Talisman Creative Mentoring
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                                     Mary Antonia Wood, Ph.D.
                                    Artist & Professor, Mythologist & Mentor 

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"Meaninglessness inhibits the fullness of life and is therefore equivalent to illness. Meaning makes a great many things endurable - perhaps everything."
-C.G. Jung

As a visual artist for over twenty years, I've experienced the highs, the lows and the in-betweens of the artist's life. I feel fortunate to have had my work shown in respected galleries and museums, as well as collected by wonderful institutions and individuals. However, even in the best of times, I've sometimes felt a lack of meaning, or an emptiness while translating the creative calling into what our culture calls "career." The thread into the labyrinth of creation can easily be broken - the demands of the marketplace can easily overtake the creative gift.

My academic background includes both an M.A. and Ph.D. in mythological studies and depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. My doctoral thesis focused on the creative calling and was entitled: The Archetypal Artist: Reimagining Artistic Creation at the Crossroads of Fate and Free Will.  (This project is currently being reformatted into a book. You can read a brief abstract here.) I'm honored to have now returned to Pacifica as co-chair and faculty in the Engaged Humanities and Creative Life program.

​In my private practice...


​I specialize in helping individuals reach their fullest potential as creators. The complex territory of creativity includes not only the joy of creating, but also feelings of longing, melancholy and loss. Today we might also add the less poetic terms of "being stuck" or "blocked." At any time in an artist's life, a reinvigorated relationship with the deepest layers of imagination can transform art-making into "soul-making."

"Psyche is image. In other words, making images
is making soul."
                                         -James Hillman
           

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"Soul-making" can be described as any activity that reveals the extraordinary within the ordinary. It is an activity that in mythologist Joseph Campbell's words, enables us to become "transparent to the transcendent." Soul-making is arguably the deepest aim of all creative endeavor. Mentoring fellow creative individuals allows me to support soul-making as I gather and weave together powerful insights (from the realms of philosophy, psychology, mythology, neuroscience, diverse spiritual traditions, and more) into personalized guidance for my clients and colleagues. Ultimately, what we're searching for is meaning, Not only is meaning essential as we face the many difficulties of the artist's life, it is also our primary conduit to the deepest sources of creativity, to soul/psyche herself. 

What is a mentor? 


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 Talisman Creative Mentoring  
Santa Barbara, CA

WELCOME       MARY ANTONIA WOOD, PH.D.      SERVICES     COURSES & RETREATS      IMAGES & WORDS       CONTACT         BLOG
    
  • Welcome
  • About
  • Mentoring
    • Soul-Centered Mentoring for Creators
    • The Game of Art: Career Development for Creators
    • FAQ's
  • Courses & Talks
    • The Archetypal Artist Online Course
    • Soulful Strategies: Career Skills Online Course
  • Images & Words
  • Contact
  • Blog