One Little Word® Ten | Workshop Updates + Guest Instructors

The  One Little Word® workshop is celebrating 10 years in 2021. 

In 2006 I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January – a word that I can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. My words have included play, peace, vitality, nurture, story, light, up, open, thrive, give, whole, connect, space, habit, and less. These words have each become a part of my life in one way or another and all are threads that help weave together the story of my life. They’ve been imbedded into who I am, and into who I’m becoming. They’ve been what I’ve needed and what I didn’t know I needed. They’ve helped me to breathe deeper, to see clearer, and to grow.

In 2011 I offered my first year-long One Little Word® workshop in an attempt to help me stay in touch with my word and make it more visible in my daily life. It worked. I've been more connected to my words these past few years because of the specific actions and reflections I've put together for the workshop. For the last 120 consecutive months I've presented a monthly prompt that invites our One Little Word® community to reconnect with their chosen word of the year in an online classroom environment.

In one of  Brené Brown's recent podcast episodes she mentioned something that really resonated with me, especially as I thought through including Guest Instructors this year: I want to be a learner rather than the knower. Not only do I want to be that, I need to be that because that's how I grow. That's how we all grow. 

To celebrate 10 years we are making some changes to the 12-month workshop, including welcoming eight women as guest instructors. These are all women I admire for one reason or another and are all women who believe in the power of words to make a difference in our lives. Each one of them brings something unique to the community through their creative pursuits and through their lived experiences and I am so excited to learn from them this year. 

These women will lead the presentation of many of the prompts, with the exception of January, June, August + December (I will lead those). In addition to the monthly prompt there will also be a live chat each month featuring a conversation between the Guest Instructor and myself talking about the prompt and our experiences with our word. I'm super excited about bringing this to the monthly content - we can learn so much from each other through the process of unscripted conversation. 

I will be here, working right alongside you as always, as we make our way through the year with our words. I'll also share my own take on the prompts each month. 

I don't know if I can adequately express how excited I am to be bringing in these other voices. I feel so much gratitude to those of you who have kept showing up to this project year after year. I know change can be a challenge and I appreciate you trusting that this will be a change for the good. 

Things to expect in 2021:

• Guest instructors who will bring their own unique voices to the monthly prompts. Some prompts will be similar to year's past and others will be new. I picked instructors specifically based on their own areas of passion/interest and I'm empowering all of them to share their own experiences + create their own prompts if that makes sense for them. 
• A live monthly conversation where the Guest Instructor and I will talk about the prompt, how it's going with their word, and take questions from the community. All chats will be recorded + shared in the classroom. The day/time for these conversations will be determined later. 
• A private Facebook group for community + conversation + connection.
• A weekly thought-filled Monday email message from either Ali or the Guest Instructors. 
• Monthly PDF handout + process videos that outline the prompt each month and dive deeper into a way that specific way to connect with your word. 
• One Little Word® Digital Main Kit (available upon registration in the classroom). Value $14.49. 
• A wonderful, wholehearted passionate community of people living with their own word right alongside you.

For less than $4 per month you can join us in this 10th anniversary documenting adventure. The early bird workshop price will be $45 and after January 1, 2021 it will be $50 for 12 months of content related to making your word visible in your life. 

Maybe you've participated one or more times in the last ten years. Maybe this is your first year. Either way, consider yourself invited to dive in to choosing + living with + documenting life with One Little Word® Ten in 2021. Registration opens on Wednesday, December 16th at 9am Pacific. 

The One Little Word® workshop also makes a really nice "experience" gift. You can select that option on the shop page. 

Remember: You are powerful, beautiful, brilliant, and brave. 

2021 ONE LITTLE WORD® GUEST INSTRUCTORS

I am so excited to introduce you to this year's guest instructors. 

AZZARI JARRETT

Azzari Jarrett is a photographer and designer who is inspired by simple, everyday moments. You can usually find her chasing natural light with one too many (film) cameras. She enjoys a good morning run, a daily cup of coffee, and evenings on the beach. She lives with her husband and three daughters on the North Carolina Coast.

Connect with Azzari: 

• Website
• Instagram

PAM GARRISON 

Pam Garrison is an artist and instructor known for her passion for creativity. She teaches in private studios and art retreats around the world, as well as online platforms like Creativebug. She’s been an avid art journaler for over 20 years, paints daily, and is always making or crafting something. Inspiring, instructing and making creative expression accessible to others is one of her favorite things to do. Pam lives in Southern California and shares her creative pursuits on Instagram @pamgarrison.

Connect with Pam: 

• Instagram

VICTORIA CALVIN

Victoria Calvin is the owner and creative director at Victoria Marie Designs, where she creates and teaches onlines scrapbooking classes, hosts annual scrapbook retreats, and creates video content on YouTube. Victoria also hosts several online scrapbooking groups on Facebook, posts daily content on Instagram, and creates exclusive videos and mini classes for her Patreon membership community.  Victoria has served on a number of design teams to include American Crafts, Felicity Jane, Hip Kit Club, Tonic Studios USA, and Catherine Pooler Designs, in addition to guest designing for Freckled Fawn, Gina K Designs, Close to My Heart, and Citrus Twist. Additionally, she has been a featured guest on the Craft the Life You Live Podcast with Amy Tangerine and the Simple Scrapper Podcast. Victoria believes that scrapbooking is both an art form and a vessel through which our stories are given life through words and photos! 

Connect with Victoria:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Blog

LUCRECER BRAXTON

Lucrecer Braxton is building the kind of world she wants to live in. An award-winning photographer and digital marketing and content strategist, she has been honoured by many distinguished organizations in Cincinnati, OH, where she currently resides. Lucrecer was named one of AdWeek’s Brand Stars of Cincinnati in 2019, in 2018, TEDxCincinnatiWomen heralded her as one of their “Extraordinary Honorees,” and she is the current City Champion for Together Digital Cincinnati. Led by the belief that her work extends far beyond herself, Lucrecer is consistently recognized as a champion for community-building, the advancement of Black women in digital media, and a steadfast commitment to growth.

Fueled by her passion for houseplants and helping people, Lucrecer has brought together a community of nearly 20K plant lovers, of all skill levels, at her SoulSista Plants Instagram account. Offering plant consulting and styling, in addition to hosting a weekly live show, HELLA PLANTS, her followers have come to not only trust her impressive knowledge and experience, but have fostered friendships amongst each other and with her—a testament to her personal ethos, “I know that community starts with me. When I think of the kind of world I want to leave behind for my kids, I ask myself ‘how can I start building that world right now, right here?’ and I let that guide me.”

Connect with Lucrecer: 

• Personal Instagram
• Soul Sista Plants Instagram
• Etsy

ROBYN CONLEY DOWNS

Robyn Conley Downs is a mama, speaker, podcaster, and author of  The Feel Good Effect: Reclaim Your Wellness By Creating Small Shifts That Create Big Change. Holding a Master’s degree in education with an emphasis in behavior change, and 4 years of public policy & health change at the doctoral level, her work taps into cutting edge science around psychology, neuroscience, mindfulness, and habits. Recently named one of the Most Influential Women in Wellness, she believes that small shifts in thinking and action create big change in life. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, Andrew, and their daughter Elle.

Connect with Robin: 

• Website
• Feel Good Effect Podcast
• Instagram

FELICITAS MAYER

Felicitas is a German graphic designer, former stamp shop owner and memory keeper for over ten years. While she documents her own life’s story in photos and paper, she also strongly believes in educating and therefore empowering people to tell their own stories. She shares papercrafting tutorials, tips and techniques, modern ways to document everyday life and her adventures in mixed media & watercoloring.

Connect with Felicitas: 

• Instagram
• YouTube

LIZ LAMOREUX

Liz Lamoreux teaches creative and mindful practices to help navigate The And Space - the place where we hold beauty and grit and honor everything in between. She uses poetry, photography, and art journaling to tell her stories, and if you spend a little time with her, you’ll probably end up writing a poem. Most days you can find her creating in her journals, making jewelry and other reminders to help us keep showing up, or singing along to Hamilton with her kid. 

Connect with Liz: 

• Instagram
• Website
• Soul Mantras

KRYSTAL IDUANTE

Krystal is 32 lives in Michigan with my husband, two kids, and two cats. Her absolute favorite type of scrapbooking is the hybrid approach… but really, she dabbles in all the styles. While her memory keeping style is ever evolving… what remains the same is her love and passion for storytelling and documenting our lives. She truly believes there is a power in telling our stories and leaving behind our love and memories as our legacy. She hopes to connect and share stories together.

Connect with Krystal: 

• Instagram
• YouTube
• Scrappy Sisters Podcast

CURIOUS ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP?

In 2018 I recored a video walkthrough of my One Little Word® albums spanning 2011 through 2017 and I wanted to share it again today in case you are new to this project and are wondering what a One Little Word® album might look like. Keep in mind that a wide variety of people participate in this workshop, many of whom would never consider themselves scrapbookers but who resonate with the idea of making their word visible through documentation and participating in a workshop that encourages + supports that experience. 

Some people just listen to the prompts each month and others work in a notebook and others use products from their stash and others print out the digital version of the kit and others follow along as close as possible to what I do in my album. All those approaches are welcome here. My hope in sharing this video is to simply give you an idea of what my own personal albums look like year after year and invite you to join our community. 

As always, thank you for being a part of this community.