It’s hard to believe over a year ago I hopped on a boat with 60+ strangers to a no cell zone on the Sunshine Coast. When Ashley from CAMPCAMP first approached me about creating a journal workshop for an upcoming weekend with Chasing Sunrise, I jumped at the opportunity to be involved.
On day of two of the getaway, journaling was up against a flurry of other events including archery. I remember walking away from the sign up board not wanting to jinx zero sign ups. I would have been happy if 2 people showed up. Instead, 12 brave and curious people signed up and we sat in the rain with 1.5 hours of dedicated time to write.
The purpose of the workshop was to provide a quiet space and time to put busy thoughts on pen to paper. To slow down the world around you for a moment and catch your breath, to acknowledge how far you have come, and to explore how far you will go.
We started the workshop with scrap pieces of paper a prompt to write down 3 words that bring you absolute joy. The 3 words were then expanded into a sentence, shaped by a memory. From each memory, a story about about how one word has shown up in your life. For some, it was family, friends and loved ones. For others it was places in the world. I love this exercise as an icebreaker because it quickly connects people in the room to how readily available prompts are in your every day life. When asked “what do you write about?” the answer really is - anything that comes to mind.
The remainder of the hour was spent building up to a long form writing exercise (20 min) where I asked for people to write a letter to their former self. This exercise is always so beautiful because it almost forces you out of your own head into a space where you can allow yourself to stop and celebrate for a moment, how far you have come.
For me, the most unexpected outcome from this workshop for me were the guys who showed up. The ones who you might think at a glance wouldn’t care to journal, but ended up more open hearted than I ever could have imagined. It was the most simple reminder that processing our thoughts is universal and something we spend a lifetime doing regardless of gender or background. Words have such a beautiful way of doing that, connecting the jumble in our heads to somewhat cohesive, visible thoughts on the page. It was a weekend to remember, with no mirrors, no wifi and all the room to explore.
