-> 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”, “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.) Please check with your caregiver if they think Life Book can support you on your mental health journey if you have any doubts.
• 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 40 – 50% 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 you need to join Life Book

• You will need a high speed internet connection to be able to download and watch the videos. If you have a slower connection it’s still possible to stream the videos online (depending on your speed) and you can also learn through the PDFs, but the best option is to have a high speed internet connection.
• You need to be relatively IT capable. Being part of this course involves things like reading emails, navigating sites like Facebook, downloading PDFs and uploading images to Facebook. If you’re having trouble with some IT related stuff, some help can be offered, but in depth IT guidance is not offered.
• If you are planning on downloading and keeping the videos you will need to make sure you have approx 80 – 100 gbs available. We recommend you buy a separate external hard drive to which you can download all the lessons). The course is not available on DVD or disc drive.

-> About Supplies

• Here is a tentative supply list. Pls note: you don’t have to buy all the products on this list. Start with what you have and buy only if you really want to buy the products listed. Basic starter pack would be:

We encourage people as much as possible to ‘make-do’ with what they have available and buy some supplies here and there, but overall you can replace and substitute what the teachers use with what you already have. If you wanted to buy the bare essentials, I would buy: 

• • a pad of watercolour paper 140lbs (300gsm) 12 x 9″ or 16 x 12 hotpressed
  • a pencil to draw with + eraser
  • some neocolor II crayons, colours: 1. salmon 2. magenta 3. teal 4. orangish yellow
  • a set of watercolour paints
  • student grade acrylics set
  • 1 white posca pen/ 1 black posca pen (fine nibs) 
  • some gel medium (impasto gel)
  • some collage papers
  • small pot of white gesso + a brayer

-> Regarding the personal development exercises

Creativity can have a wonderfully beneficial impact on people’s mental health; it lowers stress levels and is meditative and relaxing. On Life Book, we also include some intentional healing exercises. Examples are: self empathy exercises, how to work feelings & needs (based on nonviolent communication), shadow work, working through anxiety and fear and overcoming the inner critic.

That said:

• Most teachers on the Life Book Team are not qualified therapists and therefore it is imperative that Life Book is not considered a substitute or a replacement for face-to-face therapy. Life Book is designed to help and encourage the participant to love and accept themselves more fully through personal development exercises and their creativity. 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 therapeutic treatment, but should not be used as a main form of treatment for any mental health issues. If you are under the care of a mental health professional please check with them to see if they think this course is an appropriate supplemental support for you.

We deeply hope you’ll join Life Book 2021!!