Saturday, July 12 · 10am–12pm Pacific
The Peacock Practice
live online
art journaling workshop
transform what feels impossible
with art journaling
LEARN MORE
When you feel overwhelmed and stuck, art journaling can help.
What is the Peacock Practice?
We all have times when something feels both unbearable and impossible to change. It could be in how we see ourselves, in old patterns we can’t seem to break or in the weight of everything that’s hard right now on a collective level. When we're in that place, it feels like we have to do something, but what can we do?
The Peacock Practice is a 2-hour art journaling workshop that offers a fresh approach to being with ourselves and our lives ~ with things as they are. Instead of trying harder to fix what seems broken, or accept what feels unacceptable, you’ll give yourself space for how you genuinely feel, and open up to a gentle, uplifting shift in perspective.
Through meditative reflection, journaling and guided drawing and painting, you’ll create an art journal page that holds both what’s hard and the possibility of transformation. A practice you can return to again and again ~ any time you feel overwhelmed and stuck.
Rooted in the Tibetan Buddhist mythology of the peacock ~ a creature said to transform poison into medicine ~ this practice invites you to stop trying to fix what feels broken, and instead offer it to a deeper knowing: the transformative power of love.
this workshop is for you if you are…
A recovering perfectionist
Who is exhausted by the pressure to fix, improve, or change yourself
A burned-out caregiver
Who gives so much to others and is ready to receive something for yourself
Someone who is tired
Of trying to change what feels impossible, and ready to try something different
In this live online workshop, you'll learn to:
create an art journaling piece that helps you find a self-compassionate perspective
meet what feels impossible with warm curiosity instead of pressure to fix it
carry the peacock practice with you, for whenever you need it
about Lea
I’m Lea Seigen Shinraku ~ creative self-compassion teacher, licensed therapist, and founder of the Center for Creative Self-Compassion. I’ve spent more than a decade helping people find relief from self-judgment and perfectionism through creativity and self-compassion.
My mom has dementia, and much of my attention is focused on what she needs. Like others with dementia, her decline happens in stages ~ everyday life is kind of stable for a while, and then it changes in ways that are not entirely predictable.
Art journaling has been an essential coping strategy. It gives me a way to express how I feel, process it, grieve, integrate it, and feel less overwhelmed by my feelings and thoughts. And the Peacock Practice is one that I do over and over ~ sometimes every day.Â
The seed of the practice came to me in a dream ~ over ten years ago. Two spiritual teachers appeared and said they had a gift for me. It was a peacock, and as they handed it to me they told me it could transform poison into medicine ~ that I could feed it with the hard stuff, and it would help me digest it. They also told me to spread the word, so that others would know they have a peacock inside of them too.
When you have a dream like that, what do you do with it? I wasn’t sure ~ except I started to imagine there was a peacock inside of me that I could give my troubles to, and I did feel lighter and less stuck trying to fix things that weren’t there to be fixed. But I had no idea how I was going to share this peacock with others. It’s kind of an outside-the-box idea, you know?
Then I had a morning when I was confronted with the reality of my mom's decline ~ I felt deeply upset, stuck and powerless to change things that I really struggled to accept. From that impossible place, this practice emerged and it helped me so much.
I thought ~ here’s a way I might share the peacock with others. Something concrete I can teach. I began by sharing it with my ongoing students, and they loved it. Now I want to share it with you.
workshop details
When: Saturday, July 12, 2026 · 10am–12pm Pacific Time
Where: Live on Zoom
What you’ll need: A pencil, an art journal, a permanent black marker, and watercolors
No art experience required ~ just a willingness to show up as you are.
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join us
This practice wants to reach everyone who needs it.
Pay what you can ~ everyone is welcome ($27 suggested, free if you need)
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a guided meditative reflection to help you center
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step-by-step art journaling ~ no experience necessaryÂ
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a practice you can return to again and again
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lifetime access to the workshop recording
