The field: a completely living being, it is the space in between all bodies, human and non-human.
The field comprises our collective spirit, the wisdom of place, the totality of the void, and more.
Our teacher and our canvas, the field is an arena through which we encounter our own aliveness.
The Creative Field: a space for play, aliveness, and healing
A 6-week journey for creative leaders, held in Berkeley CA. A place to grow one’s capacity to listen for and move with inner wisdom. An embodied exploration of radical play with emergence. A collective experience of surfing waves of creative energy.
What happens when we let go of having the answers and trust in something deeper?
What moves through us when we shift from a self-image as master to one of instrument?
How can we better attune to ourselves, to one another, and the field when convening in groups?
How can we feel our fullest permission as individuals and also take responsibility for impact?
Why this? Why now?
Growing up in our cult of individualism, I’ve seen that our world that privileges one particular style of leader: the sole figurehead, the savior, the savant. We look to this individual to protect us from violence, or we seek to hold them accountable for all of the harm committed in the system.
Our dreams seemingly live and die on the premise of our relationship with this leader.
Individual leaders are often unequipped to resource from their own collective. Shadows (like shame, fear of losing power, tight grip on control) keep us from leveraging the full creative potential of our communities of practice. We burn out, become disillusioned, and ultimately abandon our dreams.
I have seen this play out in startups and corporations. I have seen it in organizing and politics. I have seen it in creative collaboration and the art world. It doesn’t work. At least, it doesn’t work for me.
When we project all of our hopes and all of our disdain on the same target, we are not as attuned to the ways that we are actively creating the environment that we live in. In order to live such that we dismantle structures of dominance, we must be actively practicing alternatives.
A general sense of panic has permeated the atmosphere. Rising talks of collective crisis or collapse. I experience more desparation, dissociation, despair from my loved ones than ever.
This desperation is calling us towards new models of operating in groups. Towards listening together to the land. Towards collective stewardship and buy-in at all organizational levels.
The Creative Field is a practice ground to bring these ideas into motion, into our bodies, and into our own lives and worlds. We need more prophets and fewer messiahs. And we cultivate that together.
Do I fit in here?
This is for you if:
- you’re eager to step into experimentation and collaboration with more ease
- you want to merge your creative flow with your impact as a leader in this world
- you’re curious or excited about the power of ritual to evoke transformation
- you yearn for spaces to unmask further and be witnessed for your inner gifts and challenges
- you’re ready for a sandbox to explore a new creative discipline, or to reconnect with a familiar one
- you reject our culture’s pervasive competitiveness, and want to explore worldbuilding with others
- you wonder about the relationships between creativity, transformation, and healing
- something on this page tugs at your heart and you don’t have the words for it yet
I’m intrigued, and still struggling to understand what we are actually going to do
That’s okay!
We will use a series of structured activities to build intimacy and trust in a shared space, shifting from strangers to collaborators over time. As we explore the field together, we will dance between structure and structurelessness, the former helping us access and find trust in the latter.
Importantly, this is not something I plan to devise and curate all on my own. My role in this is as steward of the space, overall, and to evoke in each participant your own inner leader, facilitator, curator, ritualist, healer, etc. This means that “what happens” is as much a mystery to me as it is to you.
The spider does not weave the web, the web weaves itself through the spider
- Bayo Akomolafe, after Fernand Deligny
For some, that might be thrilling. For others, daunting. Or perhaps this all still seems a bit abstract. If you wish to ~ experience ~ the field of emergence with me, I am hosting two introductory events this summer in Berkeley to play with these concepts in a more preliminary and accessible way.
I am also facilitating an emergent ritual during the Folding Fields performance art festival from June 27-29th. RSVP here!
You’re also always welcome to book a call with me to talk about this.
What’s the schedule and commitment?
We will meet for ~4 hours (2-6pm) every Saturday for 6 weeks in September and October. There will be assignments and take-away actions in between the sessions to keep the spirit of our emergent field alive during the entirety of the container. It should feel entirely fun, opt-in, and nourishing to your spirit and body.
Our likely schedule: Sept 13th, Sept 20th, Sept 27th, October 4th, October 11th, and October 18th.
The group might opt to organize some kind of gathering at the end: a showcase or performance to present what we are creating in our broader community. I will trust the wisdom of our convening for answers on on when and how that comes about.
What brings you to this work, Rishi?
My life’s work is that of listening, to myself, to others, and to the quiet voices that can only be heard when one takes the time to be still. This container is my way of sharing this practice with the world, and with those who might carry it forward. I deeply yearn to be in collaborations, teams, spaces, and communities where we are committed to listening, together.
This is work that has served me in organizing, artistic co-creation, organizational fluidity, and in my own relationship with uncertainty. It is influenced by experiences in immersive theater, coaching, spirituality, post-activism, tantra, shadow work, kink, and recovery from alcoholism.
This might be a big stretch for me
I truly believe in the artistic power of everyone. When we’re choosing what to eat or what music to listen to, when we’re having a conversation with a new friend, when we’re navigating confusing interactions with our family of origin, when we are dreaming about what might be different in our world, we are exercising our creative and artistic potential!
Many of us have learned to dismiss or put aside our natural sense of permission with that creativity, and with this work I hope to bring us back into that naturalness with a discerning eye for how it impacts others.
If you’re willing to take the leap, we will have you!
What is this going to cost?
Generally, I feel that work like this is best served by engaging in a practice of gifting (or dana). This can sometimes feel at odds with having a clear price and request for compensation, which is how I’m choosing to receive and be nourished by this work.
Consider the below an opening to a dialogue between many parties. If you feel a true affinity for our space, I am available to discuss any of this collaborate on how you can show up.
I price a seat in this group at $2000, and I welcome any contribution on a sliding scale from $1000 - $3000. Pay less if you feel you have fewer resources. Pay more if you want to support others to participate - and to support me!
For those who have limited access to money, I want you to feel welcome, too! I am offering a small number of scholarship or trade seats at values below $1000. Please check in with me personally via email or by indicating your need on the interest form.
Regardless of what I charge and what you pay, I offer this work in the spirit of gifting, service, and devotion. I sincerely hope that any financial compensation is given with the same spirit. I request that you genuinely consider what degree of contribution will most help you arrive in our space wholeheartedly and with a genuine enthusiasm for the work we will engage in together.