Holding space.
Sometimes I cringe a little bit when I use that phrase, as its meaning was always kind of nebulous and then became overused to the point of almost not being meaningful and even a little bit spiritually performative. And, I haven’t come up with a better way to communicate the idea, so I’ll continue to use it in spite of my love/hate relationship with it.
Here’s what I want it to mean: the act of creating an energetic, physical, or timed container for an emotion or experience, with approval and without shame for whatever happens inside the container.
There’s a tension in the phrase to begin with – space is intangible so how is it supposed to be held, exactly? – but the part that I struggled with for so long was even more practical, balancing the control required to set the boundaries that make the container safe with the surrendering to whatever happens inside of it.
Containers, the boundaries, are really the things that interest me; how is a physical space set up to direct the experience, or how is the time structured to guide attention and focus, or is attention out or is it in and whose attention am I working with, and what words and actions are used to make all of that clear?
Because really, what all of my work in the world is, is container building or holding space.
I’m committed to building containers for discovery and self-exploration, for play and adventure. For connecting to human bodies and making actual physical spaces that encourage body safety, relaxation, and comfort. I want more containers that allow people to show up whole, not in parts. I want containers where the messy parts can take place, where we can figure it out together. I want containers that feel like a magical space-making spell, where we create space to make more space. Containers for making, and containers for surrendering. Containers that feel full of life and energy, and containers that are quiet and reflective.
And inside all of my containers – the photos, the yoga, the writing, and the actual physical spaces – the only measure of success or failure is: did you learn something about yourself, or were you able to find a little bit more kindness toward yourself, or were you able to set something down and let go and feel free?
Those are the real, unseen things I’m always holding space for.
Let’s make a container just for you – it can be portraits to explore the most magnificent version of you, or biz photos to make space for sharing your work with the world, or photos of your own incredible space that comforts and invites people into your world. Tell me what kind of container you need to explore your purpose or work in the world so that we can bring it to life. You don’t have to do it alone.
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