Who are you when no one is watching?

What will you create?

January 3-January 28, 2022

12/15 UPDATE: The Wednesday section of this course filled swiftly so we’ve opened a second lecture/discussion section that will happen on Thursdays. If you register now, you will be added to the Thursday group.

At the Beginning of a New Year

A Secret Life offers a philosophy and a method for making creative work that feels true to you because it is on your terms. This four-part program is based on the method I use to balance writing and publishing poetry collections, while working full time and having a family life.

Many aspiring artists and writers struggle with questions and impediments that I have learned to surmount and I want those who wish to live their art, and find real and lasting pleasure in the process, with what I know and do in my personal practice.

We all need models and mentors and dedicated space in which to nourish this part of a well-rounded life. I created A Secret Life so that you don’t have to feel alone when what you deserve is sincere encouragement and solidarity.

Whether what you create remains a part of your secret life, or it has a public dimension, I am certain of the importance of staying alive to the creative essence at your core. Without this energy source and purpose, we risk living in ways that simply don’t make sense to us, and so we suffer.

Registration closes December 20. Space is Limited.

Claiming What You Want Requires Work

Themes

I. The Art of Disappearing

II. Your Secret Life

III. A Secret Project

IV. Following The Thread

&

secret Texts with Luisa Fernanda Nino

This workshop series will help you set better boundaries around your artistic life; identify a meaningful text-based project that you would like to complete in 2022; articulate why and how your artistic practice is essential to you; and it will help you plot a path forward, so that you can celebrate a significant creative accomplishment by the end of 2022.

In addition to lectures, discussions, readings, and worksheets, you may opt to meet with the instructor, Holly Wren Spaulding, for a private advisory session. Finally, guest artist Luisa Fernanda Nino will offer a special bonus workshop which I want to keep as a surprise for you.

A Secret Life 2022

Workshops + All Course Materials + Creative Advising Session w/ Holly

$475

12/1o: this option is sold out

Workshops + All Course Materials

$325

sold out for 2022

Important Dates

January 3: Our secret portal opens for orientation.

January 7: Your first of 4 weekly packets (PDF) arrives with readings and worksheets.

January 12, 19, 26: Much of this course happens on your own time however there will be Live Zoom gatherings. I recommend you attend them Live, but will also provide replays that you may view in our portal or download and keep forever.

• FULL Wednesdays from 2-3:30 pm EST

• ENROLL NOW Thursdays from 2-3:30 EST

The Wednesday section of this course filled swiftly so we’ve opened a second lecture/discussion section that will happen on Thursdays. If you register between 12/15-12/20, you will be added to the Thursday group.

January 14: Those who opted-in to meet with Holly for 1:1 Creative Advising will receive a link to schedule a 55 minute conversation (phone or Zoom), to take place at your convenience, within 8 weeks.

January 28: Receive your final packet for the course, including a template for a personal project guidebook.

February 28: Course portal closes.

March 14: All Creative Advising Sessions must be completed by this date.

Walk into 2022 with greater confidence in yourself, clarity about the importance of your work, a manifesto or mission statement, and a work plan to carry you into February and beyond.

To Make the Work Real

A Secret Life offers a facilitated process and companionship along the way. I’ll take you by the hand, show you a reliable path, and share my enthusiasm and conviction about the importance of living your art.

I have finished countless books and art projects over the years, including several during the pandemic, and I am here to say it is possible, worthwhile, and necessary to have a life in which words are written, and projects happen, and books are published, and you feel yourself because of it.

With me as your guide, and peers who share many of the same desires, needs, and intentions—you can feel that you are not alone. You can relax and enjoy the work. You can rest easy that you will arrive at the end of 2022, having completed a writing project that deeply matters to you.

Seasoned Guidance

Toward the conclusion of the course, you will be invited to join me for an optional private mentoring session in which we can talk about your practice, project, and anything else that may be on your mind.

Is This For You?

This program is for you if you have a creative practice but sometimes lose the thread. If you have been writing for a while, and wonder what to do with all of the pages that have piled up. If you have been dreaming of a project that excites you, but you feel daunted or overwhelmed or shy about beginning. If you are drowning in external stimulation, and need a way to find yourself and your work, perhaps after a period of disillusionment, hesitation, fear, overwork, or even illness.

This program is not for beginning writers and will work best for folks who have taken at least one course with Holly Wren Spaulding. Get in touch if you have questions about whether or not this is a good next step for you and your creative writing.