Last Spring, I decided to join Maegan's Creativity Boot Camp. I was in the middle of my 365Project and figured I could use the help and inspiration to keep me picking up the camera. I needed to jumpstart the ol' creative juices.

Best. Thing. Ever.

I had an absolute blast, turned out some fantastic images (*ahem) and best of all, met some absolutely amazing women that I'm still friends and photo buddies with to this day. So many good things came out of being a part of Meagan's class.

Creativity Boot Camp, just like our little group here, is open to all creative types. Although f52 has only managed to attract a small number of creatives outside of photography, you will find quite a mixed bag over at Maegan's place. I was blown away by all of the talent there last year.

In Maegan's words, "This is not a photography course. This is not an art course. This is a YOU course!"

Although last year's Boot Camp was free of charge, this year's course cost is $49. I have to say, for all of the work that she puts into this, the cost is pennies. AND! Half of ALL monies collected this year will be donated to Show Hope. Because that's how Maegan rolls.

____________________________________________________

by Maegan Beishline
Madeline Bea Photography

Last year, when I designed and hosted the original Creativity Boot Camp, my goal was really about helping others to embrace their inherently creative natures and start investing in those aspects of their lives. Realizing that I could be creative for myself…and that it was necessary… was a huge revelation in my life. It was like opening the blinds and windows in a dark and dusty house. Not only that, but it led me down paths that were the most authentic to me and to places I never thought I could be. My life has never and will never be the same since. I really just wanted to share that with others.

As I stood on the cusp of this new year, my personal creative goals were very simple…become more artistic. I had spent 2010 working on my skill set, really learning my camera and the dynamics of photography. I knew that I had to {and would inevitably} learn more by my daily practice…but I wanted and needed more. It wasn’t enough for me to just be able to use my camera well…I wanted to be a good artist. And to me, that was about shaping my soul…because being a good artist absolutely has to come from within.

There is a saying that to make more interesting art, you need to become a more interesting person. So I set out to dive into a variety of artistic activities just to experiment and play with art and expand my personal set of experiences. I also made a very distinct point not to shy away from new opportunities. And I began reading everything I could get my hands on. I wanted growth in big ways. I’m still on this journey. Now that I’m here in this exploratory phase, I feel like this is what being an artist is all about…exploration.

When I thought about hosting Boot Camp again this year, I knew I could not simply duplicate last year’s course. I’m a different person now and the participants from last year have grown and matured in their creativity as well. I knew that I needed to up the game for everyone. So I designed the course around my current journey.

CBC: Spring Training is all about artistic exploration…and through that exploration, getting to know yourself as an artist. It is all about doing the work and flexing the creative muscles in an effort to get to the place where you are producing very authentic work…the work of your soul. Each day of the two week course, there will be a different essay on creativity, an activity to go along with that essay, and some ideas for journaling or further thinking. Also, throughout the course, there will be thoughts and inspiration shared by other artists to really dive into the different mediums.

Being an artist is easier than ever in today’s internet society. But it also makes it very easy to be someone who is really good at duplicating everyone else’s work and calling themselves an artist. This course is about finding and growing the artist within and learning how to have our work come from our most authentic places. We tend to be really comfortable working in our own traditional mediums. And this makes it easy to slip into repetitive patterns and not come up with new ideas. But by forcing ourselves to be creative in new and different ways, we get better at being creative on a whole. And ultimately, that is what will bring us to new creative levels!

I hope to see you there!

____________________________________________________

If you'd like to know more about Creativity Boot Camp, head on over to the website and check things out. While you're there, you can also download a glimpse of last year's course in a free ebook that Maegan generously put together.

Because, again, that's how she rolls :)

Boot Camp's coming! Are you ready?