Working with Darla for this year, has been so freeing creatively, instructive mentally and essential physically, making me a more authentic, centered, and confident artist. I was in the studio painting last week in an absolutely different headspace. no critic.It was revolutionary and curious and kind. Now when challenged I don’t doubt my skill or vision, I step back, I question, I problem solve. I allow for learning and experimentation.

Darla helps me question myself. Stay true to myself. She helps me point my energy in alignment with my ideas. I can’t say enough to recommend her to you if you want a surer creative footing for your practice.

Darla truly meets you where you are, and furthermore generously offers opportunities for unlearning the kinds of negative self-talk and thought patterns that are anathema to creativity. She identified and reframed my mental blocks and fear around ‘play-writing’ and conception of theatrical work, all the while offering a level of compassion, clarity, and curiosity that allowed me to feel safe plumbing my own preconceptions, questions, and inspirations. 

Moving through the initial stages of the creative process are often most challenging for me. Darla listened to these challenges and astutely presented an inventory of exercises and creative research to draw out my preconceptions and predictive outcomes that were paralytic to expansion and growth.

We began with the identification of several essential thematic/inspirational/contextual touchstones we could return to as we continued our work together. From there we began building an elemental inventory of ideas and generative stems to populate these thematic containers.  Thanks to Darla’s expert guidance, I have cultivated the expansiveness to explore narrative/thematic opportunities without feeling beholden to outcomes or products, and to better trust my own artistic intuition. 

Once we began populating our toolkit we moved into a series of exercises drawing specifically on paintings I was working with. In addition to this, Darla continued to provide elements and media of reference that supported in harmony and/or counterpoint the project we were engaging in together. One example of her curation was the introduction of “The Quiet Volume,” a work of Time Etchells, as an example of autoteatro, deeper reading into Italo Calvino through his “Six Memos for the New Millennium”, and the work of Charles Mee. 

This was an essential element in keeping the work we were exploring together open and expansive to the potential of what could be “theatre,” “a world,” or “an immersive experience,” as Darla was able to correctly deduce that one of my key barriers was coming to finite conclusions about work that had not yet been given room to grow.

In that time since, I have successfully generated written work, both in my personal life, as well as in collaboration with my theatre company. In those respective processes, using the tools and language Darla provided me, I have built a library of fragments, sketches, poems, and particles that are rife with potential, but more importantly, delighted me to make. 

Whether approaching new endeavors or delving deeper into one’s processes, Darla is truly the psychopomp you want at your side. If you’re feeling locked out of your goals, Darla’s deft mind, precise language, and abundant care will be the pick.

It is also lonely and draining. The highs and lows can decenter me.

When I am with Darla I become a learner and collaborator. Her deep, care-filled listening, and clear, concrete guidance re-connects me to my deepest sources of energy and creativity.

Her wisdom is lived, refined by deliberation and study, and clarified by the joys released and metabolized through action. While my work can feel solitary work, Darla is there as collaborater, companion and witness.