Reflections on - ‘HIDDEN STORIES – DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE’, Workshop with Christine Carlton
One of the bright spots at the end of 2020 was my attendance at Christine Carlton’s online workshop ‘Hidden stories – Do you see what I see’.
The workshop I went to was attended by people from all over Australia and two people from Indonesia and Norway. In a year where storytelling was adversely affected due to Covid, this workshop reminded me of the joys of storytelling.
The workshop was beautifully structured. It began with poetry for inspiration and then in small groups we were taken through some of the elements of creating a story. Our stories were based on our imaginative response to the visual arts. Using particular paintings Christine showed us some of the many untold stories residing in what we could see not only in the main subjects of paintings but also in the detail often overlooked in each painting.
We started by looking at the facts of each painting and then going further into our response by looking at colours, textures, sounds, emotions and smells evoked by the painting. We learnt that what isn’t in the picture also completes the picture.
Having been guided through some steps in creating a story we were sent away to create our own stories with the ultimate goal of telling them. At the end of the workshop, we all had an original and interesting story which we had created and were able to tell.
The workshop was a wonderful way of connecting to the power and joy of storytelling.
- Cherie Burns - Canberra.
Thank you for an enjoyable training experience. The two blocks of 2 hours worked well for me. I liked the theme, process and content. I felt inspired to write more stories about art. I enjoyed the time with the other participants and the safe and encouraging environment to learn. The learning that took place was I felt more imaginative than I realised. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in developing their storytelling skills and also to help build confidence around the same.
Theresa Wilkinson - Sydney
Excellent workshop. It was very clear what was planned and every step was carefully explained. I would have enjoyed another round of trying to tell the stories.
With clear instructions, small group work, getting to know people, learning new things, I enjoyed being challenged. I learned that I can improvise stories and improvise harp but I’ll have to practice them together. I loved the way the workshop gave me some relief from the Norway lockdown and helped me find more creativity.
Rebecca Harrisson - Norway