Putting pen to paper can be a challenge even for the most seasoned writers, which is why Habitat for the Arts is hosting a writing workshop to help get people鈥檚 creative juices flowing.
On August 12, Kamia Shepherd, a published author who was raised in Jasper as a little girl, will be hosting a three-hour writing workshop for adults. The following day she will also host a two-hour workshop for youth aged 12-17.
The adult workshop will focus on聽the importance of sharing unique voices, sustaining enthusiasm through a project, expanding an idea into a manuscript, and using Hatha yoga breathing techniques for overcoming writer鈥檚 block.
鈥淚 have been passionate about writing and storytelling since before I could actually write sentences,鈥� wrote Shepherd, who currently lives in the Columbia Valley.
鈥淲hen I was a little girl of five years of age, I constructed books with crayons and crookedly cut paper and would sit outside my house on Patricia Street in Jasper with a 聽鈥榝or sale鈥� sign until my Dad came home from work and bought one 鈥� Our basement was filled with books, and I often saw all my older siblings and parents reading. This introduced me to the transformative, educational and diverse imaginative worlds of the written word.鈥�
As an adult she has published two books The Seventh Sister and Soul Evolution, both of which look into the world of spirituality and divine consciousness.
聽She credits travelling for helping her discover her voice and writing her first book.
鈥淚 found a rich and fertile landscape for my imagination and self-expression when traveling extensively through my twenties,鈥� explained Shepherd. 鈥淚 wrote my first book, The Seventh Sister in part, through witnessing other cultures depiction of the divine, and seeking to find a deeper balance within myself for both a divine masculine and feminine.鈥� 聽
But just like any writer, she readily admits she has moments of self-doubt and sometimes struggles to find the time to sit down and write.
鈥淚鈥檇 say my greatest challenge as a published author is continually having faith that the messages I am sharing will be/can be of assistance, inspiration and affirmation for my audience,鈥� wrote Shepherd.
鈥淢y secret to sustaining enthusiasm is a keen sense of self knowledge.聽I choose projects that I love with every fiber of my being. When I birthed Soul Evolution it was through such聽passion.聽When we truly love and believe that our messages are of value to the world at large, it becomes easy to allow ourselves to claim time and energy to create.鈥�
To help her find that time and channel her creative energy she uses Hatha Yoga breathing techniques and meditation.
鈥淗atha Yoga breathing techniques can encourage people to release ego based fears surrounding their creative process by encouraging physical, mental, emotional and spiritual balance,鈥� wrote Shepherd.
鈥淚n my workshop I will use Hatha Yoga breathing and gentle guided meditation to encourage participants to correctly identify their 鈥榗reative style鈥� for success.鈥�
To register for the workshop, contact Habitat for the Arts through its Facebook page. The adult workshop costs $44 and runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 12. The youth workshop runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 13 and costs $25. Both workshops will be held at the Habitat for the Arts classroom in the Jasper Library and Cultural Centre (500 Robson Street).
鈥淚t is my sincere wish that participants will leave with a deeper sense of personal awareness, compassion towards themselves, and confidence in their creative written expression of self,鈥� wrote Shepherd.
Paul Clarke [email protected]
