Why, hello!
I have felt the swaying of |
My name's Julie Püttgen. I'm an artist, expressive arts and somatic therapist, licensed clinical mental health counselor, arts educator, and meditation teacher, none of which turn out not to be such different things. All rely on a sense of trust in the unfolding, creative process of awareness. All also rely on improvisation - responding openly to what is, without getting too hung up on ideas of what ought to be instead.
I've never actually gotten a tattoo, but I like to think about what I would get, if I did. A full-body, connect-the-dots dragon. A Mirabai quote wrapping around my wrist. |
Or perhaps a set of manifesto knuckle-tats. Useless Joy is a gift from movement teacher Eiko Otake, who maintains that the highest accomplishment for human beings is to be useless & harmless. That's a long way from lofty goals of success, and it is very freeing. So, that's useless. And joy, strangely, seems to be the conjoined twin of showing up fully for the complexity of this life - body, heart, mind, and soul.
There are situations that make us feel small, cramped, trapped, and hopeless, with no way to get anything right, or to be heard. And then, marvelously, there are situations so free & clear that they can't help but remind us of our own inherent, inalienable freedom. It's contagious & effortless: nobody is trying to change anybody else. Just: Oh! In such a moment, we realize our lives have meaning. We realize that even the really hard things that happen to us hold space for freedom.
On this site you'll find lots of things: links to my therapy practice in Lebanon, NH; meditation instructions including recordings; inner beauty products; stories and books; documentation of my public and individual art practice. My hope is for a meeting: you are here & so am I. So, what can we learn & enjoy from one another? Please feel free to contact me with any questions & responses. I look forward to hearing from you.
There are situations that make us feel small, cramped, trapped, and hopeless, with no way to get anything right, or to be heard. And then, marvelously, there are situations so free & clear that they can't help but remind us of our own inherent, inalienable freedom. It's contagious & effortless: nobody is trying to change anybody else. Just: Oh! In such a moment, we realize our lives have meaning. We realize that even the really hard things that happen to us hold space for freedom.
On this site you'll find lots of things: links to my therapy practice in Lebanon, NH; meditation instructions including recordings; inner beauty products; stories and books; documentation of my public and individual art practice. My hope is for a meeting: you are here & so am I. So, what can we learn & enjoy from one another? Please feel free to contact me with any questions & responses. I look forward to hearing from you.