The ISPS Creative Online Sharing Space (ICOSS) takes place on Zoom on the third Thursday of every month. It runs from 12.00 midday to 1.30pm East Coast time and 5.00pm to 6.30pm UK time. The group is hosted by ISPS-US but any ISPS member, from any country, can join.
ICOSS grew out of the creativity sharing sessions offered by Toshiko Kobayashi during the ISPS-US 2021 Annual Conference. That year the conference was held remotely due to Covid-19. This gave rise to many challenges but Toshiko used the opportunity to prove how well an online creativity sharing group can work.
Members are invited to present a piece of creative work to the group. This could be anything that interests you; a photo, craftwork, a poem or a piece of prose writing. Creativity seems to be part of being human and it is in all of us. Sometimes the creator talks about the process of producing the work, the experience and the context. The group responds, each from their own perspective, illuminating different aspects of the work. Often the creator is amazed by what they hear. This is a rich experience for everyone, being introduced to a new piece of work, learning about its genesis and having a chance to respond.
The group has a closed WhatsApp group for sharing work and communicating between meetings.
The ICOSS members have collaborated on this article and highlight the importance and inclusivity of the group: ‘the group is an essential part of my month’, ‘the group makes me feel alive’, ‘each group member is an important part of the process’, ‘the group covers three generations’ and ‘the mood of the group is always non-judgemental’.
The key message from Toshiko is that we all have creative power and the group offers us a chance to share our creativity. Everyone is an artist and there is no right or wrong. ICOSS is not a therapy group but it is a place where we share an essential part of being human and that can be therapeutic.
Once you have signed up to ICOSS you can choose how to use the group. You do not have to present work or appear on Zoom or attend every meeting.
To join, register on the ISPS-US website
https://ispsus.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F1596
and for more information email contact@isps-us.org
Maxine Sacks and ICOSS