We recently connected with Karen Kasaba and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

I started out hosting writing workshops in my Hollywood studio, using divination techniques such as psychometry, oracle cards, dreamwork and the Akashic records as inspiration for intuitive writing. Then in March 2020, I was challenged to reimagine this in-person workshop into the online space.

Despite the limitations, I found ways to celebrate the benefits of the Zoom room. I could still use my divination techniques. I incorporated sound to make the workshop experience more immersive. Best of all, I was now able to reach a global audience. Bringing together a variety of cultural perspectives enhanced the experience for everyone. There’s a different kind of intimacy that comes from the ease and comfort of being in your own space. Plus, I no longer had to set out snacks!

Karen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an Emmy-nominated screenwriter, multiple award-winning playwright, filmmaker and fiction writer. I’ve published work in numerous literary journals, newspapers, and magazines. I’m an LA native currently based in West Hollywood, where I host online and in-person writing workshops and retreats. I love to help writers of all genres tap into their intuition to access deeper levels of meaning and emotion and create work that engages readers with immediacy and authenticity.

After studying art and playwriting at UCSB, I graduated with a BFA in Filmmaking from Art Center College of Design. A member of WGAw and SAG•AFTRA, my writing approach and philosophy are influenced by my study of dreamwork, Hawaiian shamanism, filmmaking, acting, and improv training with The Groundlings.

The intuitive writing approach I’ve developed encourages free-writing without editing. Writers are often conditioned to edit as they write, but they get so much more out of allowing material to flow out freely without judgement in their first pass. This is how surprises and serendipitous connections happen – the subconscious has lots to offer!

Along with sound, I use a kind of guided visioning that provides a way for writers to directly experience a moment in their story, so they’re able to write from this place of total immersion, and be with their characters as the story is happening. Writers comment on the way memories and recollections of detail show up with such immediacy that they’re able to feel what their characters are feeling.

My Visionary Writing Workshops are a safe space for writers to discover the story they’ve been wanting to tell. I recently partnered with helloplentiful.com to offer 1:1 sessions and digital courses. I also offer online experiential writing workshops, developmental editing and coaching for writers working on book-length projects.

It’s exciting when writers publish work that started as a short piece they wrote to a prompt in my workshop. I’m inspired by writers who pull work out of a drawer and get so re-energized with intuitive writing that they are now completing or revising drafts of their novels. I’m devoted to helping writers maintain a sustainable practice, and offer a free guide to get started, as well as the opportunity to receive ongoing inspiration and find out about future workshops and events via my mailing list.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I believe everyone is inherently creative, especially when they are attuned to their intuition. Their own curiosity has the power to lead them in unexpected directions where they are likely to be rewarded with valuable insights. This can be incredibly energizing – to make connections and come up with new ideas. To make something out of nothing. There will always be resistance, or fear, or doubt, that’s a given. There may be unwillingness to make a mistake, or get it wrong. But once you can get beyond that, things open up. There’s a lot of freedom once you’re willing to enter the unmapped territory of the blank page. But that doesn’t mean you can’t also make a map.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

“Tracking Wonder: Reclaiming a Life of Meaning and Possibility in a World Obsessed with Productivity” by Jeffrey Davis

Jeffrey Davis writes that “wonder momentarily dissolves our habitual ways of seeing, relating, and thinking so we can glimpse again what is real and true, beautiful and possible.”

Wonder is key to developing observational skills as a writer. Moments of wonder, when they happen for me, are often unexpected, and can re-energize the way I see things, which carries over into my writing.

“Experience Design: A Participatory Manifesto” by Abraham Burickson

In an effort to make online experiences more immersive, I’ve studied experience design with Zach Morris of Third Rail Productions. During those workshops, I became aware of Burickson’s book, which details different approaches to creating a narrative structure for a workshop or retreat that leads the participant on their own journey of discovery.

In all my workshops, and in the private coaching that I do, my primary intention is to create and hold a safe space for writers to spark their own insights and discoveries, which allows for some powerful, experiential learning and big ah-ha moments.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://karenkasaba.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guidedwritingtours/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenkasaba/
• Other: Get your free writing guide – Energize Your Writing in 7 Days: https://karenkasaba.com/freeguide

  Work with me 1:1 – https://helloplentiful.com/store/karen-kasaba-writers-studio/

Image Credits

All photos by Bryan Dechart