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culture compass website

Culture Compass

The brainchild of Sebastian Flynn, Culture Compass works with refugees in Australia. The program, via workshop intensives, invites participants to explore the cultural environment of their past and present in order to create a positive vision (origination) for their future.
The opportunity to ‘tell a story’ and ‘articulate an experience’ to a genuinely empathetic and appreciative audience,” writes Sebastian, “can do much towards the process of reorientation and redirection of an individual as well as a community group.
The Culture Compass is designed with this possibility in mind. If the individual or group prefer not to actively address an audience, the presentation will be via a form of exhibition; this still enables the individual or group to ‘process’ their experience and to know that it is being shared. Origination* is a term I have devised to describe the positive inner ‘vision’ or inspirational internal ‘picture/memory’ (usually from one’s culture/country of origin) that continually informs the creativity or cultural vision/pursuit of an individual. “Culture” is used here in the general sense of embracing all human endeavour. Recreating or repairing this vision to create a better and fully integrated personal and collective future is the aim of the Culture Compass.”
The Culture Compass has been adopted by Multicultural Development Association and is being presented by MDA in association with SICA all across Australia.

Sebastian looks to further develop Culture Compass as an educational tool, as an engaging template to enable a school-age student to explore and record the aspects of a culture, as an aide memoir leading to further interest and study.

* The Culture of Possibility: Art, Artists & The Future, by Arlene Goldbard, Waterlight Press www.cultureofpossibility.net

Keys To Creativity

Keys to Creativity is SICA’s exciting new program of workshops — some for the general public and others for Subud members only — that focus on how we can discover, develop, own, use, and express our own creativity in our lives. The initial series of workshops launch in Australia and Europe in 2015.

KEYS TO CREATIVITY — EUROPE — (Subud Member Workshop Sessions)

“My Creative Journey” at the Subud Zone 4 Gathering in Budapest, Hungary, May 2015 (pictured below). Sessions were organized and led by Rusydah Ziesel with Gregory Gudgeon assisting.

This workshop invites you to take a creative journey with yourself in order to discover, develop, and express your own talents and creativity. It uses an arts-centered approach and a rich variety of materials — paint, paper, colors, music, song, dance, film, media, performance, story-telling. Accompanying kejiwaan sessions helped individuals explore their inner creativity and talent via the wellspring of our development: the latihan kejiwaan of Subud.

“The act of creation,” writes Rusydah Zeisel, “has something essential to do with inspiration and spontaneity. Indeed we will learn to value our intuition, and honor our inspiration and spontaneity. These are our tools.” Or as Bapak said in a talk in Cilandak on New Year’s Day in 1987: “So this is Subud — something spontaneous.”

KEYS TO CREATIVITY — AUSTRALIA — (Workshops for The General Public)

One-Day Workshops — During School Holidays in 2015.
Sessions led by Lee Heather, Agnes Palffi, and Sebastian Flynn.

Lee Heather Session:

Howard Gardner’s Theory of Seven Multiple Intelligences — Learning approaches and types: Visual-spatial, Bodily kinesthetic, Inter-personal, Intra-personal, Musical, Linguistic, Logical mathematical, etc. Creativity expressed via various human ‘intelligences’.

The role of mindfulness, stillness and silence in a creative approach. The Sedona Method of releasing emotional or historical blocks and letting go of frustrations to creativity.

Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Agnes Palffi Session:

Capturing the Moment of Ease, Joy, and Playfulness – Creating our Image of This; Jollyphonics; A Moment in Your Life When You Felt Creative; Mindfulness – Brain Gym; How do we Live a Creative Life?

Stories: Looking at a time when you felt creative; Capturing and consolidating a Creative State for you; Diagnosing and Recognising ‘Stuckness’ — Does this reside in your left or right side and how to balance this Project-based Stuckness – Feeling Governed by Routine – Examine and Establish Creative Solution – Vision Setting ”

Small Group Work – Coming Up with a Plan; Collage – Drawing – Dancing – Singing

Sebastian Flynn Session:

Inner Theme Tunes — Exploring the attributes and requirements of leading a creative life — especially with regard to performance. Looking at the sources and causes of performance nerves and methods to overcome them, including Kinesiology exercises. Practical exercises to improve ability to be grounded in preparing for performance. Performance Nerves (tools for dealing with and redirecting negative thoughts) – Brain Buttons – Role of Practice – Fear of Making Mistakes – Lifestyle choices.