"I want to reach out and embrace this mythic life."

Member Spotlight on Shara Osgood! Featuring poetry and pages generated during Image Word Mystery gatherings.

“I once believed that I could/ Move beyond the trappings of my station/ Beyond labels and constructs/ And into the self that I paint/ And into the painting itself” -Shara Osgood

Welcome to the new Image Word Mystery Member Spotlight!

Where I shine a light on you & the magic you manifest on the page during our unique creative gatherings.

Want to join us? Upgrade here: Upcoming membership changes below the pink tape⬇

Meet my friend and fellow visionary creator, Shara Osgood!

Brave and tender, body painter, mural-maker, myth-weaver, mama, awe-and-wonder wanderer, generous soul, curious student & steadfast supporter to so many!

I am honored to say that in addition to being an Image Word Mystery Member, Shara has been writing and drawing with me in nearly every gathering I’ve hosted for the last four years!—

I mean everything— from Art of Dying Creative Death Cafe, to Holy Shadow Sacred Society and Oracle Club, to Ekphrastic Fantastic, to building ritual sketchbook practice in the 8-week Image Word Mystery course at ViTra Academy AND she has co-hosted a number of offerings with me over the years at the Vision Train. [🐍How many of you were with us for that epic snake dancing ritual???].

Thank you so much for walking this mythic art path with me, Shara! And for sharing your beautiful, sensitive and alive work with this community. Here’s to many more years of co-creation! 🙏

A self-portrait page, made during the 8-week Image Word Mystery ritual sketchbook course.

Q: What has been your favorite part of playing creative games in Image Word Mystery?  What do you like about this type of gathering or the prompts I share each week?  How does this type of thing fit with the rest of your creative practice?

A: I love the collective creative cauldron that we have built with this continued practice together. I really love all of Lisette's creative prompts and guidance towards various styles of writing. She makes it fun and accessible. I am always inspired and often surprised at the depth that we find in our poetry and our strength of connections in sharing our writing with each other. It is heartening and affirming to have these spaces to explore our inner worlds together.

Shara’s signature flow lines and the poem that followed the flow.

Q: Who do you think this kinda creative play is good for? Is it for people who draw? Is it for people who write? Is it for people who say they "can't draw"? Or "can't write"? Who needs to do this work?

A: I think, all of the above! It can help people to crack through the limiting thoughts we may have about whether we ARE writers or poets or artists or creatives. This is a PLAYshop. It is about experiencing the moment. I think that everyone can benefit from creative play. When we drop our judgement and just go for it, we can find many hidden gems and gifts. It is a perfect tool for self-reflection and, by working within a group, I often find that my feelings are shared and validated by others. It is very empowering.

Shara wrote “On A Dark Night” in an Image Word Mystery Creative Jam. She then worked this poem into the above visual piece for the “Found in Translation” show at Gallery Marquee in western Mass:

On A Dark Night 

rippling water
owls hoot
cricket song bulbous frog croaks
the heartbeat of the earthen realm
telling our stories truth in lies
truth lies within into the woods

peat moss on bare toes lavender summer breeze
igniting fireflies
curious blessing
then
a glowing
singular orb
a light that pulls me out
of the darkness separate and sovereign

still
connected seeing within without with out from within
the way out

the way OUT

During one of our Ekphrastic Fantastic gatherings, Shara discovered two stunning poems in Leonora Carrington’s “Self-Portrait” (above). Of interest: I frequently give writing prompts with absurdly short writing times built in. These were both written in just a ten minutes total!:

Reflections on Self Portrait of Leonora Carrington 

My shoes
Pointed, buttoned, severe
Restricting & limiting me
Mere tender supports
For my vigorous life
Crazy wild fire
And electric edges
The starkness
Of my containment
Yellowed drapery
The stage for
The dramatic
What could be
My life
Things that
Might have
Been


Second Reflection 

Alone in the room of my self awareness
Am I here, in this moment?
Facing the dark, crazy, foolish fecundity of my
Own personal asylum
Untethered from my childhood innocence and joy
On the edge On the verge
Of something unknowable or yet unknown
I want to reach out and embrace this mythic life
This potential salvation
But I lose my nerve
Feeling trapped
My support is so fragile and tentative
To look at me, many call me crazy
Unworthy or unknowable or just misunderstood
I long to run free
Roam the mysterious shadow paths
But I remain trapped in the bleakness
I once believed that I could
Move beyond the trappings of my station
Beyond labels and constructs
And into the self that I paint
And into the painting itself
To bleed my truth
In a river overflowing
That cannot be ignored

[Again, I exclaim: All written IN TEN MINUTES!! HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THAT???]

Q: Any other words of inspiration or reflections on your process or stuff you've learned about yourself through making art or.....Maybe a final haiku?:

A: "Writing on the spot
Can often be a challenge 
But not with Lisette!"

💝 Awwwww! Shara!! I love you, friend! Thank you for sharing your wonderful self with me and the world. xoxox

Connect with Shara:

Instagram: @sharaosgoodart

Website: www.sharaosgoodart.com

Are you ready for the next season of Image Word Mystery’s ecstatic creative gatherings?

I’ve thought a lot about each one of you who has gathered with me over these strange, strange years on planet Earth— and I’ve been diving deep into what’s possible with this beautiful container…

Through your shares both public and private— in classes, Zoom calls, emails and so many sweet private chats🫶— you’ve offered up your art & poetry along with your big wild dreams and your big wild fears in a way that’s been nothing less than awe-inspiring.

Being in relation with you in this creative camaraderie brings me a greater sense of wholeness than perhaps any other pursuit of my career.

And by wholeness I mean I can feel my whole self in Image Word Mystery. I can feel your whole self shining in what you share here.

That is exceptionally powerful stuff.

And I don’t take this for granted.

Really, I want us to all be able to go deeper together. And from what you’ve told me, you really want this too.

I’m getting ready to bring you with me in a new way. I’m still working out the details, but I’ll share this update to my paid membership structure and workshop/retreat(!) calendar soon.

We’ll keep up the wild and generative play we do so well, but with some more grounding & breathing room built in. We’ll focus more on what sustains us in our on-going creative practice. And then our gatherings are gonna get deeper- way deeper- and will offer you a new level of support for creative integration & artistic development.

I am really excited to go here with you—

More soon. Love you all. 🙏

xo,