The Creative Path: A Guided Group Experience in Art, Self-Compassion, and Renewal

Open the door and join us on the creative path… to renewal and and joy, as we move right on into summer!

The Creative Path: A Guided Group Experience in Art, Self-Compassion, and Renewal- an entry by Julie King Murphy

Helping others is a core value that shapes our callings—and for many of us in roles like counseling, teaching, coaching, healthcare, parenting, and community work, it’s more than a job. It’s a way of life. But it can also be exhausting. If you’ve ever felt like you’re pouring from an empty cup, you’re not alone—and this might be exactly the right moment to refill it.

This spring, my colleague Leigh Rainwater and I are thrilled to offer The Creative Path, a small-group experience designed for helping professionals and for those who help others as part of their personal lives, too. The program is open to anyone who wants to reconnect with creativity, self-compassion, and a sense of joy. We'll gather for four Tuesday evening sessions starting May 13 at the welcoming new ArtPlay-Studio space in Asheville’s Montford neighborhood.

Each session is a time to slow down, experiment with art (no experience necessary!), and engage with others who are also committed to living—and giving—with intention. You can choose to register for just one or two sessions, if that’s what works with your schedule, or join us for all four.

✨ The Essentials:

When:
Tuesdays, 4:30–6:30 p.m. — May 13, 20, 27, and June 3
Where:
ArtPlay-Studio, Montford area, Asheville
Cost:
$70 per session, or all four for $200 (includes all supplies!)
To register:
Follow this link or email me at Juliekingmurphy@gmail.com

Why Self-Compassion?

When I first encountered the term self-compassion, I was juggling a full-time job, raising young children, launching a business, leading small group retreats, and preparing to start graduate school in counseling and expressive arts therapy. Like so many helpers, I was good at being kind—to everyone but myself.

Practicing self-compassion changed my life. It gave me access to deeper energy, greater patience, and a fuller capacity to be present for others. Over the past 15 years, I’ve seen the same thing happen for my clients, my students—and honestly, I’ve had to re-learn it’s importance again and again myself. It’s not a one-time fix. It’s a practice.

What research (and experience) tells us is this: People who actively practice self-compassion are more resilient, forgiving, and motivated. They have better relationships, cope more effectively with stress, and show greater long-term well-being. And yes—self-compassion helps us help others better.
(For more, check out Dr. Kristin Neff’s work at self-compassion.org.)

Creativity as a Path to Healing and Connection

The good news? You don’t have to meditate for hours or read piles of books to practice self-compassion. Sometimes, all it takes is bringing together some art materials and an idea for a process to try, sitting down with a few other people (or even just yourself), letting go of judgment, and seeing what wants to emerge.

Art-making gives us permission to play. To explore. To make mistakes and grow from them. It’s a surprisingly powerful way to reconnect with ourselves and each other. Whether you're writing a poem, making a collage, painting with your fingers, or shaping clay—when approached with gentleness, creativity becomes a kind of medicine.

Each session of The Creative Path will include:

• Two guided art processes (think: journaling, collage, drawing, painting, clay sculpting…)

• Gentle body-based or mindfulness practices to ground us

• Time to share and connect, or simply reflect quietly, as you prefer

This isn’t therapy. It’s not about performance or technique. It’s about exploration, self-kindness, and discovering joy and meaning in the creative process. No artistic experience is required—just a willingness to be curious and kind to yourself.

A Little Backstory

Leigh and I have been supporting each other in our own creative self-care for the last couple of years—often meeting weekly with one or two others to make art and other times identifying what spaces and pockets of time we could find, even after the original ArtPlay-Studio location was destroyed by Hurricane Helene. That shared commitment—and the friendships that grew from it—helped us through tough times, and ultimately inspired the timing and theme of this particular program.

The new ArtPlay-Studio location is warm, light-filled, and often buzzing with creative community. It feels like the perfect place to host this next chapter—one grounded in creativity, compassion, and connection. As the studio's founder, Kristen Edge, often says: "Art is for everyone." We couldn’t agree more.

Ready to Join Us?

Whether you come for one session or all four, we’d love to welcome you to this space. Come as you are. Bring your curiosity. Leave perfectionism at the door.

To register or ask any questions, email me at Juliekingmurphy@gmail.com. Payment options include Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle—and if the timing doesn’t work but you’re interested in future offerings or individual sessions, please reach out. We’d love to stay connected.

Here’s to choosing creativity. Here’s to being our own friend.
We hope to see you soon on The Creative Path.