ZAP Studio

10/11/2024

I'm contemplating growing up, getting serious and rebranding ZAP Studio. What are your thoughts?

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22/08/2023

When we think about gratitude, it's easy to fall into a particular pattern of thinking about *things* that we're grateful for.

A roof over our head.
Food on the table.
Friends and family who love us.

These are all well and good things for which to be grateful, don't misunderstand me, please. But today, it occurred to me that I'm most grateful for time and space to be able to do what's important to me; which is share what I've learnt along life's journey with others in order to help them make progress towards what they most want from life.

I realise that this is a priveleged place to find myself. And I'm extremely grateful for the economic and social structures which allow me to follow my heart's desires, and get paid for that. My aim is to be able to help more people to achieve their dreams and goals of making a tree change, living a simple life and having the time and space themselves to pursue their passions.

But the truth of the matter is that this life I'm living is the reward of applying myself to taking action towards my ultimate goals for the last fifteen years. While it feels like people have suddenly discovered what I'm doing and opportunities are starting to come my way, there were plenty of times when nothing seemed to be happening, and certainly money didn't follow in any kind of regular fashion! Again, I'm grateful that I had resources of all kinds to get through that period, but one of the most important things I learnt was that if you quit, you'll never know what might have been.

So this post is to say thank you. To those of you I've met along the way, and those I haven't yet met but who might have heard of me and some of my work. To those who have reached out, or said yes to my overtures to collaborate. To those I've shared knowledge with, and those who would like to learn with me. Thanks for being part of the journey.

21/08/2023

Our household runs along the lines of "this needs doing, so I'm going to do it" rather than "that's your job and this is my job" because we like to divide and conquer to get on top of tasks around the place.

But once upon a time, a friend of mine was going through a separation, which meant selling their family home. They had more of a traditional split of domestic chores in that he did most of the outside work with power tools. So in an effort to clean up some storm damage after he had moved out, my friend rang me and said "I feel like you'd be the kind of person who knows how to use a whipper snipper (line trimmer) and chainsaw, can you please help?"

At that moment, it dawned on me that there are a number of women in my community who are struggling to heat their homes and feed their children, because so many of us have wood fired heating around here, and no "man about the house" to either do that task, or show them how to do it themselves. There is also an abundance of free firewood where we live, you just need to know where and how you can collect it. So I put the word out to the community that I was going to run a workshop on how to use chainsaws for ABSOLUTE beginners, and how to collect your own firewood for FREE and the rest, as they say, is history.

If you're ready to start a stockpile for next year and can't get to my next workshop (in the Events section at the bottom of my website, link in bio), you can also undertake the course online: www.zapstudio.online/chainsaw

18/08/2023

Small business success often comes down to communication. Frequently, small businesses don’t return messages, or call back when they say they will. Communication requires consistency, some give and take. This is especially true of online communication.

But today, I’m here to apologise. In the busyness that is my day-to-day business existence, I’ve dropped the ball on my attempts to connect and communicate with you. I’d love for you to learn from my mistakes, so here are some pitfalls of a stop/start approach to social media to consider:

1. Loss of Trust and Credibility Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. When you start engaging with your audience and then suddenly vanish, people may question your credibility and commitment. So I’m apologising again for getting started in conversation and then being AWON (absent without notice).

2. Audience Disengagement Engagement takes time to build, and losing it is a step backward. If you start a dialogue with your audience and then abruptly stop, they might disengage or even unfollow.

3. Missed Opportunities Social media is a dynamic space, and opportunities can arise at any moment. By starting and stopping, there is a risk of missing out on potential collaborations, partnerships, and client interactions.

4. Fading Visibility Social media algorithms love consistency. Regular posting keeps your content in front of your audience, boosting your visibility. On the other hand, irregular posting can lead to a drop in algorithmic favour, making it harder for your content to reach the people who need to see it.

5. Rebuilding Effort If you decide to restart your communication after a hiatus, be prepared for extra effort to regain lost ground. It's like rekindling a fire; it takes more time and energy to get it back to its original warmth.

Social media can be an incredibly powerful tool for connecting, building brand awareness, and fostering meaningful relationships. However, communication isn’t just about making contact; it's about maintaining consistent and authentic communication. So I have learnt from my errors here, and I will do better with my communication both online and in the real world. Thanks for your patience.

30/07/2023

Entrainment is the name given to the experience of harmonised brainwaves between humans. Some of the easiest ways to induce this state are through laughter, music, dance or drumming. If you've never intentionally experienced entrainment, I invite you to come along to join the fun next Thursday evening! Here are five other reasons why Learning the Labyrinth will change your mind for the better:

1. You will explore seeing situations from an alternative perspective, which can enhance the interpersonal relationships in your life.

2. You will reexamine some of your stories and beliefs about yourself in order to know yourself better. Recognising there is an issue is half the battle to solving it, after all.

3. You will discover tools and techniques to help you connect to your innate creativity. This allows you to think differently and more creatively next time you encounter a problem at home, work or anywhere else in life.

4. You'll get to experience the magic of the Circle of Shaman; where we are all teachers and learners together. The energetic resonance of people in harmony is something special to be a part of.

5. You will remember that it's important to let your hair down from time to time and cultivate a beginner's mind. Having to be "on" or in "expert mode" all the time is exhausting! Dancing to a drum has long been used as a way for people to "let off steam" in a healthy and fun way. You're invited to try it!

Tickets are now on sale for my Learning the Labyrinth workshop in East Melbourne on Aug 3rd: https://course.zapstudio.online/learning-the-labyrinth

26/07/2023

The Minos of Myth is likely to be an amalgamation of a few different Kings of Crete whose deeds were larger than life, but whose names have been lost to history.

In the Labyrinth myths, King Minos is portrayed as egotistical and ruthless in his pursuit of the throne, his betrothed and his legacy. Unfortunately his hubris is also his undoing, as is often the case in the epic stories of legend.

Observing Minos through the lens of archetype characters, we can see that he is the personification of the unhealed masculine energy; that which is based on untamed ego, rage, and ultimately sorrow which he knows not how to handle. The tradition of feeding fourteen virgins to the Minotaur each nine years stems from his devastating rage and grief at the death of his son and heir, and his need to punish the people he holds responsible.

His actions to hide the shame of his wife's "infidelity" (or her choice to embrace her Divine Creativity) lead to more damage and pain for those around him. Minos relies on others (such as Daedalus and later Hercules) to clean up the results of his violent emotional outbursts, and unfortunately doesn't learn how to channel these powerful feelings in a constructive way.

Working with the Labyrinth ourselves gives everyone the opportunity to travel within, and face our own emotional issues head on. It is only through confronting how we are currently dealing (or not dealing!) with our fears, hopes, dreams and so forth that we can bring our best selves to do our work in the world. It can be challenging to even ascertain what our work in the world should be if we have not addressed some of the skeletons in our own closets. I would love to help you learn how the Labyrinth might become a tool through which you can explore your best path forwards.

25/07/2023

Most classes I've ever seen on the Greek Myths and Legends come at the topic from the traditional, patriarchal interpretations. While some may offer a feminist rereading, I've yet to encounter one that explores the archetypal energies residing in the characters; the masculine and feminine energies we all embody. How do we relate to the characters if the boundary, the stage, the page, the landscape of the story is Us? What is it like to embody the story for ourselves?

This approach is fundamental to the shamanic perspective of story as teacher. The use of story to teach is not specific to any one culture; like dance, drumming and music, song and poetry, it is a pancultural art form. But it is often considered a primitive form of teaching in the Western cultural tradition, even though parables were allegedly Jesus' favourite way of explaining concepts to those with whom he communicated. We often forget that many of the structures and institutions of Western society have been implemented or inherited from the Catholic Church over millennia.

So this workshop is, in my opinion, unique in offering the feminist perspective of characters' archetypal energy that inhabits us as humans in the every day. Come and see for yourself?

25/07/2023

In Greek mythology, Pasiphae is the daughter of Helios, the Sun God and an Oceanid named P***e.

She is also wife and Queen Consort of Minos, Ruler of Crete.

And her most infamous role in mythology is as the Mother of the Minotaur.

This tale is often told as one of uncontrollable passions; revenge, lust, disgust, shame, fear. Pasiphae pays the price for her husband's hubris, as women have so often throughout the ages. The depths of shadow used to hide her actions and the consequences they bring about are extraordinary, for her husband is ashamed and embarrassed by the Minotaur she births. He seeks to hide it; out of sight, out of mind.

And yet, as all feelings, stories, passions pushed down deep into the dark eventually do, the Minotaur becomes corrupted. There is no forgetting, there is no forgiveness.

And yet, this interpretation is only one way to tell the tale.

As daughter of a God, Pasiphae is more than a mere mortal, she is a Sovereign Personage in her own right. She was not the passive recipient of Poseidon's wrath, but the active participant in relationship with her own Divine Creativity. Seeing the myth through the Shamanic lens of story as healing and learning tool, we can apply the symbolism of Pasiphae's archetypal roles to strengthen our own relationship with Divine Creativity. We can follow the threads into and out of our own Labyrinthine journey to Self, where all the answers have been all along.

I invite you to come and reframe the myth of the Labyrinth, and explore your own innate creativity.