Silk painting and workshops for your team in Helsinki

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Hi, My name is Ingrid Biese and this is my art space. I am a researcher, consultant and artist, and this is the place where I combine all three legs that I stand on. I research sustainable working cultures and solutions, and work with organizations on these issues. While The Art Place Finland is my personal art studio, it is also a creative space to talk about work, that looks nothing like a conventional work place. Being taken out of our familiar environments enables us to see to alternatives beyond current structures and solutions.

Working life as we know it is changing. Prevalent career models and work ideals don't necessarily reflect our wants and needs and more people than ever are reported to be unhappy at work. How do we create sustainable working lives and organizational cultures where people can thrive?
Bring your team to The Art Place Finland for a workshop on sustainable career models, work ideals and organizational cultures, tailored to your needs. This can also be combined with silk painting. 

I organize silk painting workshops for up to six participants at a time. The workshop lasts about three hours, during  which participants receive an introduction to silk painting and paint a 55x55cm silk scarf or painting to take home with them. No previous experience required. Anyone can paint on silk!
Painting on silk is exclusive and quite different from using other mediums. The workshop is also an experience that goes beyond simply painting. The no-resist technique, which I have developed, is also a philosophy and outlook that you can take with you to work or other areas of life. It enhances eg. cooperation and dialogue with others and is experienced and exemplified through the silk painting process.
A silk painting workshop is a perfect way to spend a day or evening with friends, or a different and eye-opening experience for you and your team.

Silk painting has been my passion since I was a teenager. There is something about the way the paint interacts with the silk that is just magical. It spreads along the fibers and is hard to control. When I paint, the painting lives a life of its own and seldom does exactly what I plan. I have to accept that in order to continue working on the painting and create a piece of art. This is a great metaphor for working with people. You cannot control the environment around you. You have to listen and accept what is being said and done in order to build on that and effectively move forward.  This is the only way to create real dialogue and is absolutely essential in every day work.

I started this blog when I finished my PhD, mainly because my research generated so much media attention and people really seemed to want to know more about opting out. Originally I planned for it to be a platform for thoughts, ideas, and discussions on opting out and new meanings of work, however since then it has become more than that. I write about my research and related topics, and about societal phenomena that affect our choices and the very core of our beings. But I also write about my own opting out journey, a journey, which I am still on, and like everything else I do, I do it on my own terms.