Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change—it can not only move us, it makes us move.

OSSIE DAVIS

Welcome to the Raft

Are you a lover of the arts? A “maker?” (Think writer, songwriter, musician, visual artist, jewelry designer, quilter, crafter … you name it!) A compassionate spirit who believes in the healing power of the arts? Someone who's simply intrigued? 

If you said “yes” to any of these questions, the Raft is waiting. You don’t need to navigate life alone. Come aboard!

As we head downstream through this messy, wondrous world, the arts are vital pieces of our life raft. They sustain our spirits, grow our compassion, boost our courage, and help us create the good.

As Rafters, we ...

• draw inspiration from the arts for daily life
• unlock our creativity
• explore the creative process
• support and celebrate one another’s creative efforts

Hosted by author Phyllis Cole-Dai, the Raft helps us navigate life together, buoyed by what’s hope-filled and luminous, even when the river runs wild and rough.

What you'll get as a Rafter

Free access to ...

• Rafters Reading: A bi-monthly Zoom book club, featuring titles consistent with the Raft’s purpose. (Schedule to be determined)
• Creatives' Coffee: Bi-weekly Zoom conversation around the challenges and joys of our own creative work, whether casual or professional. Enjoy peer support, knowledge exchange, and kindly accountability. (Currently held every other Wednesday, 4:00-5:30PM Central)
• The Rafters' Studio: Weekly Zoom session during which fellow Rafters work remotely together on their own creative projects. Limited interaction, oodles of support. Just show up! (Schedule to be determined)
• The Refuge: An online gathering place for the inner life. (Schedule to be determined)
• Exclusive discounts/giveaways
• Pop-up inspirational and educational events
• Companionship of Rafters around the world

Premium (paid) access to ...

• Creative Companioning. Want to make creative expression part of your spiritual practice? Anxious to set loose your creative spirit? Paralyzed by self-doubt or perfectionism? Experienced but feeling stuck? Needing fresh insight on a project? Wondering how to share or sell your writing?
  Schedule a companioning session with our host, Phyllis Cole-Dai. She'll help you "follow the nudge" and "bring forward your expressive self without apology." Four-session packages also available. Download details or learn more on Phyllis's website.
• Early-bird tickets to premium events and series
  
  

This is the power of art: The power to transcend our own self-interest, our solipsistic zoom-lens on life, and relate to the world and each other with more integrity, more curiosity, more wholeheartedness.

MARIA POPOVA

Still unsure
if the Raft's for you?

Hi! I'm Phyllis Cole-Dai, author and host of the Raft. I hope you'll download my poem"Random Notes from the River Raft" as a free gift. It expresses the spirit that I bring to the Raft, as does my author website.

What are Rafters?

(Maybe you're one already.) 

We’re lovers of the arts. Many of us are “makers,” too. We believe in the restorative power of things made and being made, especially in community.

We seek to balance the active cultivation of relationship with the richness of solitude and contemplation. To honor diversity. To be curious. To collaborate. To practice paying attention. To offer true presence. To tune into the spiritual underpinnings of the creative life.

We want to talk about what matters. To embrace what’s difficult. To ask the uncomfortable questions. To celebrate the ordinary and imperfect. To invest ourselves in what makes us feel more alive. To intentionally contribute, in our own beautiful ways, to the healing of the world.

Straight to your inbox

Phyllis's family of free e-newsletters provide further opportunities for connection, reflection, and growth. Want to know more?

Have a friend or two
who might like to be a Rafter?

Tell them all about us and invite them aboard!

Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.

KURT VONNEGUT