About Surrender
What happens when a group of creatives gathers — not to perfect, but to play?
This morning, The Ripple Room became a space for deep conversations, joyful making, and shared reflection on what it means to surrender — not as defeat, but as courage.
We talked about letting go of perfection. About trusting the process. About the tension between control and flow, darkness and light, resistance and release.
One of the participants, Mark Engelsson, captured the essence of our discussion in a poem written during our session:
SurrenderWe are grains of sand
rubbing against each other.
We jostle for attention
on life’s chaotic shores.
The ocean waves
toss and turn, seized
by tortured dreams.
They lash out, thrashing,
thrashing in their sleep.
In their thrashing,
they crush us.
There are two choices,
when faced with the
wall of rushing water:
resist, resist and
hold out until you
give out; or give in,
allow yourself to surrender
and crumble into clay.
Remember, though:
clay can be then shaped
to rebuild anew.
I loved how he captured the essence of surrender and ended with a choice ... the brutality of circumstance, the option to make something anew. So beautiful!
Meanwhile, hands were in motion. Kim Coppernoll finger-painted. Bonnie Lowther, Tajana Ida, Melissa Maxwell-Doherty, Jean Keppler, Joline Lenz and Janet created in much-needed stillness.
Here’s what they shared afterward:
📸 “Thank you for today, it filled my heart with so much joy! Looking forward to next month.” – Kim
📸 “Thank you so much for doing Zoom again! I needed it more than you know!” – Bonnie
📸 “Hi Mansi! I really enjoyed today, and kept on creating even after we signed off. These are the Gratitude tags I got completed today. I included my name on the back, and came up with a cute heart mark that I will include on these in the future. Looking forward to our next time together!” — Jean
📸 “I enjoyed being together for the hour today. The best part was hearing the reflections abut surrender, courage, acceptance, and making art. I took some of the bits and pieces of paper that I have made along the way to make journal cards for myself. I'll write on the back side. Who knows what will happen. It could be that I will write it all out and leave it or perhaps I will cover it up with paints or other marks. Either way it will be restorative. Thank you for today.” — Melissa
By the end of the hour, hearts were full, hands were messy, and minds were a little quieter. And that’s the ripple effect of creating together.
Some of the reflections that surfaced:
Surrender isn’t weakness; it’s bravery.
Art is a verb, not a noun. It’s about the process, not just the product.
We don’t need the perfect conditions, tools, or plans to start. We just need to start.
Sometimes, the hardest part of creativity is simply allowing ourselves to take up space.
Here’s my recap and what I made:
A zine that came into being because Kim was fingerpainting.
If you missed this session, there’s always next month. The Ripple Room isn’t about making something perfect — it’s about making space for yourself.
We can always claim an hour for ourselves — to make, to share, to simply be.
