LifeLines Creative Workshops Makes its First Mark. On the DOT!

January 30, 2026

LifeLines Creative Workshops is community focused creative space, founded by Dian Dewi, Ellen Lane and Kristi Graham and hosted by Usada Bali.

Today marked the first LifeLines Creative Workshop at Usada. On the Dot introduced LifeLines as a community-driven creative workshop and a shared space to connect. We started with something very small: a dot.

Led by Ellen, the opening exercise focused on the dot of courage. The courage to make a mark and to notice the feeling that turns intention into action. The dot becomes a beginning, a decision, and an idea made visible before knowing what it might become. In the first few minutes, the pages held nothing but dots. And yet every dot was different. Each one carried its own rhythm and presence. It quickly became clear that an entire world can exist inside a single mark.

The second exercise, guided by Kristi, shifted the tone toward play and imagination. Her question, “Is your dot lonely? Does it need a friend?” was beguiling. Dots became characters. Relationships formed. Stories appeared spontaneously. Many of us were surprised by what our marks wanted to do next.

Between exercises, a deck of quote cards created around the theme On the Dot was circulated and discussed. This created space for reflection, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes light, sometimes quietly challenging.

The final exercise, led by Dian, introduced disruption. Dots turned into lines and were interrupted. We were asked not to fix or control what happened but to respond to it. For some, this was the most difficult part. For others it was freeing. In all cases it asked us to stay present and keep going.

For the hosts, it was one thing to design the workshop and another to experience it. There were real moments of surprise. Subtle shifts happened. Hesitations gave way to commitments. Control loosened into play. Disruption turned into movement. At the end, people shared their reflections.

“This is exactly what I needed. It freed me up, allowed me to let go.”

What stayed with everyone was the feeling in the room. This wasn’t a formal workshop. It felt like a gathering of close friends. Focused, generous, and connected. All of that came from starting with a single dot. On the Dot is the beginning of the LifeLines series. The next workshop, On the Line, will continue the journey by exploring movement, direction, and what happens after we decide to keep going.

“I loved how meditative it was, and I got so entranced by the narrative.”

Come join this unique workshop. Every session is its own unique adventure. Its not too late. We have little surprises every 2nd and 4th Tuesday each month at Usada.