ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS
CREATIVE COMMUNITY
VIRTUAL GATHERINGS
How does creativity help us heal from addictive behaviors?
How can we create from a productive rather than a destructive place?
In what ways can art-making further our growth and connection in recovery?
Launches Friday, August 7th
Zoom Gatherings (11am – 1pm PST):
Friday, August 7th: Opening Event and Creative Workshop
Friday, August 14, Panel Discussion with Leaders in Recovery
Friday, August 21st, Story and Voice Interactive Workshop
During these times we are being called upon to find creative ways to adapt, heal from addiction, grief and trauma, and envision a new world. This requires imagination and moving away from limiting mindsets and behaviors.
Music, painting, dance, poetry, film, theater, comedy and other forms of creative expression are the lifeblood of our communities. Let’s create together and expand our capacity to thrive as we recover.
The Creative High Inspiration Series is for…
- People in recovery from addiction who want to find their creative voice and access the power of the arts
- Artists in recovery who want to connect with like-minded souls and continue thriving in art and life
- Creatives who are struggling with their addictive behaviors and seeking inspiration to move into recovery
- Mental health professionals, educators, and anyone who wants to increase their knowledge on the topic of addiction and recovery from a creative lens
Reserve your place in this powerful community:
Get Access – $25
Get Access + Donate – $75
Get Access + Donate – $125
This series is inspired by The Creative High documentary film, which is in the final stage of post-production.
Donations from this series will provide funds to complete this important documentary. Learn More
5% of the proceeds will go to Hip Hop for Change (www.hiphopforchange.org/)
Our Partner:
Laura Silverman
Laura Silverman got sober in July of 2007 after a six-year rollercoaster ride of binge drinking to cope with mental health issues. Since then, she’s created a patchwork recovery that works for her: therapy, nature, self-love, music, relationships that matter, recovery memoirs and personal development books, and sobriety online. In 2015, Laura started a sobriety lifestyle blog that celebrates alternative modes of recovery/sobriety called The Sobriety Collective, which showcases sober creatives worldwide and has hundreds of resources for people wanting to connect with others and/or get help.
Our Sponsors:
The Interviews:
Alonzo Bodden, Finding The Funny
Alonzo Bodden is a stand-up comedian who won Season 3 on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, is a regular on NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” and “Comedy Congress,” as well as being a panelist on the Game Show Network’s “Mind of a Man.” Alonzo has made the rounds on the late-night television circuit including appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn,” and “The Keenen Ivory Wayans” show. His film credits include “Scary Movie 4,” “The Girl Next Door,” and “Bringing Down the House” starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. Bodden wouldn’t have found comedy without sobriety, as it changed his sense of humor. He’s a contributor to the Drug Courts of America and has a weekly podcast called ‘Who’s Paying Attention’. www.alonzobodden.com
Billy Morrison, Behind the Facade
Billy Morrison is a rock guitarist, fine art painter, actor and philanthropist who hails from the United Kingdom, but has made his home in Los Angeles for over 20 years now. His success as a member of Billy Idol’s band, a founding member of All-Star band Royal Machines, and his time in The Cult gave him a platform to begin painting and he has turned his love of fine art into a life-saving creative outlet for himself. For the past few years, Billy has used canvas and paint to express many feelings and emotions and cites the process as one of the important and daily tools he uses to keep his mental health in check. A heroin and cocaine addict for over 15 years, Morrison, now 25 years clean and sober continues to aspire to new levels of clarity, focus and success through many different areas of The Arts. billymorrisonart.com Instagram: @BillyMorrisonOfficial and @BillyMorrisonFineArt.
Joshua Grannell (aka Peaches Christ), Channeling Insanity
Joshua Grannell aka Peaches Christ is a filmmaker and cult leader living in San Francisco. Her infamous movie events are self-produced at the Castro Theatre and regularly draw over 1,000 attendees to each new production before they tour. Events have featured special guest stars John Waters, Cloris Leachman, Bruce Campbell, Barry Bostwick, Pam Grier, and more. Peaches is the alter- ego of Joshua Grannell, the writer and director of the feature film All About Evil. The award-winning dark comedy gore film stars Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Dekker, Cassandra Peterson, Mink Stole, and Peaches Christ herself. Peaches Christ has been featured in the films Milk, I Am Divine, Diary Of A Teenage Girl, Mansfield 66/67, Scream Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street, You Don’t Nomi and more.
Instagram @thepeacheschrist
Facebook: facebook.com/peacheschrist
Kerensa DeMars, Surrender in Creative Practice
Kerensa DeMars is a Flamenco dancer and choreographer known for her unique synthesis of Flamenco and Middle Eastern dance styles. She has performed internationally at venues including London’s Royal Festival Hall, the Teatro Calderón of Madrid, the Tivoli Theater in Barcelona and San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The founding director of the San Francisco Flamenco Dance Company, Kerensa lived in Spain from 1997-2004 where she trained intensively in Flamenco dance with Spain’s foremost artists. Kerensa is the recipient of several major choreography commissions and has presented her work in Madrid, San Francisco, London, Barcelona and Paris. She approaches creative practice from a spiritually grounded perspective with a focus on growth, healing and expansion. www.kerensademars.com
Khafre Jay, From Adversity to Activist
Khafre Jay is one of the hardest-working activists the Bay Area has produced. Hailing from Hunters Point San Francisco, Khafre Jay grew up seeing first hand how injustices in this country can bring down people of color. He has dedicated his life to lifting up those people fighting so hard for equality and for social justice. That work is best seen in his founding of Hip Hop For Change. A revolutionary 501c3 focused on building a base of self-determination for Hip Hop culture and Hip Hop expression, for and by the people! As a performing artist, Khafre has shared the stage with world-class acts such as Rakim, Method Man, Dead Prez, Hieroglyphics, The Pharcyde, Talib Kweli and many more. www.khafrejay.com
Reema Zaman, The Voice is a Revolution
Reema Zaman is an award-winning writer, speaker, actress, and author of the critically acclaimed memoir I AM YOURS. As a recovered anorexic and a rape survivor, she addresses taboo subjects such as domestic violence, self-harm, and her continued choice to abstain from alcohol. Reema was the 2018 Oregon Literary Arts’ Writer of Color Fellow and is currently partnering with the International Rescue Committee and Girls Inc. to serve crucial causes and empower the next generation of leaders. She is credited with coining the term “immigrant abuse” and has joined forces with the nation’s leading advocacy organizations to advocate for change in policies that impact immigrants and survivors of abuse. Currently, she is writing a dystopian novel, PARAMITA. www.reemazaman.com
Shiloh Sophia, Rocking Inner Wildness
Shiloh Sophia lives life as a great adventure narrated by the creative fire of her Muse! For the past 25 years, she has dedicated her life to the belief that self-expression is a basic human right and shares her message with tens of thousands around the world through her revolutionary education, focused on art as a pathway to healing and transformation called Intentional Creativity®. She is the Curator and Co-founder of MUSEA: Center for Intentional Creativity®, with locations in Sonoma, California and around the world. “I believe making art with intention combines the best of healing and recovery through science, embodiment and mindfulness”. Most mornings she can be found having tea with her Muse, pouring over quantum physics and sacred texts in the Red Thread Cafe with her husband Jonathan. www.shilohsophia.com or www.musea.org
Tawny Lara, Writing as Catharsis
Tawny Lara is an NYC-based writer who covers all things sex, sobriety, and rock n roll. She’s even been dubbed The Sober Sexpert. Tawny’s words have been published in Playboy, Men’s Health, Huffington Post, The Temper, Audiofemme, SheSaid, and more. Tawny has shared her recovery story on stages all across the world: IOGT World Congress, New York State Recovery Conference, United Federation of Teachers, and more. In addition to writing and public speaking, she’s the founder of the Readings on Recovery™ reading series and SobrieTea Party™, co-host of Recovery Rocks podcast with Lisa Smith, charity volunteer with Road Recovery, and an award-winning filmmaker of the recovery documentary, Fixed Up. www.tawnylara.com
The Gatherings:
Opening Gathering: Living Art – Imagine, Create, Connect
Friday, August 7, 2020 from 11AM-1PM PT (on Zoom)
Join us for the series lift-off with music from the UK’s New Note, the first recovery orchestra in the world. This will be followed by a creative exploration with Master Teacher and Director, Adriana Marchione and Expressive Arts Educator and Recovery Advocate, Shelley Richanbach. Cultivating community and self-reflection with the tools of poetry, drawing, movement and writing, this class is for any age and every ‘body’.
New Note Orchestra, UK’s Recovery Orchestra
Adriana Marchione, Master Teacher and Director
Shelley Richanbach, Expressive Arts Educator and Recovery Advocate
Panel Discussion: Building Authentic Community through Creativity
Friday, August 14, 2020 from 11AM-1PM PT (on Zoom)
This event will feature a power house line-up of recovery artists and advocates and will dive into inspiration and provocative topics surrounding how creativity supports recovery and mental health.
Moderated by Tammi Salas and Sondra Primeaux, hosts of the popular The Unruffled Podcast (www.theunruffled.com/)
Panelists: Chris Marshall, founder of Sans Bar Payton Kennedy of She Recovers, Wesley Geer, Musician and founder of Rock to Recovery, Lazarus Nance Letcher, Musician and Trans Activist, and Erin Khar, Author of ‘Strung Out’. Stay tuned for a few surprise performances!
Sondra Primeaux
The Unruffled Podcast
Tammi Salas
The Unruffled Podcast
Chris Marshall
Sans Bar
Erin Khar
Author of ‘Strung Out’
Payton Kennedy
She Recovers®
Wesley Geer
Rock to Recovery
Lazarus Nance Letcher
Musician and trans activist
Closing Gathering: Recovering our Voice, Telling Our Stories
We closed this exciting series with a workshop with world-renowned leadership speaking coach Lee Glickstein and award-winning documentarian, Dianne Griffin. This session provided the opportunity to unfold our stories and explored a creative way to express our truth. The key to fully recover our authentic voice is to uncover what it means to “speak into the listening.” Closing ceremony included music and dance by New Note Orchestra.
Dianne Griffin, Award-Winning Documentarian
Lee Glickstein, World-Renowned Speaking Coach
New Note Orchestra, Uk’s Recovery Orchestra
Reserve your place in this powerful community:
Get Access – $25
Get Access + Donate – $75
Get Access + Donate – $125
This series is inspired by The Creative High documentary film, which is in the final stage of post-production.
Donations from this series will provide funds to complete this important documentary. Learn More
5% of the proceeds will go to Hip Hop for Change (www.hiphopforchange.org/)
Host and Interviewer:
Adriana Marchione
Adriana Marchione MA, REAT, RSMT, Director has been involved in the arts for over thirty years as a filmmaker, dancer, photographer and is internationally recognized in her work as a movement-based expressive arts therapist and educator. Since 2002, Marchione has taught and directed programs at Tamalpa Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, WHEAT Institute in Canada and founded her own wellness center in San Francisco. She has presented her creative healing approach with a focus on addiction, eating disorders, trauma and grief, at festivals, conferences, and treatment centers including South by Southwest, Studio le théâtre du Corps in Paris, Ohlhoff Recovery Program and La Ventana Eating Disorder Program. www.adrianamarchione.com
Co-Hosts:
Dianne Griffin
Dianne Griffin is an award-winning international filmmaker based in San Francisco, California. Dianne’s thirty years of documentary work is a doorway into how she looks at the world which has been deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism, a recovery practice and the people around her. Dianne’s documentaries have screened at film festivals worldwide, broadcast nationwide on PBS, theatrically and on streaming platforms. Dianne’s documentary Painted Nails 2017, follows Van Nguyen, a Vietnamese salon owner and her life-changing journey, premiering to standing ovations and sold-out shows. Actively involved in the documentary film community, Dianne Griffin teaches documentary filmmaking, including crowd-funding and social media marketing. www.diannegriffin.com
Shelley Richanbach
Shelley Richanbach, CADC, Associate Producer is a certified drug and alcohol counselor and an expressive arts educator. She brings dance and the arts to her students and clients with a special focus on addiction/recovery. Shelley founded Next Steps for Women in 2010 and helped to create and establish one of the first Recovery Community Organizations (RCO) in California, Voices of Recovery San Mateo County, in 2009. For over a decade Shelley has led expressive arts workshops, environmental arts and play programs. www.nextstepsforwomen.com
Reserve your place in this powerful community:
Get Access – $25
Get Access + Donate – $75
Get Access + Donate – $125
This series is inspired by The Creative High documentary film, which is in the final stage of post-production.
Donations from this series will provide funds to complete this important documentary. Learn More
5% of the proceeds will go to Hip Hop for Change (www.hiphopforchange.org/)