Whole Creative Living Collective

The Reading Room:
Focused, Hybrid Coworking for Creativity + Connection

Thursdays from 11am to 1pm at Story Parlor (and Virtual)
Doors open at 10:45am
In Person & Online

Coworking, also known as parallel play or body doubling, is not just for kids—it’s a powerful antidote to burnout and an integral part of your whole creative life.

Join us on Thursdays from 11am to 1pm to commit to doing something you want to get done in your creative practice or anything that supports your creative practice.

Inside The Reading Room, hosted at Story Parlor (and virtually), you’ll find accountability, focus, and most importantly—a community of people who are also working toward their creative goals despite living in a time of great instability and chaos. History has proven that in times like these, artists and creatives need community support—more than ever!—to continue to make their work and nurture their well-being.

EACH SESSION FEATURES

• an actual reading room vibe (low lighting, wooden floors, and bookshelves brimming with creatively inspired titles) thanks to our host location at Story Parlor
• a community check in
• a guided grounding exercise to support finding our way back to center
• themed-intention setting for our work

During the session, Faye D’Avanza, a certified Inward & Artward creative facilitator, will keep time and be available if you have a question or need a celebratory high five or maybe even a hug.

This is a come as you are space. To make yourself feel more comfortable, bring a snack, your favorite beverage, laptop charger, and headphones.

WHO IS THIS FOR?
—Anyone wanting to dedicate more time, energy, and focus to their creative work.
—Anyone wanting to meet new creative friends and connect with a community of creative seekers.
—Anyone who feels stressed, anxious, tired, burned out, or stuck in their creative life and is looking for a courageous space to connect with their creativity in a low-pressure environment with group accountability.
—Anyone who values showing up for themselves, their creative practice, and their community so that we can all be well, create, and thrive.

HOW TO JOIN
There are two ways to join us for The Reading Room.

You may run out of energy, but not creativity.
--Rick Rubin

Beyond Creative Burnout:
A 6-Week Workshop to Rest, Digest, Play, and Create Again
Thursdays, Feb 5; 12; 19; 26 and March 5; 12
6pm-8:15pm
Story Parlor in West Asheville

About Beyond Creative Burnout
As creatives, our relationship with stress is deeply intertwined with our art, influencing our lives in ways that can both move us forward or leave us feeling trapped in time like a broken clock with gears stuck, springs unwound, the weight of the world creating too much pressure. But we are not machines and we are not broken—we are artists living in human bodies that sometimes, without us even realizing it, get stuck in the stress response cycle, experiencing a state of depletion that robs us of our vitality known as creative burnout.

Come heal and grow mighty in a community of creative peers in this grounding, heart-centered, and joyful 6-week workshop where we will explore the energetic cycles of rest, digest, play, and create that are vital to your well-being as an artist living in the 21st-century, led by Inward & Artward Creative Facilitator J. Faye D’Avanza, a creativity coach and author of the indie newsletter Keeping Creative Time.

This workshop will share inspiration and research found in literature alongside nourishing body-mind practices to help you find your way out of the stress response cycle when life in the modern world feels overwhelming—including tools to ground and regulate your nervous system, evidence-based stress management practices, and nourishing ways to rebalance and feel your whole creative life again. Whether you’re a professional artist seeking to deepen your creative practice, a teaching artist looking to support your students’ creativity from a holistic lens, or simply someone who wants to feel more grounded and alive as a creative person—this relational creative healing workshop is for you.

Faye has dedicated her creative-based business, Library of Care, to supporting individuals, communities, and businesses in transforming the way we care for our creativity—our source of power—and is honored to hold this space with you as we enter the season of new beginnings seeking more connection to our creative communities and joy in our one wild and precious creative life.

What Past Participants Are Saying
“This class was incredible. I’m so happy I was able to participate. I may not be completely back into my creative processes/self, but it’s a work in progress and I’m definitely doing more than I was. This class helped me get over my fear to start again, because creativity can be many different things.” —fellow burnout buddy

“I moved to Asheville a few months before this class, and Story Parlor was one of the places I noticed and felt drawn to explore most. Faye's burnout workshop was my first social endeavor in the community. It exceeded my expectations regarding the topic covered, the fun solutions offered, the care and kindness extended throughout, and the quality of amazing humans who attended. I learned a lot about burnout symptoms, how to manage them in simple ways daily, and even overcame an anxiety issue during our time together. The compassion, creativity, and community resonated with me.” —fellow burnout buddy

“Faye is such a heartfelt, kind, creative, and overall good human. Thank you for providing such a helpful class at a time when I needed it. It has helped propel me into other positive things! Thank you!” —fellow burnout buddy“I learned a lot about how easy it is to let things slide when you don’t prioritize your rest and play. I learned about my own habits and the reason why I’m sometimes scared to engage with myself, even if I know it will be good for me.” —fellow burnout buddy

“My biggest takeaway was the idea of closing the stress cycle rather than being stuck in a stress response without any relief*. I had never thought of it that way before. It's a very quick way to help yourself cope in a healthy way rather than spiral or resist what is happening.” —fellow burnout buddy

"Faye is wonderful and to have her as my intro teacher to Story Parlor, I look forward to attending many more events and classes.” —fellow burnout buddy

“The articles, videos, etc. that are shared in the class portal were fantastic! I loved the variety!” —fellow burnout buddy

Who is This For

• Anyone curious about what it means to live a whole creative life.
• Anyone who feels stressed, anxious, tired, burned out, or stuck in their creative life and is looking for a deep soul reset in a group setting.
• Anyone looking to explore their relationship with creativity, energy, stress management, and self-healing.
• Anyone who values personal creative expression, learning through books, the wisdom of the body, and shared community experiences that enhance connection to ourselves and our communities.
• Anyone ready to dive into the waters of relational creative healing, a therapeutic approach that combines multi-disciplinary creative arts with a focus on relationships to foster emotional growth and healing.

A Monthly Soul Reset for More Community, Connection, and Creativity

Nourish yourself through the power of community, connection, and creativity in this monthly drop-in group that invites you to reflect, share, and engage with what it means to live a whole creative life. Whether you are looking to engage with other creative seekers, reset your creative soul, or just need an encouraging space to practice creative habits—we’ve got you!

LET'S TALK BEYOND CREATIVE BURNOUT | Webinar
Remember How Rest, Digest, Play, and Create Again

You may run out of energy, but not creativity. --- Rick Rubin


As creatives, our relationship with stress is deeply intertwined with our art, influencing our lives in ways that can both move us forward or leave us feeling trapped in time like a broken clock with gears stuck, springs unwound, the weight of the world creating too much pressure. But we are not machines and we are not broken—we are artists living in human bodies that sometimes, without us even realizing it, get stuck in the stress response cycle, experiencing a state of depletion that robs us of our vitality known as creative burnout.

Join J. Faye D’Avanza—author of the newsletter and guide to Keeping Creative Time, artist, librarian, yogi, and creative coach—for a grounding, heart-centered session designed to help you learn about the body’s stress response cycle, be inspired to take creative action, and experience the wisdom of the body to feed your creative joy.

In this live webinar, Faye will share inspiration and research found in literature alongside nourishing body-mind practices to help you find your way out of the stress response cycle when life in the modern world feels overwhelming—including tools to ground and regulate your nervous system, evidence-based stress management practices, and nourishing ways to rebalance and feel your whole creative life again. Whether you’re a professional artist seeking to deepen your creative practice, a teaching artist looking to support your students’ creativity from a holistic lens, or simply someone who wants to feel more grounded and alive as a creative person—this session is for you.

Faye has dedicated her creative-based business, Library of Care, to supporting individuals, communities, and businesses in transforming the way we care for our creativity—our source of power—and is honored to hold this space with you as we enter the season of new beginnings seeking more connection to our creative communities and joy in our one wild and precious creative life.

What Past Participants Are Saying
“Faye encourages participants to get curious about their own coping strategies with stress and anxiety and to question what’s working and what isn’t. She leaves you with concrete, tangible tools, a refreshed sense of inner wisdom that we can break free from harmful habits and ways of being when we better understand ourselves and the ways we crave change. I want Faye to lead this webinar for the doctors I work with who struggle with burnout!”
–Taylor Rose E.

Who Is This For

• Anyone curious about what it means to live a whole creative life.
• Anyone who feels stressed, anxious, tired, burned out, or stuck in their creative life and is looking for a deep soul reset in a group setting.
• Anyone looking to explore their relationship with creativity, energy, stress management, and self-healing.
• Anyone who values personal creative expression, learning through books, the wisdom of the body, and shared community experiences that enhance connection to ourselves and our communities.
• Anyone ready to dive into the waters of relational creative healing, a therapeutic approach that combines multi-disciplinary creative arts with a focus on relationships to foster emotional growth and healing.