This session invites artists and church leaders to explore and better understand their unique creative gifts within a spiritual community. James Tughan will guide participants in identifying their distinct ways of seeing, creative processes, artistic language or style, and approaches to craftsmanship, helping them recognize how these elements shape their calling or ministry.

Through interactive activities, discussion, and practical examples, participants will also learn how to clearly articulate their artistic identity in writing, folio preparation, and promotion. Emphasis will be placed on professionalism and collaboration, equipping creatives to work with confidence, clarity, and mutual understanding within community.

This seminar focuses on building healthy, effective collaboration within creative and spiritual contexts. James Tughan will help artists and church leaders understand how to facilitate collaboration between artists and church leadership, among artists themselves, and with commission clients, emphasizing clarity, trust, and shared vision.

Through small-group discussions, problem-solving exercises, and case studies from past projects, participants will gain practical tools for leading and participating in collaborative creative teams. Designed especially for multidisciplinary teams within church congregations, this session includes a strong leadership component to support sustainable, Spirit-led creative partnerships.

Create three-dimensional forms from Damar Varnish, ash, dried organic forms, Polycrystalline + Bees Wax, alongside organic paper and the mnemonic elements participants bring. Creatives are encouraged to bring collected elements like old letters, old photos, dried organic twigs, petals, leaves, or paper elements such as sheet music, letters, and other elements they would like to incorporate to create a small cup-like, two-dimensional, or sculptural form. Fusing the past with the present in memory, we will explore the connections to beauty through the ash of time, story, sorrow, and joy, and construct beauty through ash and the warmth of liquified wax pouring, rolling, dipping, and forming. This is a messy, safe-space workshop that connects lived experience with beauty.

This workshop will explore the nuances of bringing songs to life through such details as timing and blend of vocal delivery, tempo and dynamics, together with the flexibility to be in the moment each time we bring lyric and melody off the page and into the room. While giving the melodic and lyrical shaping that goes into the writing of effective songs its due—whether worship, prayer or more kerygmatic songs— we will concentrate more on how these are brought to fullness of life through the way we interpret them.

Taking a vocal-centric approach, we’ll aim to continue the recovery of what I’ve come to view as the Lost Art of Singing Together. While giving due emphasis to instrumentation as part of the whole Art of Songcrafting, this will play a secondary role to a primary emphasis on having our voices be front and centre in the musical soundscape. In taking this embodied, “voices on” approach, I enjoy using the short melodic mantras I’ve learned from the Taizé and Iona communities, as well as Psalm settings from the Benedictine monastery I’m part of.

“Cantat bis orat,” said St Augustine. “Those who sing pray twice.”

This panel-style photography workshop explores what it means to use your God-given creativity and vision to portray the world and how photography can become a practice of connection.

Four photographers will share their perspectives on themes such as capturing creation, telling human stories, and documenting truth. Through stories, scripture, and dialogue, the panel will show how photography can help us notice God’s presence and see the world through His lens.

Participants will also take part in a hands-on “Connected Vision Walk” using cameras or smartphones to capture moments of light, beauty, and spiritual insight. Afterward, the panelists will lead a session to reflect on the images and discuss creative techniques.

This workshop is for creatives of all levels who want to deepen their artistic practice and use photography to connect with God, others, and the world around them.

This workshop invites participants to explore acrylic painting as a form of intercession—creating from a place of deep connection with God. Through guided prayer, Scripture, and hands-on painting, participants will learn how colour, texture, and imagery can become a visual language of prayer, expressing God’s heart and intentions on canvas.

Designed for all skill levels, this session emphasizes listening to the Holy Spirit and creating from presence rather than performance. As we paint and pray, participants will experience creativity as a bridge of connection—drawing closer to God, strengthening community, and discovering how art can carry prayer beyond words.

Master the art of building powerful ideas from the inside out. In this hands-on workshop, we will craft sharp, message-driven concepts that prioritize core content over flashy tools. You will learn to distill ideas to their essence—saying more with less—before strategically expanding them across multisensory channels for maximum impact.

We will also explore co-creating with God, the master of using humble elements to convey eternal truths. From a shepherd’s staff to simple parables, the God of the Bible orchestrates "much with little" to reach the heart. By aligning with His process, you will learn to prioritize divine content, ensuring your creative orchestration is both purposeful and transformative.

This workshop, led by Stephen & Tricia Preston, helps artists, leaders, and creatives identify and overcome the common blocks that hinder their creativity, including fear, comparison, perfectionism, and burnout. Participants will gain practical strategies, through artistic activations, to break through these barriers, reconnect with their creative calling, and cultivate a sense of freedom and inspiration in their artistic practice.

Creativity often flourishes most when experienced in community. Stephen & Tricia will show how connection with others—through encouragement, shared practice, and safe collaboration—can help overcome creative blocks. The session also provides practical approaches to building and nurturing creative arts groups in homes or churches, creating environments where creativity is supported, collaboration is celebrated, and people feel a deep sense of belonging.