Be Brave. Lose the Beige, LLC offers a series of workshops and retreats for Lady Boomers, women of the Baby Boomer generation. Creativity is a central component of the sessions. Many people believe creativity peaks when we are young, diminishing as we grow older. That stereotype is a myth. Research shows creativity can be maintained and even increased as we age. Just as we can begin an exercise program after age 65, we can also put on an artist’s smock at any age. Be Brave. Lose the Beige approaches creativity in a playful and non-threatening way. Workshops are structured in two hour, half day, full day and weekend segments.
WORKSHOPS & RETREATS
Women's Wellness Workshops
Workshops and retreats target issues impacting Lady Boomer health and explore creative ways of achieving wellness. Research documents participation in the creative arts stimulates the senses, enlivens individuals mentally and emotionally, and promotes physical and cognitive health. Gene Cohen, a pioneer in the study of aging and creativity, found adults who participated in an arts program reported a higher overall rating of physical health; fewer doctor visits, less medication, a reduction in falls, and fewer other health problems. Expressing ourselves is a vital human need.
RETIREMENT THEMED WORKSHOPS
This workshop series is specifically designed to address issues relevant to Lady Boomers as they consider, transition into, or navigate through the world of retirement. Whereas women of previous generations may have envisioned the “Golden Years” of retirement as leaving the workforce, retiring to Florida, and leading a life of leisure, Lady Boomers have the opportunity to create and experience a “Radical Retirement”. There may in fact be nothing “retiring” at all about this phase of life as we employ our creative abilities to redefine our concept of work, pursue our dreams, and establish our vision for actively and purposefully living out the next 20, 30 or 40 years.
An essential component of Be Brave. Lose the Beige workshops is “Exercising Your Creativity”. Be Brave. Lose the Beige strongly believes in the power of creative expression as a tool for self-awareness, problem-solving, and nurturing a woman’s colorful spirit. As adults, we have come to recognize the validity of exercising our bodies and minds, but somehow, once we get past the age of ten, we often pay less attention to our creative muscles. And, just like physical muscles that fail to be engaged, so can our creative muscles begin to atrophy. Creativity is not just about participating in the visual or performing arts, it’s a way of thinking about and approaching your life, a way of viewing the world, a way of doing everyday, mundane things in a novel way. It’s owning your own life rather than letting circumstances or other people own you.
In this workshop participants will be encouraged to “flex” their creative muscles by engaging in creative exercises. They will be led through the Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 10 Tips for Creative Living.
Session I: Exercising Your Creativity
From Mom and Grandmother to employer, board member, chef and chauffer, women of the boomer generation wear a lot of hats. This workshop explores 12 different hats which represent the many different roles women perform each day.
Session II: So Many Hats, Only One Head
Session III: Purse Chaos
Does your life resemble your purse? An analysis of the contents of your purse, or even the purse itself could produce some surprising and revealing findings on this path toward self-discovery. What kind of baggage are you carrying around? Participants will be guided through a purse analysis and engage in a creative purse activity.
Is the “Empty Nest Syndrome” reality or myth? Is your retirement “nest” devoid of kids and meaning or filled with a yappy foo-foo dog, golf clubs, and designer luggage? Or maybe your nest is not so empty and filled with aging parents or your twenty and thirty-something “Boomerang Kids” who have returned home to roost. Participants in this workshop will evaluate their empty nest (or not-so empty nest as the case may be) and discover or reimagine those dreams they’ve put on hold for the past quarter of a century.
Session IV: What’s In Your Empty Nest?
Learn what some of the best and brightest researchers say about our middle-age brains. Discover how exposure to the novel and complex thinking inherent in creative activities contribute to increased brain reserves which ward off declining brain functioning. Boosting creativity may have other health benefits as well and can help us overcome physical or emotional decline and loss.
Session V: Boosting Your Boomer Brain: What is the Rx for Brain Health?
The Boomer generation can truly be dubbed the “Tweener Generation”, sandwiched between tending to aging parents and parenting adult children. The health of the caregiver is the focus of this program. Creative stimulation and social connection are vital to the health and well being of the caregiver.
Session VI: Are You a ‘Tweener?
Workshop participants are encouraged to escape their incessant “to-do” lists and explore ways to “take a break” and build more “pauses” into their daily lives as a means of de-stressing and of releasing their creative “juices”.
Session VII: Beauty and the Beach
This workshop analyzes the roles and responsibilities of Lady Boomers in celebrating holiday occasions. In the United States we love celebrating occasions- Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and, of course…Christmas. Included are Santa’s 12 tips for celebrating Christmas, including one called “Breathe” which features Santa seated in a lotus position on a yoga mat.
Session VIII: Om for the Holidays
