Creative meditations: On love
A one day online retreat with Katie Sollohub and Vajradashini
“Love is holy because it is like grace - the worthiness of its object is never really what matters.”
Whether or not you have a date this valentines, why not treat yourself to a day of love?
Making things accessible—whether art, philosophy, or spiritual practice—is at the root of both our practices. We like to take subjects that seem deceptively simple in everyday life and connect them to a deeper understanding and awareness of life. Conversely, we might explore something broader, like Love, and find simple, practical ways to bring it into day-to-day life through drawing, writing, and contemplating the art and poetry of others.
This is what we want to offer in our day retreat, Creative Reflections on Love—many ways into an experience of love. Through creative Dharma teachings, movement, mark-making, guided meditations, poems, drawing exercises, and other prompts, we’ll weave together reflection, meditation, and creative exploration. It’s also a lovely excuse for us to spend time together doing what we both love, and we’d love you to join us.
You can expect a beautiful, heartfelt day for developing your sense of love towards yourself and others. You don’t need to be a Buddhist or have any art experience—please spread the word to anyone who might be interested.
All times are GMT (UK Time)
Part One (10:00–12.00) · Session one - Loving ourselves
We wanted to leave enough space between the sessions to treat yourself to a nice lunch, a walk and a nap. Making the whole day into a retreat about love.
Part Two (14:00–16:00) · Session two - Loving the world
The fee is £50 full price or £35 concession, and you’re invited to choose the rate that feels appropriate for you. If finances are tight, please get in touch — we’re happy to discuss further reductions.
Vajradarshini on Katie
I got to know Katie through a co-working group. Over the months, we shared a lot about our work and our personal lives, and during that time I came to think of her as a true artist. Not because of her artwork—which I didn’t get to see—but because of her way of being in the world. She seemed to meet everything from such a fresh, open, and honest perspective.
I decided to go to one of her Drawing and Meditation sessions. I don’t draw, so I was slightly terrified I’d be expected to create something that looked like something. But I needn’t have worried. What we were gently led through was a creative way of reflecting on a theme that wove together the body, simple mark-making on paper, and meditation. I found it opened up new ideas and allowed unconscious threads to bubble to the surface. On another occasion, I went along with the clear intention of getting “unstuck” in a certain area of my work—and I did.
So I’m really happy that we are finally offering something together. My way into the Dharma has always been through creative reflection on the teachings, using words as a medium. Sometimes those words are philosophical, other times poetic; they might point to everyday practices or to the more mysterious depths we encounter in meditation. Words are a way in—but we need many ways in.
That’s what we want to offer on this day retreat. We’ve called it Creative Reflections on Love and we want to offer many ways into an experience of love. These reflections will include creative Dharma teachings, movement, mark-making, and guided meditations. Offering this retreat is also a good excuse for us to spend time together doing what we both love and we'd love you to join us!
Katie on Vajradarshini
I first met Vajradashini online in 2024, doing a month of contemplative practice around the theme of Wabi Sabi. This was the first time someone had made Buddhist teachings accessible and interesting to me. Her ideas and way of looking at the world totally resonated with my own artistic eye, and it all started to fall into place. Since then we have kept in touch virtually (Vajradashini lives in Sweden) through regular online chats about our work and practices, encompassing all the nuts and bolts of running a business, and how we can tackle even the most mundane of jobs creatively. This is in essence what both of us are all about - for me, every day tasks have to become part of my creative outlook on the world, otherwise they become an obstacle. And anything that does appear to cause a problem, I will do my upmost to find a creative, interesting, and sometimes nigh on impossible way around it! I think Vajradashini’s mind works in the same way.
We worked together like this for a year in an online co-working space, and became such good friends that when we finally met in person it felt like we were old friends. This was my first experience of an in person Buddhist retreat, at Rivendell Retreat Centre in East Sussex - I have to admit I was nervous, what if they find out I am not a Buddhist? What is a Buddhist anyway? Will I have to kneel in silence for 8 hours a day? I need not have worried - Vajradashini’s approach is all about bringing the dharma teachings into everyday life, to understand the teachings more deeply and make them your own, and fall in love with life! I think it was when she used Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax as a teaching prompt, that I knew I was in the right place! Buddhism for hedonists, as Vajradashini sometimes says.
Making things accessible, whether art, philosophy, or spiritual practice, is at the root of both our practices. We both like to find a subject, something that might seem deceptively simple in everyday life, and connect it to our deeper understanding and awareness of life. Conversely, we might take something much deeper and broader, like Love, and find a simple and practical way to connect it to our day to day life, through drawing, writing, or contemplating the art and poetry of others. Essentially, there is love and beauty in everything, if we can learn how to accept what is. This is, I think, the role of the artist. And, as Vajradashini’s annual retreat is called, “Everyone is an Artist”
This is our first (ad)venture together, and we already know it will be a good one. Doing what we love, with people we love. If you are curious to come along for the ride, you will be most welcome.