Hosting a Creative Practice Workshop: A Story and Guide

In March 2021, eighteen readers joined The Well and visual artist Leslie Iwai for our Creative Practice Workshop Series, “A New Thing Springs Forth.” Leslie is an installation artist whose work is often interactive and tactile, so she brought her skill with experiential art to this workshop. Participants were invited to make art as a way of reflecting on Scripture through multiple senses and experiencing the text in a personal, embodied way to gain new understanding of God’s word for us. We hope that as you read about this process you will be inspired to create your own piece of art in response to Scripture or even to have your own creative practice group. We’ll conclude with an outline of the steps we followed.

Before the first virtual workshop, Leslie invited the participants to read and meditate on Isaiah 42:1-9, focusing on the imagery in the passage. 

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,    my chosen, in whom my soul delights;I have put my spirit upon him;    he will bring forth justice to the nations.He will not cry or lift up his voice,    or make it heard in the street;a bruised reed he will not break,    and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;    he will faithfully bring forth justice.

— Isaiah 42:1-3, NRSV

Leslie prompted the participants to begin visually expressing ideas from the Scripture, and each participant found 1-3 images for everyone to view at the beginning of the workshop. Here are a few examples of visual ideas the participants drew from Isaiah 42:1-9.

Leslie structured the workshop time around lectio divina interspersed with visual arts prompts and time to create, and participants discussed their reflections in breakout groups before holding up their artwork to the camera for everyone to see. Drawing on imagery from Isaiah 42:3, which is reflected in several of the participants’ found images, Leslie gave the participants ten minutes after the first reading of the passage to draw something inspired by the words.

Katherine Petillo drew a candle. 

Laima Mikaliukas drew reeds. 

Lily Lewin drew something more abstract. 

After the second reading, Leslie asked the participants to partially tear their drawings and then take ten minutes to thoughtfully piece them back together and add something new. It was amazing to see the visual transformation that took place in the process of tearing apart something old and creating something new out of not-quite-broken pieces.

Katherine’s candle turned into a radiating light.

Laima’s reeds grew and multiplied.