This month's featured artist is Kelli Brewer, a devoted SoulCollage® attendee here in the Down to Earth Studio.

Kelli is 56 years old, has been married for 27 years, has two amazing kids, two adorable cats, a sweet kitty grandbaby, and a cottage in Seaside that's one of her favorite paces to be. She loves hiking, nature, estate sales, road trips, bookstores, interior decorating, and nesting. She describes herself as a Virgo/Libra cusp and says the qualities of those signs are evident in her personality.

Up until recently, Kelli never really had a dedicated creative practice. She used to make jewelry and has always loved color, design, and arranging spaces. But creativity became complicated early in life. Like so many of us, having been highly criticized as a child, Kelli developed a fierce inner critic that could make creating feel anything but joyful. Then she discovered SoulCollage® at the Down to Earth Studio.

What surprised her was how natural the process felt. She didn’t have to know what she was doing. She simply had to begin. "I have learned so much from you, GG," Kelli told me. "I love the way you hold space, and the community you create. You, your home, and your studio are so safe and healing. I have learned that even if I don’t have a clue what I am doing, something will flow through."

Making friends with the inner critic

Kelli’s creative journey hasn’t been without fear. She grew up being told she was too much: too sensitive, too stubborn, too messy, too selfish. As someone who often spoke truths her family would rather not hear, she was accused of “making a mountain out of a molehill."

”Those old voices still show up," she said, "Who am I to think I have something worth saying? Am I just making this up? Maybe I’m stupid."

Kelli's inner critic can sound like a marine drill sergeant shouting all the things her mother criticized her for. But she has discovered a compassionate way to respond. Instead of fighting that voice, she imagines giving it a hug. She asks, “Are you okay?” Then she tells that voice, “I’m glad you’re here. I’d really like to create something now. Can you help me?” And somehow, the door opens. Something begins to flow.

“I don’t think that I am good at art at all,” Kelli says. “But I enjoy it anyway.”

Perhaps that is one of the most liberating things an artist can discover: we don’t have to feel like we are good at art to be changed by making it. We don’t have to set out to make something beautiful or impressive. We simply have to be willing to be honest and give it a try.

There is no medal for suffering alone

One of the deepest gifts Kelli has received through our creative community is discovering that solitude and community are not opposites. She is an introvert and loves being alone. But she has discovered that she needs people, too. “I have realized that I need people and that there is no medal for suffering alone or in silence,” she said.

In the circle, she has found a place where she doesn’t feel judged, where her words matter, and where she can show up without having everything figured out. She says this commitment has rippled outward into her life. She has developed stronger boundaries and greater confidence in her ability to be accepted exactly as she is.

Following the birds

When Kelli talks about creative flow, her language becomes poetic.“I can feel it when I am in an energy that is greater than my own," she said. She describes surrendering to that flow and discovering that “only beauty arises.”

And then there are the birds. They have begun appearing again and again—in her life and in her creative work, ravens, red tail hawks, osprey, bald eagles, and more. Earlier this year she had an encounter with an owl that inspired a powerful SoulCollage® card conveyed to her that the shadow is where the tender parts of herself go underground to stay alive and gather strength to emerge into the light, and that all of her is worthy of love and acceptance – even the parts she hides away. 

Kelli is drawn to the image of birds riding the wind, allowing themselves to be carried rather than constantly fighting for control. Perhaps that is what creative flow asks of us, too, to open our wings and trust the current even when don't exactly know where we're going.

Take the first step

When I asked Kelli what she would say to someone beginning to awaken their creativity, her answer was simple, “Trust yourself.”

She was reminded of Rebecca Campbell’s phrase, “listening to the whispers of your soul.” That, she says, is what SoulCollage® has become for her, a dedicated time and space to listen to what her soul wants her to know.

Years ago, she saw a journal with a phrase that stayed with her: “Sometimes the only vehicle available is a leap of faith.” It seems that’s what Kelli’s creative journey has been—a series of small leaps of faith. A willingness to show up. A willingness to listen. A willingness to create without knowing what it means. A willingness to trust that something inside us knows the way. And perhaps most beautifully, a willingness to believe that our voices are worth hearing.

Kelli’s final message is one I will carry with me. “I just want everyone to know that they are worthy of being heard, honored, and loved," she said.

I couldn’t think of a better invitation into creativity—or into life. Thank you, Kelli!

Here are some images of Kelli's beautiful art.

Just because it's so much fun!

I taught Gelli Plate printing at the FOBA conference in July and was reminded how much fun it is to play with monoprinting on silicone plates in the company of other artists. We shared ideas and inspired one another to try all kinds of new experimental techniques -- not the least of which involves playdoh -- yes, PLAYDOH!

So, I've decided to offer a Gelli Plate printing class in my studio this fall. Come and join me for a monoprinting extravaganza! No experience necessary. All levels are welcome.

Saturday October 3, 2026

9:00 am to 4:00 pm

GG's Down to Earth Studio, Salem, OR

You'll go home with a beautiful collection of prints. What do you do with them? Gelli prints are a beautiful collection of visual ingredients. Like a painter's palette or a basket of fabrics, they become the raw material for countless creative projects. Use them for collage, mixed media, books and journals, cards and paper crafts, home decor, nature-inspired projects, gifts, creative play, group activities -- the possibilities are endless!

$85.00 All materials provided.

Or, bring all your own supplies and only pay a $25 studio fee.

Email GG to register.

Saturday October 24, 2026

11:15 am to 4:45 pm

Art Department Supply Store, Salem, OR

Who says a book has to open from front to back!

In this class we will step outside the ordinary to create little pocketed Leporello accordion books (4" x 4")* -- a book that unfolods, eands, reveals, conceals, and invites you to tuck little treasures inside.

We will explore the possibilities of folds, pockets, olayers, and surprises. Your book can become a tiny visual journal, a collection of secrets, a place for words and imagtes, a portable gallery, a gift for someone special, or simply a beautiful object that begs to be opened. I'm making several of these this year (with cash tucked into the pockets) as Christmas gifts for my grandchildren (3) and great grandchildren (5).

We will also play with assorted papers, ephemera, images, stickers, and fabric to create little works of art to tuck into the pockets.

No bookmaking experience necessary. Come ready to fold something unexpected and discover where the next page takes you.

(*You can make a larger version. Check with GG for size options.)

You'll go home with a beautiful collection of prints. What do you do with them? Gelli prints are a beautiful collection of visual ingredients. Like a painter's palette or a basket of fabrics, they become the raw material for countless creative projects. Use them for collage, mixed media, books and journals, cards and paper crafts, home decor, nature-inspired projects, gifts, creative play, group activities -- the possibilities are almost endless!

$75.00 (20% on all class supplies at the Art Department.)

Register at the store here.

Tipi Village Retreats

Marcola, Oregon

June 10 - 14, 2027

GG and Dayna Collins

Imagine spending five days nestled in the sanctuary of a rich green forest next to a babbling brook, sleeping in a cozy bed, being pampered with gourmet food, playing with paint and collage, and renewing that spontaneous, juicy, creative, soulful part of yourself. It’s all yours to enjoy in a community of kindred spirits.

GG and Dayna will be your midwives clearing the way for you to step out of what you think is true about your creative self, and step into an environment where you feel free to birth whatever wants to be expressed.

Through a series of experimental exercises with paint, paper, and written and spoken words, you will explore a variety of techniques designed to bypass creative blocks and connect deeply with your personal serendipitous muse. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just starting to explore your creative potential, this workshop offers a supportive environment where you can freely experiment, awaken the subconscious, discover new creative pathways, build creative muscle, and develop a more profound connection with your mysterious and creative Self.

The Tipi Village Retreat center is a haven away from the ordinary. Located in the Mohawk Valley near Eugene/Oregon, it is the perfect location to step out of daily life for four days and step into a place where you are held by majestic trees and nourishing waters. Meander along the trails, nap in the shade, soak in the hot tub, or dip in the swimming hole, this place is intimate and magical – truly one of Oregon’s hidden emerald gems. Bring your swimsuit and dive in!

Registration will open up in January 2027.

Friday evening September 18th through noon on Monday the 21st, 2026

Join us for a soulful retreat at the serene and healing grounds of Breitenbush Hot Springs: “The Return of Grace: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine” SoulCollage® Retreat

Autumn + Sacred Feminine + Healing

In the golden hush of autumn, we mirror the Earth — letting go of what no longer serves, composting old identities, and preparing the inner soil for new life. Through SoulCollage®, council, ritual, reflection, and rest, we gather to remember the Sacred Feminine as she lives within and around us — the part of us that knows how to soften, receive, and heal.

Equinox invites us to balance the feminine and masculine energies within self and culture, doing our part to heal the wounds of overdrive, competition, and depletion through receptivity, intuition, and care. Guided by archetypes of the Sacred Feminine, we’ll explore the path to allowing the feminine to rise again, radiant and whole.

This retreat is full. Contact Breitenbush to get on the waiting list.

Solo Passage Book and

Oracle of the Sacred Path Card Deck

are both available on my website here.

Solo Passage Book: In this series of interwoven stories, GG chronicles her path toward healing through wilderness quests in the Pacific Northwest and Central California. Thorugh her connection to nature, she rediscovers the importance of self-esteem, forgiveness, acceptance, and standing in her own truth.

*****

Solo Passage Oracle Deck:

Birthed from the rhythms of the Earth and the whispers of the unseen, and graced by GG's original artwork and photography, this 65-card deck is a companion for wilderness questers, threshold walkers, and seekers of truth. Each card holds a question—a doorway to a theme, an archetype, or a symbol meant to speak directly to your Soul.