIGHTENED INTUITION that will not have to leave you again.

SOUL FIRE IS A TRANSMISSION of the ESSENCE OF INTENTIONAL CREATIVITY.

Let's talk about the process:
The first strokes you are invited back to the quest – to your inquiry and then you consciously light the soul fire on the heart.

If you don’t want to do a heart – then choose another image that works for you. I work with it so much because it means so much to me and is such a symbol for both love and awakening. Once you really get the hang of your illustration, use whatever symbols you want to – I often work with these common ones because they resonate with so many women.

You will notice once again, in video 4, I work with the past, present, and future, – and yes we have already done that in other arenas. We spend less time on it in this series but we do this to get it conscious. Your past isn’t just the old stuff – its the stuff that happened yesterday and we want it ALL CONSCIOUS. This is a GREAT pattern to work with in any of your Color of Woman 13 step workshops.

Remember, the invitation is to allow information to come WHILE you are painting in the process. In the outline of the painting (Session One Part 2) we define an ‘arena’ in which we work and think. Yes, this takes us back to the compass concept – a way of ‘navigating’ our inner world.

When you work with intentional creativity, the information you seek is within you and when, through prayer, dreams, desires, it is combined with the Love of the Divine it can be quite powerful. However, for it to be in alignment in this particular way, you may have to surrender something connected with your ego…that which is called will, or that which you know. During the Soul Fire painting sessions I would like you to SURRENDER and be free in your strokes. If flashes of insight come, jot them down and return to the painting. We focus so much on will and force, we often miss the grace of receiving that happens when we surrender our will and allow the divine to flow through us in our work.


Each spiritual tradition has their own teaching on surrendering and allowing the Divine to work in your life and, of course, you will find your own way. But what if instead of focusing your intention in a determined affirmation-energy-kind-of-way (I WILL GET THE INFORMATION I NEED), you hold it loosely like a flower. Come humbly and look for some insight; gently move into the inquiries. Surrendering needing-to-know or having it be life-changing (we secretly long to have our boats rocked instantly), opens us to the flow of information connected with the Divine’s plan for us – instead of our plan.

This is a gentle approach holding the process with a light touch, softening our forehead and hearts into a space of possibility instead of needing to KNOW NOW.

You are your own guide.

Blessings in your painting dear ones. Blessings.
Shiloh Sophia

A bonus video from 2014 in which Maestra Shiloh Sophia talks about Soulfire, tribe, being "healed enough", levels of consciousness, and the critic and the muse! Settle in and enjoy this half hour talk...

Write a paragraph describing Intentional Creativity in your own words.

As you move through the world and share about this training and your teaching events, people are going to ask you - "What do you mean by Intentional Creativity?" This assignment is an opportunity to find your own language around the philosophy of Intentional Creativity.

This is a great exercise to write up on your own and then share with each other so that you can find  ways to talk about the method. When refined, this will make a great addition to your website! (A draft version is fine for submission.)

You will be able to use anything presented in this livestream to teach your own Dancing Between Worlds Class. Watching will give you an idea of a half day class you can teach in person or virtually. Following up on the Mountain Session (if you haven’t watched please do) you will see how to apply Intentional Creativity to any theme and create curriculum out of it. Shiloh’s theme of women between worlds is a topic she has taught on for over twenty years in different ways that really resonates with students. Of course, you can change the name, make it your own and discover a deeper love of how to work with IC and the body.

What was your personal experience of discovering Intentional Creativity? How does IC fit into the larger story of your Lineage?

Consider sharing about the circumstances when you first encountered IC, who introduced you to the method, and the details of how you joined the lineage. This is often an engaging story and you'll find this share to be a wonderful post on your website, lovely in an opening circle and an enrolling conversation to potential students!

Consider how to tell the story with you as an integral piece - what message was passing from hand to hand until it arrives to you as an IC Teacher and then passes on to your students as the continued lineage? What would you "carve in stone"?
 
There is much flexibility in how you choose to write this and build the field of acknowledgement. Place yourself inside a worthy story!

An Artist’s Statement is a declaration of your artist self and explanation of "why you do what you do".  The Artist Statement is a way for people to connect with you and deepen their appreciation of your work. There many different kinds and styles and it is quite worthwhile to go on a research expedition and read the statements of artists you admire. This process of creating an Artist Statement helps you understand what it is you are doing, find language around it and illuminates how you are relating to yourself as Artist.

Pick one of these as way to begin:

• What is your inspiration for creating?
• Is there a guiding value or idea that informs your work?
• What is the emotional point of view of your work?
• How is your art related to the way you look at life? How can you talk about the work from a conceptual and/or emotional point of view? 
• What do you want people to know about your work?

Read Examples from Sue Hoya Sellars, Shiloh Sophia, Emily Grieves & Jassy Watson

A Creative Bio highlights your accomplishments in paragraph form as well as your influences, experiences, and your artistic perspective.

You'll want to include

• Relevant education, experience or training including mention of your Intentional Creativity Training.
• Important exhibits, accolades, awards as applicable.
• Influences and inspirations for your artistic direction.
• A description of your current offerings (workshops, private practice etc).
• A description of your current work or projects.
• Where you were born and where you currently live.
• Something quirky and inspiring to elevate it to a 'creative' bio!

Expect your bio to be about a half a page in length.

For this assignment you will also submit a current photo of yourself that represents your teacher self. (Photo dimensions are up to you.)

Visit the websites of some of your favorite inspiring people and see what they said that you like. You can update it as often as you like - it is one of those things that keeps evolving. New items will replace less relevant things as your journey continues.