When I read the Qur'an, I reflect on how many times Allah(swt) mentions some part of Creation, and the natural world, and then immediately calls upon the believer to reflect, to connect to the Creator, to deepen one's journey towards internal awakening and live with purpose.  The natural world are living ayat, proof of the attributes of our Creator and as we pay attention to the minute and intricate details of each aspect of creation, we can't help but journey closer to our Creator. 

In his reflections of Ibn al-Qayyim's book Mifta'ah Dar as-Sa'adah (The Key to the House of Happiness), Captain Anas Abdl-Hameed Al-Qoz writes "...thinking is the search by the heart to acquire from the knowledge already attained, knowledge that is not yet acquired...remembrance enhances thinking, and so one can make inferences that one was unable to make before... the Lord's signs operate as eye-openers and reminders...the idea here is to awaken the heart from its forgetfulness by invoking some of Allah's signs." (p.188)

Through my personal experiences in Ecopsychology and my work in nature-based eco-art, I've had the opportunity to un-learn the rigid and unnatural ways the concept of art and beauty have been institutionalized through societal norms and conventions.  I've learned to appreciate how ways of self-expression that organically stem from thoughts, reflections, emotions, stories and personal experiences guide us to produce unbound beauty that projects deep meaning.    

This workshop brings together elements of connection to the Creator and nature-based eco-art expression in ways that move away from the norms and conventions of art, to create an open and unbound space where expression can take whatever shape it needs to, inshaAllah. 

This workshop welcomes participants from across the globe to come together and share in nature-based reflections, God-centered insights, personal experiences and stories, and create meaningful art in a shared community.

As Muslims living in a globalized world, facing the realities of grief, sorrow, happiness, growth, change and hope both individually and collectively, this workshop aims to create a space to have these conversation and translate that into authentic expressive works.

I invite you to join me!

See registration details below.