Praise

“I learned that I can make things happen in my life. If I want something and set my intention and make steps toward it, then it is possible. I can move past the thought and actually have the real change.…I can move mountains!

Before taking the Artist’s Way and the Dream Class I had a lot of dreams for my life. However, I would become frustrated because I felt like I wasn’t making my dreams reality.  I would make attempts at them, but I didn’t know how to really pursue them or how to give them any real time or effort.  Since taking the class I am able to verbalize my dreams and then create concrete steps to fulfilling them.  I allow myself to have impossible dreams and see how I can actually achieve them.  It makes me happier because I am moving forward and making things possible.  I also allow myself to take the time to pursue my dreams and give them great weight and significance.  Amazing things are happening in my life.  Thank you Max!”

“I was going through a major life transition… I was hoping to find what might be alive in my authentic self and wanting to be expressed in the world because nothing was feeling very meaningful to me. So many breakthroughs and transformations! I have a whole new definition for creativity now, and think The Artist’s Way would more aptly be called The Wholeness Way for All Humans.”

“I’m writing poems more frequently, and feel much more ease with my writing. I understand more about nuance, structure, rhythm, and why some things work or don’t work.

What I love about the group and group process is multi-layered. A lovely camaraderie was developed and I’ve come to care deeply about the other poets in the group. They have become friends in a way I would never have expected. From that sprung an experience of validation that I don’t believe I could have felt outside of group. To hear others refer to themselves and to me as “poet” has been transformational.

You’re a wonderful teacher, Max. Your style is warm, encouraging, informative, practical and infused with humor.”

“Oh my heavens! The course completely exceeded my expectations.… I found many of the tasks to be very powerful, and the way the chapters build on each other produced some sort of momentum that was literally unstoppable.…I really “got” what it is like to be totally inside my creative cocoon with supportive others.

You are a master facilitator, Max, and one of the most compassionate, intelligent, and creative teachers I’ve ever encountered. I feel so fortunate to not only have had this opportunity, but to have had the dumb luck or intuitive presence of heart to seize it with both hands. I feel like the course brought be back from a long sojourn in the desert – I was dry and parched and now I’m fully hydrated with creative ideas, tips and tools, and even a Dreamcatcher. Thank you!”

“Max, you are exceptional as a teacher: intuitive, supportive, enthusiastic, as well as having a wealth of your own experiences to draw from. I am so ready (and excited) to go forth with my dreamcatcher plans. I was so stuck, so firmly and fearfully rooted in place before taking this class…how could I not be happy with being set free? Thank you, Maxima, from the bottom of my joyful heart.”

“Poetry is an adventure with Max’s style of teaching. Nothing pedantic or textbook-like. Rather, a chance to dive in and explore a new facet of poetry every session, be it metaphor, emotion or viewpoint.…a springboard for new discoveries and a way to open up and envision wider horizons.…I felt a great sense of freedom and engagement.“

“I looked forward to class every week. It was a wonderful retreat from daily life where I could submerge myself into the warm waters of creativity and evoke the poetic muse. It was in intimate and safe setting to simultaneously be creative, challenged, and inspired. I felt it was a great balance of structured learning time and free-form banter — nothing better to get your writing going, or keep it rolling. It was a totally comfortable and completely worthwhile experience. Can’t say that about too many things, it seems.”

“I hadn’t completed a song in five years prior to starting in with the group, but, during the course of the program, I ended up writing several new songs and gaining confidence that I’ll be able to come up with more pretty much anytime I set my mind to it.“

“I loved the experience of discovery, of new writing and new perspectives unfurling naturally like the opening of a flower, not following a plan or prescription, which is where I always get stuck, but instead allowing the work to write itself, because it’s been there all along, waiting for the pen to outline its form. I also loved the support of the community—writing with others by my side is a much more nourishing experience than writing alone.”

“I love feeling the freedom to write and read what I had written. The collective voices I heard were amazing—each telling their own story with reflections of what they are as a person.…Take it to free up your inner voice and grease the paper with that rusty ballpoint!”

“The course was much juicier and impactful than I’d even hoped. It feels really life-changing for me. Not only has it given me gobs of insight into what keeps me from creating, it’s also given me the ability to move forward in my work finally, to start writing stories again, to begin (again) exploring movement and voice. And above all to believe that doing that work is, in fact, …brave, honorable, essential.

So thanks Max. You were fabulous. I was blown away by your ability to lean on people, encourage them, tease out the problems, stoke the fires, help people get on with it. You’re really really good at this and I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon the class.”

“This was my first workshop with Maxima. Outside with the magic of freshly fallen snow, guided with elements and inspiration, we moved and attuned ourselves with nature. My pen flowed effortlessly on the pages, new insights and discoveries and delights. How I wish every day could by just like this.”

“This class has been revolutionary for me, the first of what I hope to be many many excursions into my Creative Self. I feel it has turbo-charged my personal evolution and growth.”

“I have experienced an opening of a part of myself that seemed sealed off.…I feel more hopeful, more spacious.…I’m following my passions, dreams, etc, gradually…I have taken some definite steps with the quiet confidence that I will and am following (with my heart) my dreams and gifts.”

“There have been umpteen shifts, realizations, manifestations and synchronicities. I’ve been able to step away from old patterns of thought and action that were no longer useful.…I have embraced my authentic self and its evolution. I am painting. I am actively pursuing joy, opening myself to deeper relationships to my husband and friends.”

“Sometimes, Max, I think of you as a wizard or a wandering minstrel-muse, playing with words rather than strumming a lute. You lift veils from my eyes, you unplug my ears so I can listen more clearly. Though my gait is often unsteady, I feel safe with your experiments. Thank you. Thank you.”