Rachel Schmidt, BSW, PLC
Rachel Schmidt, BSW, PLC
A PLACE TO SEE MORE DEEPLY
The Living Studio is a four-month online studio for women artists and creatives around the world who want to go deeper into their creative practice, not by doing more, but by learning to see differently.
Because sometimes the thing standing between us and our most meaningful work is not a lack of ideas. It is learning to recognize what is calling us.
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The image that keeps appearing.
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The strange question you cannot quite shake.
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The colour you keep returning to.
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The landscape that changes something in you.
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The idea you dismissed three years ago that is suddenly asking for your attention.
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What if you followed those threads instead of ignoring them?
The Living Studio is a place to slow down enough to notice what is usually missed. To step away from productivity, performance and the pressure to know where the work is going.
We will spend time in nature. Make things. Experiment. Wander. Look closely. Share unfinished work. Have rich conversations. Explore the practices and perspectives of other artists. And pay attention to the connections between our lives, our experiences and the work we are making.
Because meaningful work rarely arrives fully formed.
It begins with attention. With noticing. With allowing yourself to be changed by what you see. And with asking questions you do not yet know how to answer.
STARTS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2026
4-MONTH PROGRAM · ONE 2-HOUR CLASS EACH MONTH
Open to both beginning and established artists.
4 Month Studio
Over four months, we’ll look closely, make together, explore the practices of other artists, and follow our own creative threads — moving from seeing differently to creating work that feels genuinely your own.
This is slow learning: making space to notice, experiment, reflect and let ideas develop over time. Each month includes a contemplative creative assignment connected to the themes we explore together in class, giving you time between sessions to go deeper, follow your own questions, and see what emerges.
Month One — Learning to See
Sunday, Oct 25, 2026
Slow observation.
Attention.
Beauty.
Ecological kinship.
Field notes.
Sketchbook.
Looking beyond first impressions.
We will explore the different ways artists see and work, and experiment with ways of slowing down our own looking.
You will begin to notice the details, images and experiences that hold your attention.
Month Two — Following the Thread
Sunday, Nov 22, 2026
Themes.
Symbols.
What keeps returning.
Personal iconography.
Finding a new visual language.
We will look at how artists follow their questions and develop a visual language that becomes distinctly their own.
You will begin to notice the quiet threads running through your own creative work and consider where they might lead.
Month Three — Going Deeper
Saturday, Dec 19, 2026
Risk.
Experimentation.
Letting go of outcomes.
Creative courage.
Working beyond perfection.
We will explore what happens when we stop trying to control the work and allow ourselves to experiment.
Together, we will look at artists who work with uncertainty, intuition and discovery.
You will have space to make, play, take risks and follow your own way.
Month Four — A Body of Work
Sunday, Jan 17, 2027
Series.
Creative rituals.
Identifying as an artist.
Celebrating your evolving work.
We will look at how artists develop bodies of work over time and how seemingly separate experiments can begin to form a larger conversation.
We will bring together your ideas, observations and discoveries and begin to see where your creative practice might take you next.
Dates
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Starts October 2026
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Registration Deadline: Oct 21, 2026
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Limited Seats: 8
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North America - Morning/Afternoon Class
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Sunday, Oct 25, 2026
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Sunday, Nov 22, 2026
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Saturday, Dec 19, 2026 **please note this is a Saturday class in December, not Sunday
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Sunday, Jan 17, 2027
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Times
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PST: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
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EST: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (please note this will be a 12:00 pm start after Nov 1 for daylight savings time)
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Overseas - Evening Class
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UK, Ireland, Scotland 6:00 - 8:00 pm
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Italy 9:00 pm
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Cost
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$325 CAD + GST (approx. $242.18 USD, $212.82 Euros)
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Total Class Hours: 8
Facilitator
Rachel Schmidt is an artist, award-winning documentary filmmaker, social worker, certified Psychosynthesis practitioner, and contemplative arts teacher. Her award-winning documentary Defensora has been featured by Amnesty International and is used in law schools, universities, and educational settings across Canada and the United States. For more than 30 years, she has explored the relationship between creativity, psychology, and the natural world, and has guided hundreds of women through contemplative practices that foster creativity, resilience, and meaningful change. She believes that an authentic creative voice emerges from cultivating the inner life as much as developing artistic skill.
From her forest studio in British Columbia, Canada, Rachel guides women in deepening both the way they see and the way they create. Through contemplative art, nature-based observation, reflective practice, and meaningful conversation, she helps women cultivate a creative practice rooted in presence, authenticity, and a deeper relationship with themselves, their work, and the living world.
Rachel Schmidt, BSW, PLC
Self Portrait, Ecological Kinship Series
Reviews
More Kind Words from Women
Rachel has created something truly unique. Rather than focusing on technique or offering quick fixes, she invites you into a creative practice of listening, to yourself, to nature, and to what is quietly calling you forward. Through The Living Studio, you'll learn to cultivate the habits of observation, reflection, and presence that give rise to meaningful work and an authentic creative voice. If you're longing to create with greater depth, clarity, and purpose, or simply seeking a place to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with your creativity, this is a beautiful gift to yourself.
Sarah, 52
Rachel is an exceptional facilitator...warm, compassionate, and deeply attuned to the people she works with. She creates a space where everyone feels safe, seen, and genuinely valued. This is the kind of thoughtful care and presence our world needs more of. If you're considering joining one of her women's series, don't hesitate, you won't regret it.
Mel, 47
What makes this course so special is the pace. There was no pressure to have the answers or to become someone new. Instead, Rachel gently helped us slow down, listen deeply, and notice what was already trying to emerge within us. The combination of nature, creativity, and reflection created profound shifts in my work that I never expected.
Rachel has a rare gift for listening beneath the words. She can gently reframe and distill what you're trying to express into something deeply heartfelt and meaningful, helping you feel truly heard, understood, and able to see your situation with fresh perspective. Her insights create the clarity needed for lasting, meaningful change.
Fiona, 63
Lola, 58
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