Bio

After many years as a hard-partying Hollywood actor, I heeded a deeper calling to find a more balanced and fulfilling life purpose. I dedicated myself to serious yoga and meditation practice and study, training extensively with an array of L.A.'s most dynamic and respected teachers in both disciplines. The resources I’ve developed as a result of my studies have brought profound healing to the wounds of my rocky childhood and has allowed me to flourish mentally and emotionally. I’ll be sharing these practices alongside insights on how neuroscience, psychology, and addiction theory support and expand our path to wholeness, allowing us to radically increasing our overall life satisfaction and happiness. Tho I am a meditation teacher of eight years now, I remain fiercely devoted to creativity as a spiritual path and still practice as a poet, musician, playwright, and actor.

To learn more about Blake, visit www.veniceyogi.com.

Douglas Paul Smith is the author of ‘The Infinite Artist’ and the founder of’ Divine Creativity Productions’ and ‘The Artist Coach’ which empowers artists to liberate themselves while achieving personal mastery. His passion for coaching artists was born from a decade of teaching ‘Art As Meditation’ classes—his own version of the ancient eastern principles of creativity as taught by the late Chögyam Trungpa in the 70’s and 80’s. Douglas is a long-time practitioner of Zen Calligraphy and has studied Yogic philosophy and meditation extensively in the traditions of Tibetan Gelugpa, Shambhala, and Zen Buddhism. He is formally trained as a Contemplative Arts Instructor at Shambhala Art International, in Los Angeles.

Douglas’ work as a painter, illustrator, and designer spans decades, his style consistently reminiscent of primitive art and children’s drawings. Having thrown out all technical conventions from his design training, Douglas’ work demonstrates a Basquiat-like focus on the immediacy and innocence of the unlearned hand. The flavor of much of his work stems from his fascination with Buddhism and meditative development of the mind—and a deep interest in how we can transform negative emotions and thought patterns through the creative process. His life’s work has revolved around creating from a space of unknowing, where he is not the doer but is wholly merged with the process of creation itself. Douglas is currently working on a feature-length documentary about a U.N. journalist, entitled, My Darling Comrade. He lives in Switzerland.

To learn more about Douglas please visit www.divinecreativity.org