Praise for Life Book by Previous Participants

Unbelievable, Life changing, jammed packed classes for any skill level. Wonderful teachers that explain and guide you to create in a loving environment. They even have a Facebook group just for you and your class mates to share and support one another. You will not be sorry, Tam is amazing and will have you relaxed and comfortable and all the teachers are as well. There is something in Life Book that is waiting for just you. – Denise Sorro-Butler – Tennessee, USA

Honestly, it is the best course I have taken in my life (seriously). I have learned so much and it is helping to make my art evolve.  The teachers are wonderful.  If you would’ve shown me some of the pieces I did from this course a year ago,  I wouldn’t have believed I could have created them. This is the most amazing course EVER!  I am so glad I stumbled across the mention on Facebook. – Susan Romita – New York, USA

I have grown so much and learned so much about how my different art materials work. I’ve struggled and been astounded at things I’ve created. I’ve been blown away by some of my fellow classmates’ work, and I am determined not to compare my near-beginning to someone else’s middle! I’ve learned how to fix things if I mess up and I’m more confident in my work. And I had fun! I think you undervalue the course – it is worth far more than we pay for it. But I understand you want to keep it affordable for a larger number of people. And Tam, I love love love the little dance you do at the beginning of your videos! It makes me so happy. – Life Book is an amazing mixed media journey with a great variety of teachers, where you have a lesson each week and you learn more than you ever thought possible. It’s an amazing value for what you receive. You MUST do it! –  Kim DuPree

Life Book is a weekly on line event that is like a party and a classroom. It teaches participants skills in self-care and emotional well-being that I, as a licensed professional counselor, could charge a tidy sum to teach! Combining this teaching with art is the kind of art therapy we taught in the residential program where I worked. Tam and her guest artists do this in lovely non-intrusive ways that are not overwhelming for any one who has not experienced it, but are satisfying for those of us who have. Further, where ever you place yourself on the continuum of skill as an artist, you will still grow and learn from this course. The classes with Tam are priceless, then she adds guests artists to bring in their unique perspectives. I look forward to find this in my email every week! I highly recommend it for all!! – Janet Howerton

Life Book > More Information and Teacher Line Up!

Tam provides completely new (unseen) art lessons to Life Book each year (there are no repeat lessons apart from the binding videos posted in December). Please note: the personal development themes will overlap/ be similar and be repeats from previous years and may include meditations that have been included before. Though the art lessons are new each year, techniques/ topics or styles that were covered in previous years may be repeated. Tam’s Life Book lessons become available in a self study group once the Life Book year is finished. These classes are called; Life Book Tam Editions.

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Who are the awesome artists & experts
contributing to Life Book?

Who can sign up to Life Book?

Can I join Life Book too if I haven’t done any art before?

OF COURSE YOU CAN! Life Book is for EVERYONE! :) Sure, the course will be easier if you’ve done some art already, but don’t deprive yourself of learning the awesome magic making and healing power of art just because you haven’t done it before! The course is suitable for beginners/ intermediates and masters alike! Everyone will get something different out of the course. The course is run in an open, supportive, inclusive and encouraging environment where you can play, experiment, make a ‘fool’ of yourself and start all over again! There will be no judgement, we will only love you and encourage you! :) All lessons are conducted in such a way that you can follow the tutors step by step, so you can do what they do, and if that bores you, then you can go totally off the rails and do your own thing inspired by their lesson! Sounds good? :) You are loved and welcome here, no matter what skill level, for serious! :D xoxoox

Things to consider before joining:

Life Book is all about “inclusivity” and welcomes every person no matter gender, ethnicity, religious background or age. That said, the course might not be suitable for you if:

• You are under the age of 18 – it is recommended that children and teenagers do the course with a parent or custodian mainly because of the personal development element of the course. (Many parents have done the course with their teenage or younger children, if you have questions about this pls email us on hello@willowing.org).
• If you are bothered by references that are more ‘new age/ “woo woo”‘ in nature. We may refer to concepts such ‘the inner goddess’, ‘the muse’, “Intuition”, “Angel Energy”, “Shamanism”, “Mandalas”, “Crystals”, “Yoga”, “Sacred Ritual”, “Being Here Now” etc.
• If you strongly do not enjoy or if you do not want to be exposed to personal development/ healing concepts (though these sections can be skipped)
• If you are hoping that each lesson will present a completely new technique and that no technique is ever repeated. Each lesson is fresh and newly created by each teacher, BUT we all work in the same field, so we will likely overlap with some techniques here and there. That doesn’t mean you don’t learn anything new because we all do something different with each technique, each teacher has their own unique style and creates amazing work, just be aware that some techniques may overlap or that some styles are similar.
• If you hope that Life Book can be the sole treatment for an existing mental health issue (Life Book can be used in support of a therapy treatment, but should not be used as the only treatment for a mental health issue.)
• If you don’t like drawing faces/ portraits. Though all lessons are different and many lessons will not include drawing/ painting a face, expect approx 30-40% of the lessons to include a face of some sorts (either attached to a little whimsical body or as an actual portrait by itself). The rest of the lessons can include: art journalling work, abstract shapes, natural shapes (flowers/ trees etc), animals, whimsical characters, landscapes including houses etc.

What do I need and need to know in order to join Life Book?

• You will need a highspeed internet connection to be able to download and the videos. If you have a slower connection you can stream the videos online and/ or learn through the PDFs, but the best option is to have a highspeed internet connection.
• It will be helpful to have a basic understanding of IT, like reading emails, navigating sites like Facebook and flickr etc. If you’re having trouble with some IT related stuff some help can be given, but in depth IT guidance cannot be given.
• If you are planning on downloading and keeping the videos you will need to make sure you have “a few” gigabytes available. Each video can be between 200 – 900 MB in size. Multiply that by at least 32 lessons and you can see you’ll need quite a bit of space! (Aim for a minimum of 80 gbs – we recommend you buy a separate external hard drive to which you can download all the lessons). Unfortunately I am unable to offer the entire class on DVD/ CD (it would be at least 20 DVDs).
• With regards to the personal development exercises: please understand that none of the art teachers on the course are qualified psychotherapists or psychologists. Therefore if you are prone to depression or if you think you might be triggered through one of the healing exercises it’s important that you only embark upon the healing exercises knowing that you have an adequate support system around in the form of friends, family and/or a therapist to help you deal with painful stuff should this happen. Though there will be an ’emotional support thread’ on the course available, the teachers and I are not able to provide you with in depth emotional support (as much as we would want to!)
• This course should not be considered a substitute or a replacement for face-to-face therapy. It is designed to help and encourage the participant to love and accept themselves more fully through personal development exercises and connecting with their inner creative nature. Participants who suffer from any kind of mental health issues are advised to seek the help from mental health professionals. Life Book can be used as a supplement to any therapy treatment, but should not be used as a main form of treatment for any mental health issues.
• The course is not based on any specific religious faith but may refer to and base lessons on and around ‘non-dual/ new age’ teachings. The course is inclusive of every human being regardless of their chosen faith (or non-faith). The theme focus of the course is ‘self-development/ self-love/ self-healing’. We may refer to concepts such as: “The Goddess in You”, “Intuition”, “Shamanism”, “Mandalas”, “Crystals”, “Yoga”, “Sacred Ritual”, “Being Here Now” etc.

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