Photography by Todd Winter.
I have always been fascinated by the ways we communicate beyond words.
why Creator Spiritus?
As a child, I frequently played with children with whom I did not share a spoken language. As an adult, I found myself sitting with people who had no words to describe their circumstances or their feelings: adolescents, trauma survivors, the disabled or medically fragile, and those struggling with mental illness. It was clear to me that “not having words” did not mean “had nothing to express,” nor did it mean “unable to connect.” The spaces between us are Sacred.
Creator Spiritus grew out of that desire to listen beyond words. Over the years, I have explored the places where spirituality, creativity, imagination, and lived experience meet—especially when ordinary language cannot hold what we are trying to understand.
My work has taken many forms: spiritual care, teaching, writing, community art, retreats, and collaborative projects. What connects them is a conviction that meaning is not made through words alone. Sometimes we come to know what matters through an image, a story, movement, the natural world, making something with our hands, or simply paying attention to what emerges.
Creator Spiritus is the place where I gather and share that ongoing exploration.
from Participants
"There is something joyful and playful about colored birds. I look forward to filling out my dove and to cutting it out. In some ways I feel like a child again and it is so hopeful. Joy-filled--that's what I am!
“I see now that God can use anything to speak to me as long as I am open to Him and want to listen."
"The class has awakened something that has been dormant in me. It's been like hearing something off in the distance—I turn my head to see what I may find and catch a glimpse of God. I thirst for more."
"I felt that I was stretched in many of the projects- "what exactly should I do with an old wooden container?" "What does home look like- how would I show it?" The projects made me go to the one who knows me best and ask for some understanding, some guidance. I like how you left everything very open ended trusting that God can speak to us- that you didn't have to give us the answers- that much of the journey is in the questions."