From the Flora series by Marisa Culatto
Frozen compositions of vegetation photographed in the manner of a still life. The conceptual intention addresses beauty, and the loss of it, and the futile attempt to hold onto it. In the end this speaks of the very act of photography: to freeze the moment. There are 35 works in the series.
As ice begins to drip away, we can almost feel the earth stretch beneath our feet. She awakes from her slumber, taking her time to bid farewell to the frost and welcome sunshine once again. We have been grateful for this time in rest and reflection, turning our efforts inward to nourish mind, body, and soul. May we feel the coming warmth of Spring as a flame in our hearts, one that has kept us safe and warm before growing to guide us forward. And may we, as creative women, know that each season offers fuel for that flame, the warmth and resilience we carry everywhere we go.
As Spring approaches and we get ready to select seeds for our gardens of creativity, you should know that a seed has already been planted in our hearts here at Virtuosa Society: the goal to make our events as accessible as possible. We decided to start with our Winter Reflections event – a beautifully fitting season to spend time alone together.
If you have not been following along, know that you are always welcome to join our events! Wherever you are in the world, we see you and treasure your creative gifts all the same. Consider this newsletter your reference guide for the Winter Reflections event, or at any point when you need some “me” time with your journal.
Reflections on the Past
Week 1: Actions that led to growth in 2024
Week 2: Processing leftover emotions from last year
Week 3: What to keep + what to weed out for this year’s garden
Practice in the Present
Week 4: A grounding exercise for living in the moment
Week 5: Self Compassion
Week 6: Celebrating your inner ecosystem
Preparing for the Future
Week 7: How your inner ecosystem promotes clarity
Week 8: Nourishing your body + intuition
Week 9… keep reading, you’re close!
To wrap up our Winter Reflections event, we encourage you to nourish the flame of hope within you as we get ready to welcome the coming Spring. Think about everything you have reflected on, your grounding exercises that help you live in the moment, and the thrilling things that await you this year.
This week’s prompt, however, will have a different home than your journal. In the spirit of keeping resources accessible, our 2025 Garden Party Kit is now available for absolutely free in our shop and includes a beautiful sheet to write your future self a letter along with cutouts for your vision board for this year.
Get your FREE Garden Party Kit here!
After you snag that free Garden Party kit and write a letter to your future self, it’s a great time to have a brainstorm session for building your vision board! Our Spring event always focuses on creating them together, and this year will only be a little different.
We will not be hosting an in-person Garden Party this year. Instead, we encourage you to have a get-together of your own on March 20th – the Spring Equinox! Whether you have a gaggle of gals or just a few close besties, this is an excellent opportunity to get brunch and get creative together. And get excited! Every season holds endless possibilities, lessons that serve our growth, and new collaborations to expand your creative capabilities.
If you are more of a solitary visionary, we applaud every moment you spend focusing on your personal goals and growth. It’s okay if a gathering is not for you. Our celebration of creative women is rooted in the beautiful truth that we are each unique and capable of thriving in our own ways.
So, what exactly is a vision board? If you’re picturing cutouts and glue sticks from your childhood, you are right on track. A vision board is a way to creatively and physically envision your goals, an artistic reminder of what you are working to accomplish. Think finances, health, relationships, travel goals, hobbies, career, etc.
Once those goals are set, gather and arrange materials that reflect it in a way that inspires you: this can be magazine clippings, pieces of fabric, pieces of nature – whatever kindles your inner flame the moment you look at it.
Vision Boards should be displayed where they are seen often. They are a daily reminder of everything you are striving to accomplish, and the beauty that your creative gifts and goals bring to the world. Like the letter we are writing this week, they are also a beautiful landmark of where we began when we look back at the end of the year.
So start gathering those old magazines at your favorite thrift stores, call up your friends (if you want), and get ready to envision a year of growth, fun, and finding new ways to thrive as a creative woman with your vision board!
Just like our Winter Reflections journal prompts have had us focusing on the past, present, and future, keeping a creative tether to outlets like vision boards will continue to nourish your mind, body, and soul. This is how we reclaim the deeply personal journey of keeping our unique bodies healthy, our minds focused with clarity, and the freedom for our flames to burn bright!
We so look forward to hearing about your local and personal Garden Party, and your vision board! This year has big things in store for us as creative women, which is why we encourage the protection of your inner flame. While the world seems to be ablaze around us, we know that our own fire is meant for creation and warmth, the life that will rise from the ashes.
We are in this together.
The Between the Bio podcast will be making its return in April, continuing to share and celebrate the stories of creative women from all walks of life. We have so much to learn from each other, and we can always choose to pursue growth over fear.
We at Virtuosa Society will continue to bring accessible events to you each season, and this Fall will usher the opening of applications for the Janet Coleman Grant. This is also accessible for creative women everywhere, and you can learn more here.
The next Winter season will bring the grand unveiling of a collaboration that is in the works as you read this! It would be a huge help to our process if you could take less than five minutes to fill out a quick survey. No spoilers here, but click that button and there may be a few… but our lips are sealed! For now. 😉
On that note, we are always on the lookout for more collaborations! If you have a project, product, course, or other offering you would like to chat with us about, our inbox is always open. If you have read this far, you should know we jump at every chance to connect with another creative woman and all she has to offer.
Spread the word far and wide that Virtuosa Society wants to connect and help bring your vision to life!
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