A BIT MORE ABOut OUR PSYCHEdelIC MarBLIng WORKsHOP
“In a world that’s feeling increasingly complex, to find moments when we invite beauty back in is really powerful.”
BY ANNA MURRAY
on August 14th I will be hosting a PSYCHEDELIC marbling workshop at SPIRALs. I’ve had the honour of running iterations of this experience all around the world from croatia to san francisco, berlin and beyond - and now i’m so happy to be hosting one in the heart of bruton - at home - in spirals.
ahead of the workshop if felt good to share some of my research and the history and philosophy behind why I have so loved hosting these workshops for so many years now… and why I still love sharing them with communities wherever i go..
THE ANCIENT ROOTS OF marbling
Marbling can be traced back to twelfth-century Japan, where it was termed “suminagashi” or “ink floating”; it is the process of floating ink on water to create psychedelic patterns on paper that mirror snaking rivers and curving mountain contours. Each print is unique and almost alchemical; each swirling creation capturing a single unique and transient moment in time.
Through intention and concentration, the process of marbling brings you right back to the present moment, creating a space for focus and flow in an often scattered world.
For the psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi entering a state of flow is when you become fully absorbed in an activity for its own sake. “It’s the opposite of how we live in our digital world, where ads and scrolling screens battles for our attention.. a world where we’re constantly flicking between one thing and the next.
“A flow state enables you to journey deeply into a process and connect with something much bigger than yourself”
Don’t worry if you feel that creativity is out of your comfort zone; marbling is unique in the fact that it doesn’t require any specific skills OtHER thaN PRESENCE. as with all things psychedelic The only thing you need to ‘do’ is relinquish control and connect with the process and materials. All that is required from you is receptivity and fluidity, attuning to differences in the ink and water when they arise. just let your hands, breath and mind enter a collaborative and intutive state with the water and reconnect to the flow of creativity.
"Through intention and concentration, the process of marbling brings you back to the present moment, creating a space for mindfulness and connection in a frenetic world"
My marbling workshops are intentinally non-judgemental.. tHE Only two things that can stand in your way are rigidity and comparing yourself to others which is easy to do in an intimate group settting where ‘output’ is observed.
however I always invite people to try to stay with their personal creative journey and allow what emerges.. througout the workshop I help participants to stop laying judgemental thoughts over the top of their CREATIVE EXPlOrATIon and GENtlY catch those mental patterns when they arise.. Those niggling voices in the back of your head telling you that “you aren’t artistic enough” or that you’re doing something ‘wrong’ will be softened, and you’ll be brought back to the present moment. the aim of ‘psychedelic marbling’ is that it will create ripples into other areas of your life beyond the container of the workshop.
At the end of the session, I hope you will emerge emboldened and receptive to new creative possibilities.
Anna xx
The workshop will be hosted at spirals space on Wednesday 14th August 7-8:30 and tickets are £28
Tickets are available here
If you’d like anna to host a private workshop for a small group (up to 5 people ages 8+) throughout august or september do get in touch studio@patternity.org
