I Create
To be human is to be a creator.
Learn to tap this power at will.
Creativity is man’s fundamental means of survival.
He is not an automaton; he is not a lower animal with a perceptual form of consciousness. He is a human being with a particular type of consciousness – which wonders about things, asks questions and finds answers to create the values he needs to live. He uses reason to create values.
There is nothing more nourishing, more gratifying, more ennobling than to know what this process is, how it works and then consciously work it. All the joy and serenity possible to a man comes from being conscious of and in control of this process. Wanting to master the creative process to achieve value gives morality a purpose.
I Create is a class that explores and clarifies this process.
I Create is about creativity itself. The course explores and clarifies this process. Knowing creativity and its purpose will have you hold yourself as a creator. The energy to create arises from your values so what you create will be an expression of your values. Most people do not know what their values are and so their energy comes from mysterious sources. Knowing the source, you are in the driver’s seat of your life. You will awaken and discover untapped energy.
I Create is about the ground of being for creativity. You will be given the reasoning by means of which you create your tap root, the ultimate source of your strength to stand tall and grow in the process. You will be able claim your results.
The Teacher
Your teacher will be BUTTERBAUGH, architect, artist and philosopher**. His life has been dedicated to creating in one form or another. Always a creative person, studying architecture, though, had him produce creations on demand. The increased intensity of the process required him to learn about it and to master it. There are points in the process when one can rationalize that he ought to quit. Ultimately the thing that gets one across those threatening chasms is knowledge. Dwelling in that process has revealed more secrets of it and it is this broad experience that he brings to this class.
His commitment is that every human being know the power, joy and nourishment that being a creator is.
The Course
The course will consist of two sessions on different days with homework in between. The initial means to reveal the parts of this process will be a sketching project. We will be on location where you will be able to pick out something you want to sketch. You will identify what it is that attracts you to the thing you like. The object will be to sketch the thing such that when you see your drawing, it will recreate for you the value that had you want to do it in the first place. This simple project will bring out all of the steps of the process plus reveal many of the challenges of the process. You will be supported throughout by the principles of the process which BUTTERBAUGH will state and underscore until you grasp them.
Between the two sessions, you will create a simple project – any project – that you want to take on in your life. Creativity always produces a value otherwise it isn’t doing what it is designed to do. It can be cleaning out a closet. It can be hosting a birthday party. It can be setting up and having an appointment with someone which you have been putting off. It can be baking a cake you have long wanted to try. In each case, you have to identify what it is that has that be a worthwhile thing to do and then produce that value.
At the first class, we will identify the location for the second class. In the second session each person will present the homework project he chose and the result he obtained. His presentation is another value to consider. He wants to present it in a way that reveals the value of his project so that we can all get present to what that is.
Logistics
The first session will meet at Drip, a coffee shop on Brasfield Square in the heart of Glenwood Park – 928-B Garrett Street, Atlanta GA 30316 – at 10 a.m. (This could change to be coordinated with the students signed up for a particular course.)(Also, if none of this scheduling works for you, call BUTTERBAUGH to work out something that does work.)
Schedule of Courses through June, 2012
Friday, May 18 and Friday, May 25
Saturday, June 16 and Saturday June 23
For this class, you will need a sketch book with blank pages, some pencils, a sharpener of some kind and an eraser. Anything that makes a mark can be used to make a drawing but there are drawing pencils in different weights at the art supply stores. I like weights H and HB. If you especially like color, bring colored pencils. You may want a three legged stool or campers chair to sit if you want to sketch outside. The three legged variety can handle any terrain and give you a much needed seat as you concentrate on your sketching.
Registration
The tuition for this 2-session course is $50, payable in advance of the first session. Cash is preferable and check is accepted. Registration for the next scheduled course will close at midnight, Wednesday, December 8, or when ten (10) people have signed up, whichever comes sooner. To register or talk to a real person for information, call BUTTERBAUGH at 404-522-2255.
What others are saying about the course
Timing is everything, they say, and taking Steve Butterbaugh’s course came at just the right time for me. A fledgling empty-nester, I find myself at a crossroads now. Steve inspires, motivates, gives confidence, and with great joy and enthusiasm, imparts what he knows best — how to create. Through Steve’s guidance, I am now much more in touch with I need to do to create the life I want–the life that is meaningful to me. The exercises he conducted during the course were fun…and rewarding! They connected me keenly with my values and got me out of my “comfort zone” with surprising results. And now, I am acutely more conscious, on a daily basis, of how to live my values. Thank you, Steve. - Kate Miller
What a thought-provoking course! I appreciated the philosophical premise for discussing two of life’s biggest questions- what is my purpose in life and how do I go about fulfilling this purpose to the best of my abilities? We are led toward introspection, to question whether our goals are congruent with our decision-making patterns. A rich and deep discussion on what truly motivates us! – Shani Chambers
There are two amazing parts to this course. The first is getting to know Steve. What a wealth of knowledge and yet so keen on exploration and understanding. His openness to what creativity is to another and working towards self is inspiring. The second part is the integration of life into the self. The course not only teaches the ability to create a work of art but to know that the art is ever-changing and that you can expound on it or begin another creation at another point in time in life. The philosophical conversations that surround the I-Create course are the crux of the basis for growth. Steve is not only a phenomenal teacher and artist he is a seeker of knowledge as well. I walked away from the course more open to expressing my vulnerabilities and that I have complete control of my growth. I also have a better understanding of how to decipher my own road of life and the multitude of crossroads that one encounters by looking at my moral code, values and purpose. I will recommend this course to anyone who is looking to grow and challenge themselves. I look forward to the next series. Thanks Steve. - Steena Mazzella
**For reference regarding creative work, go here: Butterbaugh Painting Or here: Butterbaugh Architecture