Frequently asked questions

To tell you about how these workshops connect to whales in captivity, I should tell you about where the workshops come from in the first place. 

Inviting Wildness stems from a question I asked while on a hike with my dog :“what if we lived life like a musical?” What if, when our emotions got strong enough, we broke into song and dance  -- melody, movement, rhythm, and dynamics that would express our sentiment more accurately than words ( or passive aggressive tactics) alone. Movement that would do away with the need for guessing games. What world would that be if we all knew we could use music in its first intention? To communicate and understand each other and ourselves?

As a performing musician and a teacher ( music being one of the subjects I teach), I have come across loads of people who have said “I’m not musical at all/ I can’t sing/ You don’t want to hear me sing!” 

But these are all societal stories that these people have adopted – disallowing themselves from experiencing the catharsis and community that comes with playing music. 

And when I say “playing music” I do mean “playing”. I don’t mean pursuing, perfecting, or practicing every day (though those practices can be quite nourishing!)– I mean playing – as we have for as long as we have been homosapiens, and quite likely, even before. 

Expressing through the arts, especially the arts that contain obvious rhythm and flow ( music and dance), is freeing , buoyant, uplifting, and natural to humans – across cultures, and across experience brackets. It is only our stories that hold us back from believing that we can sing, dance, and play music in private, or together. 

These workshops are meant to welcome or “invite” a sort of homecoming. Coming home, intuitively, to our natural expressions and creative tendencies. Those that have been forgotten, neglected, shut down – whether by direct influence of any industry or person, or pervasively and haphazardly by widespread societal narratives and practices.  

(I have a much more detailed blog post on this that I will post soon). 

Whales and dolphins who have been kidnapped and exploited, or bred simply to be exploited, have no one to sing to,  and no fish or other mammals to hunt -- they too, forget how to be natural and relational. They are disconnected from the wild ocean and wild Earth, confined in a concrete tank, living a life that only benefits a few humans, and certainly does not benefit themselves. 

Donations will range from 20% - 100% of proceeds, and the percentage will always be stated.  This variation depends on room rentals for the events, materials and sustainability of the workshops, fiscal support for facilitators and performers, workshop and festival attendance, and setting a reasonable price for the public.  Whenever possible, a sliding scale will be available.

Participants are also encouraged to support the sanctuaries with their own donation practice, separate from Inviting Wildness, when they can, in whatever amount possible. 

Inviting Wildness' workshops and coaching are best described  as experiential and therapeutic education. It is an ecological, psychological education, empowering you to be aware of your full , vast self, your ecological relationships, and what messages your body tells you, as well as what stories are told to your body.  

As stated by a participant, the workshops give you tools with which to experience your environment differently.