CONTEMPLATIVE CREATOR AND AUTHOR

The Book – Be, Awake, Create: Mindful Practices to Spark Creativity

Release Date June 2019

 

“Be, Awake, Create is the Artist’s Way for the 21st century, a gentle and thorough guide to next steps on the journey. For the artist who longs to land in the work more deeply, for the contemplative whose creativity yearns to bloom, Younger’s book offers a beautifully designed combination of mindful and creative practices which embrace playfulness as well as discipline. Accessible enough for beginners, the book could also be used as a template for depthful learning at the meeting place of presence and artistic process, and a springboard for those powerful transformations toward which all art beckons us. I’m excited to begin!”
Nancy Coleman, PhD, clinical psychologist/writer/facilitator

 

“Based on the popular meditation practice of mindfulness, Be, Awake, Create offers exercises and advice that introduce us to the wider view of “wakefulness” where we learn to stop rushing past our lives and instead, open to a timeless moment that unleashes our natural, creative brilliance. Rebekah’s voice is wise; her advice, practical; her insights, profound.”
Michael Carroll, author/Buddhist teacher/coach

 

Be, Awake, Create is full of inspiring exercises and motivating quotations. Once you pick it up, you can’t put it down, and when you do put it down, you just want to rush off and do something creative!
This is a unique book, which expands the boundaries of art and reveals the vital importance of being creative. It will be an indispensable resource of ideas and exercises for anyone interested in exploring the vast potential hidden within their being.
Seyad Alavi, artist

 

“Be, Awake, Create is a useful and profound introduction to the Dharma Art teachings.  It offers a revelation of insight, teachings and experiential activities. The exercises are contemplative, creative and life transforming.  This is a book about making palpable the compassion and potency of creative presence to heal our hearts and transform the world.”
Laura Simms, storyteller/author/global educator

 

“The creative process and meditation are inherently contemplative, but they are not the same.  The creative process is about discovering one’s inspiration and then manifesting it.  Meditation is about developing mindfulness and awareness in order to discover your own mind.  Rebekah Younger’s workbook, Be, Awake, Create, through a series of exercises and the sharing of Younger’s personal journey, fuses the creative process with the benefits of meditation. Bravo…”
Steven Saitzyk, International Director of Shambhala Art, author/professor

 

Be, Awake, Create is sure to become a classic, for no other book presents meditation/mindfulness as the complete ground from which to access our creativity, while leading us through the whole experiential path. Whether a seasoned or new artist/meditator, this interactive practice journal will bring out the magic of creating out of everyday life. With simplicity, lucidity and wisdom, Younger reveals how being present naturally leads to the re-awakening of not only our awareness & creativity, but our true humanity— a view so needed in our world today; she is to be thanked for heralding the way!
Pat Donegan, poet/author

 

This book is filled with enough wisdom and joy and encouragement to fuel an extended creative journey. Rebekah draws on her experience as a teacher, fabric artist, photographer and Buddhist practitioner to produce language and activities that are inspirational and accessible. (I especially appreciated the links to audio instructions.)  She reminds us that we constantly create through our choices and actions and that a journey begun in stillness, conducted with attention, and enacted with compassion is of benefit to self and to others.

Laura Peck, MPH, MtC coach/consultant

 

Be, Awake, Create by Rebekah Younger is a MUST READ FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING THEIR OWN CREATIVE POTENTIAL OF SEEING AND EXPERIENCING THE MAGIC OF OUR ORDINARY WORLD.

Ms. Younger leads us on a symbiotic hands on journey of self discovery through exercises enriching and developing our own creativity. Through activities of presenting the potential of our sensory experiences, new possibilities and insights arise.  A guided source book journaling us to the essence of creative thought.

Michael Doucet, PhD, Louisiana musician, composer, National Heritage Award recipient, Grammy winner

 

Rebekah Younger has composed an elegant, accessible, and profound collection of practices, insights, and personal stories for those who are curious about contemplating and creating. She deftly manifests how the very act of creating can honor our interdependence with the world. I am deeply inspired by her own vulnerability, decades of experience, and innovative suggestions. Younger says, “When you are committed to your vision and awake to reality, everything else is workable.” I will pick up this book again and again, in order to return to this truth.

Miriam Hall, author/contemplative arts instructor

 

Be, Awake, Create invites the reader to do just that, offering a tremendous wealth of activities that bring fresh perspectives to the creative process. Writing in a most accessible, engaging style, Rebekah Younger charts a meaningful journey, sharing her perceptive insights while gently guiding the reader to be fully present and discover the heart of their artistic vision. Wise, provocative, and playful, I highly recommend this book to all those interested in exploring and deepening their awareness of and creative response to the worlds in which we live.

Ruth Wallen, artist/professor/Buddhist teacher

 

 

About Rebekah

“She once told me she would always be “younger”! This was not just an obvious play on her family name but a simple spark of creativity.  This spark has been across the horizon of all of the works I have known her to do or produce since that time in late 1979. Ms Younger has taken on politics, commerce and more in her enduring practices. Her range of applications, studies and associations gives her a wide expanse of ideas, concepts, methods and pathways to be shared, harvested or simply appreciated.  Whether it be in art, education or advisor, Ms Younger is a solid and proven asset to those with creative interests and motivations.”

Prof. Turtel Onli  M.A.A.T.

“I am a working commercial artist and came to Rebekah with a creative block and lack of enthusiasm for what I was doing. Our session in her amazing work space left me impressed with the experience on many levels. I felt she listened deeply with the compassion and understanding [of] an artist, teacher, and spiritual seeker who has walked the path for many years. Her insights into how I was working (and not working) were both on the mark and out of the box. I came away with my creative vigor refreshed and a new understanding of what I need to connect with in order to regain artistic flow and passion for what I am doing. I would recommend her to anyone seeking a renewed connection with their artistic spirit. “

Robyn A
Oakland, CA

Rebekah brings a depth of knowledge as a teacher in the Buddhism meditation lineage, and breadth of experience in the worlds of visual artist and design. This combination really allows her to patiently connect with every individual where they are, and bring out their creativity gently and lovingly. My husband and I have enjoyed having her lead classes at our space and we look forward to future collaborations. Thank you Rebekah! You are a joy and a light!

Nicole Smith Levay
Portal 18 Yoga Studio, Oakland, CA

Rebekah is a very special teacher. She is kind, thoughtful and insightful while sharing new information and ways of seeing and being. In the classes I have taken I found she is able to create a safe enriching experience that fosters exceptional growth for everyone involved.

Sherry S.
Berkeley, CA

Class Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed Rebekah’s 5 week Contemplative Photography class. I loved the process of working with pure perception and attempting to capture it in a photo. I also enjoyed seeing the work of other students in the class and sharing our flashes of perception. I look forward to continuing Rebekah’s follow up class in the fall.

 

About the process

  • You convinced me that this process works. Your method is very precise and disciplined. Very professional!
  • The process energized me! Your class helped me to clarify what I truly want and gave me the promise of attaining it.
  • I am motivated to continue because it feels like a very comfortable process.  It feels good.
  • I am motivated because it works!  This process was very valuable, since I sometimes have so many ideas coming in at once that I need focus.  I learned techniques and concepts to use in my entire life.
  • The process I learned will help in all areas of  my life – to be creative rather than reactive, more positive and more accepting of failures.
  • I am definitely motivated, because I want to change a number of things in my life and this process is workable and grounded!
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