Welcome, weary soul. Come as you are. This space is for you. Come, be refreshed.

 

Sometimes it can feel like a struggle to show up at this kind of an event experience. This interactive workshop experience, featuring creative exercises and honest conversations, may just be bringing up some things within you:

  • Maybe you struggle to take time and space for yourself
  • Perhaps stillness and reflection feels a little scary, or you’re apprehensive about uncomfortable emotions surfacing
  • Maybe you crave connection and value community, but you’re also uncertain about being vulnerable… especially with people you don’t yet know
  • Perhaps you’re ready to dive in, but you’re overwhelmed with where to begin
  • Maybe you have your own creative process or reflection rituals already, but welcome a fresh perspective from being guided with others in community

You are not alone. No matter where you are, we take our responsibility seriously in doing everything we can to help you enter the space with just enough “brave fear” to show up and be seen.

In our priority of holding a safe space, we invite you to answer these 3 welcome questions, so that we can better understand where you’re coming from, allowing us to craft the experience in ways that are supportive to you.

What to Expect: A “soft landing space” to experience:

Self compassion

Show up for yourself, slow down, connect with what’s stirring in your heart, in a supportive, collaborative space. Articulate your emotions in a non judgmental space, increase compassion, self awareness, and alignment in your life.

Guided reflection

Practice mindfulness tools that will support you walk through in the journey ahead, through difficult challenges. Engage in an intentional space of reflection through guided prompts, visualization, journalling, and creative exercises.

collaborative community

Create meaningful connections and share honest conversations with others in community to counter fear and frustration. Deepen insight and solidarity by connecting with others on a similar journey.

 

What to Bring

Openness + presence

Just bring yourself, an open heart and posture, to explore connections with your own heart and with other people in good conversation, and with inspiration.  🙂 Feel free to bring any items that help you feel cozy, (eg. candle, blanket, snack, warm beverage…)

 

supplies

All you need is something to write with and something to write on. It can be as simple as a pencil and the backside of paper you want to reuse. It can be as fancy as your art supplies and sketchbook or journal.

For the Minding the Messy Middle: Pandemic Joys and Griefs workshops, you’ll also need a few squares from a roll of toilet paper.

Reflective spirit

If you have a journal or planner that would help you reflect on the events or heart happenings of the past season, feel free to bring it, though it is not necessary. If you have a very full journal, it might be a good approach to come without it, and see what emerges intuitively for you.

 

I still have questions

You can come without any preparation, but if you’re the type of person who likes a lot of reflection time, or you like to know what’s coming, I’d encourage you to ponder the following questions ahead of time, so that you’re coming into the space with some general themes/thoughts to focus your creative explorations:

  • High and Low: What are the strengths and struggles that have emerged, related to the workshop reflection topic?
  • Grow: What is surprising? What has been sustaining? What has been draining? Any new realizations?
  • Let go: What do you want to release so you can enter the next stage or season in light of new insights?

I have some questions…

If you’re feel drawn or curious to join us, but a little unsure about showing up and participating in an event like this, it’s normal to feel a little nervous. Or maybe you have a more practical question. We’re here to address your concerns.

Which class do I start with? Is this the right one for me? Will this teach me "how to" write calligraphy?
Good question! All of our class experiences are designed to be accessible to beginners, so it really depends on what your main goal is.

EXPRESSIVE LETTERING WORKSHOPS are more about creative exploration and using lettering as a tool for mindfulness, such as a supplement for your journaling practices, gratitude, vision boards, etc.

In these spaces, we do not spend any time on the technical aspects of how to write calligraphy.

If you would like to learn the TECHNIQUE of calligraphy, you can find out about our technical how-to workshops here>>. 

If you have any questions or need further help in choosing the right course for you, feel free to send us a Direct Message on Instagram or contact us with your question.

What can I expect from these creative conversation circles?
You can expect a guided journey, connecting through:

  • creative reflection/expressive exercises
  • mindfulness/visualization exercises
  • facilitated journalling
  • curated conversation prompts

There will be ample time to reflect on your own, but also to connect with and glean from the group’s collective experience and wisdom. You will have opportunity to share with others, but it isn’t mandatory if you’re in more of a contemplative listening mood.

Do I have to share verbally? Will I be called on to speak?
No. Sharing is never mandatory. It’s important to us that you participate in a way that is supportive to you. You are the only expert-of-you that determines what that looks like.

There will be multiple ways that you will be invited to choose how you can engage your participation. This means you share at a level that you decide, when you feel ready or feel compelled to speak, with or without the camera on.

We do not support “peer pressure vulnerability”. Sharing is always optional and you reserve the right and have full permission to pass.

Come as you are, your full self. And if that means you’re in a more contemplative listening mood, that is totally okay.

If something comes up for you that you prefer not to share with the whole group or in your small group, but you would still like to have a 1:1 conversation about it, you can always reach out for a conversation in a private chat, or at the end of the session where there will be extra space to connect.

What if I don't identify as artistic or creative?
Come as you are. All are welcome here. All workshops are designed to be accessible to beginners.

For Creative Expression Workshops, we will engage in creative reflective practices equipping you with tools you can walk away with for self awareness, self discovery, and empowerment.

These include options such as writing, drawing, speaking, meditating, visualizing… Multiple options and levels will always be provided, and you get to decide what is the most supportive way for you to engage.

No prior experience is necessary by any means.

We believe every human being is creative. So our teaching approach is grounded in giving you on a strong foundation cultivating the mindset needed to fully and freely engage in the creative process holistically, from knowledge and skill, to mind and heart.

  • This means, you’ll be focusing on your experiences and meditating on the meaning, themes, and connections.
  • It’s more about the journey of creativity and not about the end output. 
  • This means perfectionism is not allowed here, and we will create a safe space for practicing and processing and getting messy.
Do I have to have the camera on?
You’re welcome to show up just as you are, whether you’re dressed and in your office, or taking zoom calls from bed in your messy bun with the camera off.

That being said, we invite you to consider keeping your camera on if you are feeling up for it, as studies have been shown that can have an effect on the sense of engagement, connection, and community in the virtual space, both on your end and on ours as we facilitate.

If it’s because you have pets, partners, or kids running around, know that we don’t view them as unwelcome distractions. Just keep your microphone on mute.

 

 

Who is facilitating this session? What are your credentials?
JUSTINE HWANG is a mental health advocate, facilitator, workshop coach, social impact calligrapher, with a Bachelor in Communication and certifications in facilitation (in person and virtual).

With 20 years of experience in leadership and spiritual development, adult education, and communications, Justine crafts talks and facilitates workshop experiences that are supportive, engaging, and encouraging.

Her passion and skill is to create transformative experiences that empower people with practical tools.

She takes her role of creating safe and welcome space for all seriously, rooted in her experiences of exclusion growing up, making her an advocate of creating belonging.

We also collaborate with GUEST FACILITATORS who are experts in their respective fields. You can read their bios on the event registration page.

Will there be a replay available?
  • Reflective and Expressive Lettering workshops will not be recorded in order to provide full safety and confidentiality for participants to share freely in the live experience. The main magic of these sessions is the connections that form with live interaction in community. So we encourage you to sign up, block off the time, make a date with yourself, and add it to your calendar.
  • We may or may not decide to record for our own internal reflective purposes of capturing the teaching segments. We will always check in with the group at the beginning. Either way, there will not be a replay available. None of the participant dialogue will ever be shared in any way publicly or privately. We take confidentiality very seriously.
I really want to come but can't make the date. How often do you run your workshops?
Frequency: We typically run workshops every 2-3 months, but may consider doing them more frequently based on interest/demand. So the best thing to do is to pop us a quick message DM on Instagram or from my site here to let me know what topics you’re most interested in. Then join our email community for the latest workshop release dates.
What's your Refund Policy?
For online workshops, refunds are available up to 10 days before the session date. You may also choose to defer the value of your ticket to a future date (you will receive a unique credit that you can use for anything in the online shop). Or, you may transfer your ticket to a friend. Email your request and reason for refund to justine @ itjustflows.com or you may use the contact form on this site.

For in person workshops, refunds are not available due to the nature of venue rentals and limited seats, however you may defer your ticket to a future workshop, (you will receive a unique credit that you can use for anything in the online shop). Or, you may transfer your ticket to a friend. Email your transfer request to justine @ itjustflows.com or you may use the contact form on this site.

For ALL workshops, if the workshop is cancelled by It Just Flows for any reason, including not reaching the minimum number of participants required to run it, you will have a choice of deferring your ticket to a future workshop, or receiving a full refund.

Does the workshop include supplies?

For online mindfulness and creative expression workshops, you will be given a list of suggested supplies to bring. Many will already exist in your house, without the need to make additional purchases (unless you want the excuse to indulge, of course 😉 )

For in person workshops, all supplies are provided.

I still have questions

What Our Community is Saying

Justine always does a great job in providing a safe and intimate space (even online) that makes people feel comfortable to share their deep feelings. I loved the raw emotions people showed. I felt heard and supported by others, and I was able to do the same for others. The energy felt so genuine. And the journaling questions were really good prompts that helped me reflect and get in touch with my feelings and emotions.

Jun

I came in to the space with a mind full of thoughts and feelings. During the session I felt validated and had permission to bring the messiness of it all to the table. It was a safe and restful place where I had permission to be myself. I loved the aspect of being able to share and hear from others journeys, especially from others who are navigating with an Asian identity. Thank you Justine for creating this safe space for us to explore areas in our lives we normally may not have the intentional time to dig into.
Christal

This Mindfulness in the Messy Middle workshop, using a variety of creative and mindfulness practices, was really helpful as I ponder this past year of living in a time of the pandemic. In the past, I would’ve tried to put my experiences into a neat and tidy package. However, life is complicated and through the creative practices during the workshop, I was able to begin to understand that in such a difficult time, there are a lot of struggles – and there also can be a lot of joy. And, this is all okay.
Marissa