Louise Westerhout

Self Care and Accountability for Creatives

Are you an artist, theater/dance company or curator? Are you interested in how to create inclusive spaces where BIPOC, disabled or LGBTQ+ folks can flourish? Do you wish to learn valuable self care tools for processing, understanding and managing stress, trauma and conflict?

To release blocks to creating and to develop stronger self awareness about your creative work allowing yourself more internal space to create and find a more authentic expression?

Do you want help identifying and deprogramming deep conditioning from structural societal influence in order to manage anxiety, confidence and self sabotage?

Are you interested in community building, transformation, accountability within your space? Do you want to learn how to create safe accountability pods where people can connect to feel safer, support each other and grow within the theory of transformative justice?

About 

I’m Louise Westerhout: queer, disabled artist, educator, curator, therapist, with over 28 years professional international experience. In 2020 I realised that there was a deep need for creatives and artists to have access to therapeutic and transformative workshops. to not only process pandemic trauma, but to also address the deeper issues they have. I also took a workshop with The Good Night Out Campaign UK who are a major influence in the setting up of safe spaces through consent based theory and Transformative Justice techniques.

I realised that this type of awareness and facilitation was rare and urgently needed particularly in creative spaces where many Theatres, Art Houses and Schools do not have protocols on consent/harassment/abuse and most people do not understand Accountability or how to speak during conflict.

I launched this workshop which is an amalgamation of many therapeutic techniques I have used in previous workshops, along with the theory and practice of Accountability and Transformative justice techniques. I have been teaching it now for 4 years and the feedback is at the end of this document.

About the Workshop

Our workshop activities will be drawing from several modalities from yoga, growth mindset, Neuro Linguistic programming, guided visualisation, EMDR, art therapy, storytelling, group work. Theoretic frameworks come from Transformative Justice, decolonised social theory.

As a queer, disabled person I try to ensure that the space is an inclusive space.

There is no pressure to produce any work; rather it is an opportunity to process creatively amongst peers, learn and share skills, plan and map future, network, and identify community.

Should there be language issues we can help to enroll each other as translators as that is part of community work. Much work is done on one’s own or in groups where language of choice may be used. 

One of my issues with workshops is that when the facilitator leaves, the impetus for transformation goes.  I will make sure through facilitation and being available for all participants in future that we get to build on the skills learnt through the workshop and we will discuss how to stay focussed and present.  My theory as a facilitator is to always be available for those I have facilitated as this is my commitment professionally but also spiritually, from my yogic and Wiccan practice as an elder to be in service and available as we community build and make strong networks globally. I pride myself on always having capacity for clients and students throughout the world. For me this is key especially for young artists who get trapped in the cycle of producing and exposure without the centered principles of self awareness, deep introspection into motivation which can help them to attain a more sustained and immersive professional career.. 

As far as I know there is no other workshop like this which weaves together the personal and communal with decolonised and radical new social theory along with cutting edge neuroscientific tools for trauma and self development. I believe as an artist/curator and therapist I bring a unique skill set and experience to my work.

Course Structure

This was for a group of 10-20.  4 hr Modules.

They can be modified to fit any course structure.

We explore auto-ethnographic writing, movement and conceptualising, creating through a phenomenology of self, memory, and past, consent as a methodology, accountability and trust in the creation process. These workshops encourage the individual  journey to develop groundbreaking performance languages through consensual, praxis-centric, phenomenological methodology. 

Module 1

MY STORY

1) Using found objects, within a guided and immersive meditation, begin to create scenarios which they are able to then interrogate and edit.

Who am I? What is my story? What is the story I tell myself? 

2) Using auto writing allows participants to notice patterns of behaviour and thinking that were unconscious. To understand where there is negative self image and self talk.

3) A dance with my negative self talk, outcome unknown…

4)Share and feedback

Module 2

My Life in Pattern and Reality

1)Creative drawing to see the image of one’s life, behaviours, actions.

2)Goals and goal setting.  Reality testing these to see if there are good enough reasons beneath our goals.

3)Guided movement piece to release hidden belief systems.

4) Working with removing triggers. Setting up and programming the self with self soothing, grounding breathing and movement and EMDR techniques.

5)Share and feedback 

Module 3

Revisiting/editing MY STORY into the future.

1. A long immersive private work in which participants recreate a 3D memory of personal struggle: either with found objects, writing, or drawing.
2. Meditation on solutions and release, alternate future. One of the most powerful tools we have to create new neural pathways and brain plasticity is to invite gratitude and imagine the future. Here participants are invited to unlock their path toward how that looks and feels.
3. Group Discussions, feedback.

Modules 4 to 6

Community and Accountability Work

These modules are focussed on the introduction and practice of Transformative Justice principles, theories and frameworks.  Many establishments, dance groups etc suppose they are a community, say they are a safe space without setting out rigorous principles of community and applying them. However when conflict or abuse occurs, the frameworks are not rigorous enough.  Learning about accountability, transformative justice techniques which center around community and are anti-punishment/pro accountability, and how to switch personal scripted dynamics of conflict, can ensure that your spaces are honest and all have agreed upon protocols when conflict arises. Discussion of larger social structures, some of them oppressive, helps gain perspective and set intentions for change.  Podmapping and the discussion of how all members of the community fit together is always an eye opening experience.

I would also encourage staff to join these workshops as my personal experience is that many theatre spaces and art houses do not have protocols for conflict and abuse.  They are vital.  I would encourage spending time in the modules discussing and agreeing upon protocols. In this way there are competent and fair systems in place to handle conflict in house, with the effect of creating a properly safe creative environment. We are living in a time where old punitive structures are redundant and anti community. It is our responsibility to build better social structures particularly in artistic spaces where young people are finding their individuality and self expression away from harmful social mores and being invited to develop creative and personal living paradigms which reflect transformation.

Looking forward to discussing possibilities with you, healing and community building.

Please see the reviews of the workshop on the following page to get a better idea of how I may add value to your artistic community. These creatives were writers, actors, dancers, aged 20-35.

Some reflections on participating in Self-Care Workshop Series by Louise Westerhout 2020-2024: 

“The quality of Louise Westerhout’s workshop was one I will never forget what it did for me. It was an all time experience of re-meeting yourself and becoming in tune with the self. As a dancer/ performer it helped me find the depth within myself and gain access to it, which is a very valuable skill to give time to polish it. I am super grateful, this has been a gift to me and my career. I believe that more performers and dancers should embark on such an experience, at least once, and they’ll already feel the difference.Having the process of the workshop being led by a patient, supportive, accepting, embracing, honest and truly caring facilitator who cultivates safe spaces was amazing.”

Zandile Salukazana she/her

“Throughout the process there were many things that stood out to me. I learnt a lot within the two days that I spent with Louise Westerhout.

The process was led in such a peaceful and freeing manner. From the tone of voice to the words that were used, everything propelled you into a meditative state which created a sense of ease throughout this process. These meditation sessions helped me become aware of a few trauma patterns that I wasn’t aware of and find clarity within myself on present situations that I didn’t realize was still impacting me, whether they were negatively or positively. The environment that these sessions are led under is therapeutic and if you allow yourself to fully immerse into this experience then you’ll gain/leave with something in your pocket. 

I learnt so much more about myself throughout this process and it’s a beautiful thing to witness yourself uncover patterns that no longer serve you or once that might benefit you for the current state that you are in.

And throughout the process you will find them because you know best. 

The part that makes it so much better is the fact that Louise is an established artist and her ways of allowing you as artist/dancer/mover is so necessary especially for the industry that we’re in. Moments like these aren’t created for us and to be a fully capable and authentic artist/dancer/performer you need to trust yourself and know exactly who and what you are and these sessions are essential to help guide you to that.”

Keagan X he/they

Kaulana Williams

It’s difficult to put into words what the experience of undertaking this course with Louise was like. It was transformational both on a personal level and in terms of my professional practice as an artist. It’s the kind of learning I wish I had done back at varsity, before launching my career as a performing artist and theatre-maker.

We started the process by working on ourselves and how we relate to ourselves. The emotional and mental demands of doing creative work are high and can oftentimes be damaging. Especially if you are a neuro-divergent person. Louise helped me feel equipped and empowered to recognise potentially damaging situations, reflect on how I would like to deal with them, and confidently respond in the manner that is best for my emotional and mental health.

We then learnt about accountability, harm and transformative justice. The resources provided on these topics were easy to understand and, contextualised within our creative industries, very necessary. Finally we could discover the language to describe our experiences of harm in a professional setting. We could identify the harm as wrong and understand that, despite our harm-doers assertions, it was wrong what was done to us and someone is responsible for that. (That someone is not us, the victim.) Having done the work at the beginning of the course of workshops, it was easier to assert our right not to be harmed in professional spaces and to recognise that the leadership and management in those spaces have a responsibility to hold themselves and perpetrators of harm accountable for the harm that they’ve caused to their colleagues.

I found this personally powerful and inspiring, as for years I have wanted to challenge the conditions of silence and lack of accountability that exist in the performing arts in South Africa that have lead to numerous instances of gender-based violence in what are supposed to be places of work (rehearsal rooms, backstage at performances, green rooms, etc.) We do not spend years training to be performers and creatives to have to be subjected to danger in our workspace from predators who manipulate the lack of oversight and governance around behaviour and accountability for behaviour. After these workshops with Louise, I feel that I have the framework and language and research available to stand up for myself and my colleagues and create safer, more conscientious workspaces in future. If enough artists participate in this work, we will have safer spaces to work in. This gives me hope for the future, but it means that Louise needs to run this course as many times in as many places as possible so that people have access to this resource.

Louise created a learning space which I have never experienced before, but which I think is essential to create moving forward in my own work. It was not authoritarian or prescriptive; we could create our own space and sit/ lie how we wanted, where we were comfortable, we could move at any time. Every activity required our consent and if we wanted to rather leave the room or do something else, this was entirely allowed and no questions were asked. This made is clear that any work we participated in was because we had chosen to do so, which made it clear that we were doing these activities for ourselves. We could be extremely vulnerable and share deep trauma without judgement or scrutiny. I felt safe and held within the group of participants and Louise made us feel like equal participants in a process of discovery. And there was plenty of play in-between the difficult work! We played with toys and hula-hooped in the garden! Fun is therapy too. 

I am still processing the massive changes that took place personally for me in how I think of myself, how I communicate with others, and how I reflect and respond rather than react. I am also still trying to master the many skills that Louise taught us in the course for processing anxiety, disappointment, self-criticism, and the artist’s relationship with “productivity”. Some days I crush it and feel so empowered and uplifted and positive (the good brain chemicals) and other days I fail miserably and have to reflect on my failure so I can do better next time. Like I said, I wish I had been taught this in school. But, I consider this course a most invaluable experience in my life and I’m ever so grateful to Louise for allowing me to access this opportunity.

Mordecai: Accountability 

“When first arriving at the venue I was nervous as I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew that it’d be helpful for my acting as it was strongly recommended by my former City Varsity lecturer. Little did I know that it was going to be a life changing experience and at the risk of sounding dramatic, I needed this as it was deeply interconnected with all aspects of my life. I was going to share my most vulnerable side with.I learnt to not blame myself for the roles I played with the false notion that those roles were who I was, but rather a state of mind that I found myself in at a certain time and that it was those unconscious decisions that I needed to be responsible for. I learnt to respect my mistakes and understand that my actions are rooted in what I’ve experienced as a child and how consequently I’ve been shaped by those experiences in ways that I may not have been aware of had it not been for this workshop. Louise facilitating this whole workshop made it feel like another home and community of artists who wish to dissect what lies at their core as humans in order to live humanely and not in self-destructive ways that only serve to hinder one’s power and potential. Listening to everyone’s testimonies also gave me a whole new perspective on life in that trauma isn’t always blatantly loud or obvious, but that it’s something that can lay dormant and affect you in ways that torture you through anxiety, distrust and anger. Through the techniques I’ve learnt- one of which is to breathe in twice through your nose (one long breath followed by a short breath) and exhale once, has kept me stable and in control of what my body and mind undergoes when under pressure or distracted by what’s happening on the outside. I’m eternally grateful for this introspective journey and wish for this workshop to be experienced by anyone who is willing to change as I see it being beneficial to those who seek healing and clarity. Thank you again for the workshop Louise and I  hope to see you again as you’re the embodiment of the warrior I strive to become.”

Lehlohonolo Mordecai Khanye

“Having been in therapy for 2 years, I had engaged with some of the ideas and methods Louise discussed in the workshop. But this was very different as an experience, as it was almost a masterclass. 

Previously, I had always felt that there was a pressure to understand and to adapt quickly. But under the guidance of Louise (and in the presence of my fellow pod mates) I was constantly reminded that making mistakes, taking breaks and being authentic with yourself (even if that means totally diverging from the work) are all a part of the process. Besides creating a greater understanding of emotional responses to trauma, Louise gave me practical, hands-on techniques for dealing with them. 

I am now more able to understand these practices and implement them practically. 

This course has been a huge step in my self care/ self love journey. Louise is an educator in the most true sense of the word – she reflected with us, she shared with us, she guided us, she laughed with us, she held the space for us. She created an environment that held us through deeply emotional work. 

When we began working through Transformative Justice and Accountability, I experienced a shift in my thinking. And it is something that still, and I assume will continue to, impact how I deal with conflict and how I think. It has also helped me curb a lot of my own anxiety around conflict, in turn making it easier for me to admit when I have fumbled and made mistakes. It’s also given me the courage to speak up more freely. 

It’s only been a few weeks since the workshop, but I can see myself continuing to work on these practices in my day to day life for the rest of my life. Keeping it as a way to grow and learn.”

— Roxy Rose Modricky

11 November 2021

To whom it may concern,

When I first signed up to be part of Louise Westerhout’s 6-week Self Care for Creatives workshop I felt anxious about what to expect – 6 weeks of deep inward looking? I didn’t have time for that. The thought of spending 6 Sundays working on me seemed like a luxury I couldn’t afford, I had deadlines to meet, places to go, people to see, people to be. What I didn’t know but quickly came to realise is that these workshops, grueling as they felt at first, came to be the foundation for everything else in my life. By committing to working on myself and showing up every Sunday even when it felt like the last thing I wanted to do, I experienced a surge of resilience, stamina, clarity, self-awareness and confidence, strength, and capacity that, before that moment, I had never known. All other things fell into place – deadlines? No stress. I knew who I was, and my own consciousness was larger and more powerful than any day-to-day task or interpersonal challenge. By the sixth week I had transformed in such a way that tending to my spiritual, energetic self would take precedence over all else, not to the detriment of my responsibilities and relationships, but to their great benefit. Work, life, relationships, self, art – all these things had converged to become one holistic whole, and I was in control of where my time, energy and spirit was focused.

Having armed ourselves with these essential tools it then became possible to begin addressing harm and abuse in our own immediate communities and environments and take accountability for our own actions without excusing or invalidating harm done to us. We began sketching out plans for how we would like to see those who have harmed us take accountability for their actions. We coached each other through real life scenarios and plans for making change in our lives. People who had always told themselves that what had happened to them was their fault began realizing that, no, this is not something I need to take accountability for, this is on my harm-doer and I know how I want to receive accountability for the harm done. We also worked through various scenarios of conflict between imaginary people (though the scenarios themselves were entirely based in reality) and learnt how to identify when and how the imaginary people were playing which roles (e.g., victim, perpetrator, challenger etc.) and how they could have done things to avoid further harm being done. This kind of work is like exercising a muscle, a harm-detector if you will, so that when we face these scenarios in our own lives, we are able to identify and respond to the situation without clouding it with emotion and gaslighting ourselves and others about how bad a situation is or what really happened. It is all in all very compassionate work, as it acknowledges that we may all fall prey to these roles of victim/perpetrator/rescuer, sometimes all at once, and that if we are willing to work on ourselves, we may shift into a space of empowerment and activate processes of transformative justice in our communities, societies, relationships, and selves. In the case that someone is unwilling to take accountability for harm they have done, it is this same work that allows survivors of harm to build strong communities or ‘pods’ that will sustain and fortify them through the process of seeking accountability and transformative justice through other avenues.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to attend Louise’s Self Care for Creatives workshop series. I must say, this is not the kind of work one is able to begin and then drop. It changes you, permanently. It is a life-long journey of learning, more and more, to listen and lean into ‘big-me’ and surrender ‘little-me’. 6 weeks is a long time and no time at all, but these 6 weeks woke me up to the timeless, ageless, limitless power I have within me, and now that it’s awake, it demands to be fed. And so, the work continues.

Having seen the monumental shifts these workshops have brought about in my own life as an individual, an artist, an educator, and a member of society at large, I fully endorse Louise Westerhout to teach and travel this Self Care for Creatives series. May she reach people far and wide! This work is needed!

Sincerely,

Roxanne de Freitas

Below some photos of some of the Art Therapy with found objects.  These are my grown up son’s old toys and they have been used for workshops over the last 6 years in many spaces from Oncology Wards at my local Hospital, to a workshop for TB survivors, to workshops for survivors of sexual assault,  to my private clients.  I will probably bring them with me as they are imbued with love and EVERYONE responds to them. Found objects are powerful because the participants are drawn to some objects, identify with others and only during or after the process discover why and what is happening.”