Disconnect from it all by spending a day in nature surrounded by horses and expressing yourself creatively

DATE:  Sunday, August 20, 2023
TIME:  9:30am to 4pm
LOCATION: Whispering Winds Farm, Mono, Ontario (12 minutes east of Orangeville)
FEE FOR THE DAY:  $349+HST. Includes all art materials. Bring your own lunch.

** EARLY BIRD PRICING. Only $299+HST if you register before June 30. **

In our technologically driven world, we’re always ‘on’ or at least pretend to be. The constant push and pull of emails, texts, and social media, coupled with competing external demands seemingly direct how we spend our days and where our thoughts travel. We’re constantly bombarded with messages from others as to how to act, what to do, how to be.

But one thing is certain. Our biggest expectations and challenges travel in one direction: inward, and only you can maintain your inner balance.

Finding time to take care of you can be challenging given busy schedules and increasing demands. It’s easy to lose sight of you, your uniqueness, and the resources you possess – strength, courage, kindness, compassion, resilience, and more.

You need space to continuously cultivate your inner ‘me’ and allow yourself to grow. It’s time to step into your power and revel in simply being exactly who you are … “enough”.

We, CJ Shelton and Jane Finn, along with the horses of Whispering Winds invite you to take a day for yourself and an opportunity to listen deeply to the messages your body and heart want to share with you. Let us help you reconnect back to a sense of calm and awaken your creativity, all while enjoying the quiet support of nature and a few of our fellow creatures.

To embody your experience, we will be interacting, on the ground, with real horses as teaching partners, in a safe and supportive environment. No horse experience is required. After meeting the herd and discovering the magic of connecting with an individual horse, there will be a variety of art materials available for creating a painting or collage that expresses the essence of your experience and integrates the thoughts and feelings it awakens.

Why horses? Horses help you find the truth within. Who you are, not who you’ve been told to be. They mirror back what you need to know, in the moment. Unlike humans, horses are non-judgmental. They feel an emotion, they listen to the message, act, and go back to grazing. Horses don’t tell you what to think or what to do. Instead, they facilitate self-discovery and provide authentic feedback. They “tell it like it is” as opposed to telling us what we want to hear.

Why art? Art is a way of visually expressing our truth. “It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see.” – Anaïs Nin.  A creative process allows whatever truth you uncover to be carried forward into your everyday life in a tangible way. Just like you don’t have to be an equestrian to appreciate being with a horse, you don’t have to be an artist to create a piece that reflects who you are now and where you want to be.

Join us on August 20, 2023 for a day to remember. We will gather at 9:30 at Whispering Winds, a 23-acre farm near Mono, less than an hour’s drive from the GTA (directions will be sent upon registration). Bring your own lunch and from 10 am to 4 pm we’ll work together with the horses and our inner muses to express ourselves using all our senses.

No prior experience with horses or art is needed. Space is limited so be sure to register early to ensure your spot. Please note that the group will be kept small to allow each person to truly drop into the experience in a meaningful way. This workshop is a wonderful way to experience the benefits of both equine and art therapy processes while sharing a common experience of being supported, witnessed, and validated.

BE SURE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR EARLY BIRD PRICING and register before June 30 to save $50!

If you have question or need more information, contact:

CJ Shelton at artist@dancingmoondesigns.ca, 519-216-8643 (Studio #206, Alton Mill Arts Centre) 

Jane Finn at janeefinn@gmail.com, 416-526-7699 (Whispering Winds Farm)

We’d be delighted to connect with you and even more delighted if you decide to invest in yourself and join us August 20, 2023.