School of the Free Mind manifested on the interweb in the Spring of 2013 with the help of two radical and quirky visionaries, Maya and Matthew.
Guiding Philosophy...
We the people are ready for a new way in the world: a new way of thinking, of relating, of being– rooted in equality, freedom and peace. NOW, more than ever, more and more of us are moving toward this, creating change in our selves, our families, our communities and the world.
It is today that we need to think about what kind of world we want for our children tomorrow. Equality? Freedom? Peace? From where we stand now we can only imagine what these really feel like. We cannot know equality until everyone is equal. We cannot know freedom until everyone is free. Not just here, but everywhere. Can we as a people make this future possible? Can we raise our children to be strong and wise allies toward a future like this? Can we learn the lesson? Can we create real change?
Yes! Sí se puede!
Our School provides...
courses & programs that offer a holistic approach to creating & publishing children's books as well as aid in expanding the mind and reclaiming our creative, intuitive, cooperative human nature. There is another, freer, more creative and natural way to approach life that is filled with greater peace and enjoyment. In-home, experiential online courses embed the fundamentals of living this creative life, in our thoughts, in our actions, in our expressions, in what we teach our children, and in what we create in our world.
Our courses are for...
those ready to uncover and connect with your unique and most powerful way of living and creating. BEing yourself becomes revolutionary, visionary, a personal quest, an act of reclaiming, a sacred journey. Creating art, children's books or simply life from this empowered place changes everything...changes the world! Make the commitment to yourself. Make your life your revolution.
Who are We?
Maya is the main voice of the school and the more outspoken of the duo. Mixing up her very special blend of fearless storyteller, wild artist, radical activist and freaky peacemaker she LOVES to teach and thoroughly enjoys listening to everyone's tales and life stories. She also gets pretty jazzed up when anyone comes more into their creative power and spends her days thinking about how best to support that in each and every person.
She also happens to be an award-winning children's book author & artist. So it goes without saying that she makes all the pretty pictures and writes the powerful poetic prose you'll find in all our classes. Guess we should also mention that her underlying philosophy that she shares and embeds in all her courses has not only helped her heal from a long-term illness and navigate some downright painfully tricky circumstances, but also attributes it to the success she's had in her career. More about Maya on her personal website, www.mayagonzalez.com.
Matthew's more of a behind-the-scenes kinda guy - making sure everything runs smoothly and keeping things in order. He's the lists and details guy a teeny bit (*cough*) of a perfectionist and the go-to-person with any logisitical questions. He's also the one who makes it all come together in a fancily designed package. If you're lucky you just might here him speak sometimes!
We also have two free-thinkin' kids who we're training in the Peace & Free Mind Biz! Watch out world!
What else do we do?
Prior to launching our online school, we founded our own radically independent press to publish revolutionary children's books and works that expand spiritual and cultural awareness, Reflection Press. Many of our classes here (in particular The Heart of It and Believing is Seeing) we consider as foundational to our work and are requirements for anyone considering submitting manuscripts or work portfolios to our press. Our courses deeply embed our philosophies and are therefore prime opportunities to see if we're a good fit.
In our continuing commitment to always making this work accessible in the ways that we can while still supporting ourselves, we provide scholarships and alternate payment arrangements for ALL of our courses for anyone with the drive and commitment even if funds are in short supply with particular support given to POC, Native American, LGBTQI+, disabled people, elders and fierce creatives.
Got any questions? Feel free to contact us.
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