About the Workshops
My Mission
In the spirit and intention of exploration, my mission is to guide students and seekers toward better mental health outcomes through education, exposure, and practice of methods and perspectives that heal and transform.
Origin Story
Creative Wellness was born out of a deep concern for the persistent decline of our Mental Health, particularly in teens and young adults. Since 2007, the rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation and attempts in this age group have been steadily rising, and resources are not keeping up with the needs. The COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 set us back even further, and the traumas that families experienced during that time has gone widely unaddressed and ignored. Right now, innovation is essential, and the Creative Wellness Workshops were designed to answer the call for an effective way to maintain our Mental Health.
Discover and Direct your Defaults
Our thoughts and actions are a constant invitation for what we experience, and the more we pay attention and set positive intentions, the better our outcomes. Creative Wellness Workshops takes each student through practices and appreciations that set them up for a lifetime of healthy practices.
Patience, Practice, Persistence, Purpose
With immediate gratification almost always at our fingertips, we are increasingly becoming impatient with building skills and habits that require practice. Creative Wellness engages students in these virtues by acknowledging and appreciating small improvements over time. Students will set short and long term goals for their talents, outcomes, and purpose.
Meditate. Appreciate. Create
Each student's workshop will explore their unique relationship with meditation, the natural world, and exploration of their cretive instincts. Keep scrolling to learn more.
Meditation
Countless studies prove the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits of a regular meditation practice. Taking time out of each day to show up for ourselves in a mindful way is an essential part of the transformation process. Yet, many people claim they "can't meditate" or they feel they can't do it the "right way."
The Creative Wellness Workshop removes the mystique around meditation, and promotes accessibility and curiosity. The emphasis is on practice, not perfection, and the goal is exploration. Students are encouraged to develop a practice gradually, and will explore different meditative techniques to see what works best for them.
Appreciate Nature's Wisdoms
The natural world is our best teacher, and is alive with consciousness. The Creative Wellness Workshop honors these wisdoms through activities and conversations designed to appreciate Mother Earth. We incorporate nature in our meditations and look to her for inspiration in our creative expressions.
Healing Arts
We are born creators. Expression of our innate creativity is an important part of the human experience, and of the healing process. Students will explore creative practices as well as the sensory and immersive connectivity that deepens our relationship to our inner artist.
Each workshop culminates in the creation of the Wisdom Wheel, which incorporates nature's elements to realize the goals and visions we hold for our lives.
About Me
Colleen McKinnon Boyer, Teacher/Artist/Proprietor
It's difficult to separate my professional and educational experience from the entire path I've taken, because everything I've done, or did not do, has led me to bring this workshop to life.
Very simply, I'm a teacher, a mother, an artist, a writer, a musician, an unapologetic self-care practicitioner, and a survivor. I harnessed the healing powers of art, music, and writing at a young age, and I knew I would use them someday to help others, as they helped me. The practices I bring to this workshop are the same ones that brought me out of the clouds of depression, worthlessness, and sexual abuse trauma that controlled my thoughts and actions for too long.
For several years, I worked in technical and creative positions as a writer and communicator, until I fell in love with teaching in 2017. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on our mental health, especially in kids and teens - and the subsequent lack of response and resources - was the catalyst that led me to create these workshops. In 2024, I received a post-graduate certification in Trauma Informed Counseling in service to this work and to the students I teach. I am proud to offer my gifts and experience to bring wellness, connectivity, and resilience to others as they form their path and seek to realize their true nature. The tools we need are already inside of us. I am merely a compass to help guide the way.