We are thrilled to have the lovely and talented Cassia Cogger with us today sharing the story behind her first book, "Creating Personal Mandalas". We met Cassia through the magic of Instagram, and we featured her in an artist mother interview last August here . I finally goto to speak with her on the phone recently and it was like talking to a friend I've known forever. Thank you for sharing with us today, Cassia! We are excited and can't wait to see your book!
“I believe we all have the instrinsic ability and desire to create. Most people who aren’t acting on this urge crave permission and direction. “Creating Personal Mandalas” is an art instructional and so much more. Exercise after exercise walks the participant back to their authentic voice through creative expression.”
Cassia holding the advance of her book right after it arrived last week!
In Cassia's Own Words:
From chaos to calm through creative expression, yes really. This is not only possible it is my reality. Paintings as prayers, mark making as meditations. These simple acts allow me time to process and parse my experiences in the world around me and I believe can help others, yes you, do the same.
I didn’t realize this was the case until my creative practice started to fall to the wayside. A wonderful daughter followed by an amazing son in tandem with an online business outside of the artistic realm led to my energies focusing elsewhere. Slowly but surely it began to feel like life swirled around me. I felt increasingly lost and slightly disconnected. We moved across country to a new town with a brand new community and I began to feel like nobody knew the real me. I was not fully, or even partially expressed.
After a life of painting and artistry I lost myself. I got busy in the day to day, the here to there, the need to go, go, go. I forgot how to create, how to express. I forgot how to sit still. I forgot myself, but I knew I was still there and I craved to reconnect.
Through one experience then the next I found my way back to myself. I stumbled upon sacred geometry. As I began to explore it calm began to return to what felt like the chaos in my body. One night I pulled out a compass, drew a circle and everything started to fall in to place. I literally began to reconnect to parts of myself, the creative, expressive soul inside in a way I never thought possible.
This was the space in which my Story Circles were initially created. It was here that the seeds for “Creating Personal Mandalas” were planted.
This combination of simple, sacred geometry (shapes and symbols, balance and symmetry that exists in nature and the universe at large), basic knowledge of the mandala (circular drawings), and my deep artistic background opened the gates to back myself in a profound way.
For the first time I consciously realized I could find healing through creative expression and connection with self, through a blend of geometry, drawing and visual story telling? I also realized anyone could regardless of their abilities.
Fast forward 4 years. My creative practice has grown and shifted. My Story Circles remain an integral part of it and have taken various directions in numerous mediums. I developed my Story Circles class shortly after developing the personal practice and have taught it many times. I am now on the cusp of the release of my first book, “Creating Personal Mandalas: Story Circle Techniques in Watercolor and Mixed Media” sharing all that I have learned and guiding you on your own journey in creative expression and self connection.
As I sit and reflect I know that one truly can move from chaos to calm through creative expression and just want to say if you’re interested in exploring I’m happy to show you the way…
*I you’re interested in exploring there is a free chapter including 2 two step by step creative exercises from “Creating Personal Mandalas” available as a download here.
*This post was originally shared on Cassia's blog here.