Woven
A gentle nature-based creative membership rooted in Heartwork, designed to fit into real life.
heartwork:
the playful practice that quiets the mind, connects us to our own inner wisdom, and guides us towards healing and a more authentic way of life.
What Members Are Saying
Woven has been such a meaningful touchstone for me. Consistently checking in with myself, the natural world, and my creative practice has brought a sweetness to my day to day life. And having a safe space to explore and connect in community has been magical. I’m so grateful for this group!
-Jenny Roberts
I am in no stretch of the imagination an “artist,” and it is for this very reason that I enrolled in the Woven program facilitated by Laura Pahlas and Carissa Sorensen. I wasn’t looking to become an artist, neither was I looking to develop specific skills. Instead, I was looking for a vehicle to help me quiet my overly-active mind and a way to channel my thoughts and emotions into something visual. Through Laura and Carissa’s gentle guidance and support, I have been able to move beyond my inner critic and perfectionistic tendencies, to discovering methods that allow me to create something satisfying - free from the endless barrage of inner comparison. I have found that mediums I formerly resisted (watercolor specifically) have found a home in my own unique creative expression without having to become something in and of themselves. It seems I have found a groove in pen and ink, multi-media and collage. I’m grateful to Carissa and Laura for providing this offering and for creating a platform where each participant can find their own creative voice in visual art. – Lauri Ann Lumby, author and educator.
-Lauri Ann Lumby, author and educator
Wondering if Woven is for you because you’re not an artist?
This question makes a lot of sense.
We’ve all been led to believe that creativity is a lofty skill only artists and craftspeople were gifted and that “good” art is only the stuff you see in galleries or museums.
We’ve built Woven (and all that we offer at Heartwork Studios) on the premise that creativity is an innate ability within each and every human.
In her book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron describes it so well… "Just as blood is a fact of your physical body and nothing you invented, creativity is a fact of your spiritual body and nothing you must invent.”
That said, we do NOT believe everyone is an artist.
We welcome artists, obviously, and will definitely teach skills along the way, but training artists is not our mission.
Our goal is to offer simple, approachable, process-based creative methods that anyone can fit into the busy landscape of their every-day, modern life, and don’t require fancy supplies or a beautifully arranged studio.
We believe creativity and art-making are as central to a balanced wellness practice as exercise, diet, and hydration.
Instead of asking, “I can’t even draw a stick figure! Can I do this??”
Consider these questions instead…
Are you carrying everything for everyone else and constantly giving from an empty cup?
Can you remember the last time you made something just for fun?
Has life changed lately in ways that have left you feeling untethered?
Has perfectionism and comparison stolen your joy?
Has a therapist or coach suggested you try bringing more playfulness into your life but you have no idea how to do this in a meaningful way?
Do you crave a restful, low impact, and inexpensive way to connect with nature?
Are you never alone, but yet feel lonely?
Do you dream of a community that gets it? One where you can show up exactly how you are?
Have you tried EVERYTHING but still feel something is missing from your wellness practice?
If even just a handful of these are a ‘yes,’ Woven is for you.
(and claim our intro rate of $20/month for life!)
Meet Your Guides
We are Carissa Sorensen and Laura Pahlas. Together our combined experience includes decades worth of creating and facilitating creative experiences as well as many years developing our own creative practices. Since it’s inception, Woven has very much been Carissa’s brainchild. As she completed her training in Entheos Energy Work in 2025 while also developing the studio and delving deeper into her own artistic practice (along with motherhood and family life) she found that all of these threads in her experience began to weave together in a beautifully healing way. We played with several ideas for one off retreats and workshops, but it soon became clear that the opportunity to share these connections with others was best suited as an online membership with ongoing community and support throughout the whole year.
Enter Woven.
While Carissa’s vision and creativity is the driving force at the heart of Woven, Laura helps to plan and support. Her background as an art educator is especially helpful in creating approachable ways to teach skills-based content that feels meaningful and fun.
