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$150 per guest
ClassBento money-back guarantee
Our mission is to improve mental wellbeing through our workshops and experiences. We curate our teachers and hosts carefully to ensure that they are of high quality.
That's why we provide a money-back guarantee*: If you're unsatisfied with this experience, just leave it at least 20 minutes before it ends, and tell us (the ClassBento team) the reason for your dissatisfaction within 4 hours of that time, and we'll provide you with a refund.
* We may choose to limit our refund per customer at $500. In some rare cases, we may also require you to show us your photo ID before we process the refund.
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Read FAQs (6)
What can I expect?
You’ll work with a variety of collage materials, all provided, alongside guided prompts and reflection that move at a pace built for the room. There will be some story sharing woven throughout, always optional, and plenty of spaciousness to follow your own creative terrain rather than anyone else’s timeline.
You’ll be free to go as deep as feels right, and no deeper. To take a break if you need one. To skip anything that doesn’t feel like yours to do that day, or to sit with a blank page if that’s what’s true for you in the moment. You are the only one who knows what you actually need, and we trust that.
Come with whatever is true for you right now. That will be enough.
You’ll leave with a clearer picture of your own creative terrain: a better sense of what the block actually is, real confidence in the strengths and adaptations you’ve already built, and one small idea for how to move forward.
Who are the facilitators?
Kathryn Vercillo
Kathryn Vercillo is a writer, artist, and creative health researcher with twenty years of experience studying how health and circumstance shape creative practice. She holds an MA in Psychological Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies and pursued graduate studies in Visual and Critical Studies at California College of the Arts. She is the founder of Create Me Free and developer of the Creative Health Cartography framework, and has facilitated creative workshops in San Francisco community settings for years.
Heidi Waterman spent thirty five years in the professional arts world, as a mezzo-soprano, an arts nonprofit communications manager, and a freelance arts marketing copywriter, before burnout led her to a full pivot into coaching. She is now a Certified Wayfinder Life Coach with a gift for holding space, helping people trust their own internal compass toward a life that actually feels like theirs.
Where is this happening?
An adorable cafe-turned-art-space on Cortland in Bernal Heights, San Francisco. Full address sent after booking.
How many people are attending?
The size of the group is intentionally kept small, so the room stays a place where real sharing and attention are possible for everyone in it.
Do I need art experience?
No. You can be a full-time working artist, someone who doesn’t identify as an artist at all, or anything in between. This isn’t about skill; it’s about navigating through your own creative terrain, whatever that might look like.
Is this therapy?
No. Neither Kathryn nor Heidi are licensed therapists, though Kathryn brings a background in psychology and Heidi brings training as a coach. Both have experience with resourcing and grounding techniques. What we bring most of all is real care for making the space feel safe enough to be honest in, as well as an understanding that this means something different for each person.
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ClassBento money-back guarantee
Our mission is to improve mental wellbeing through our workshops and experiences. We curate our teachers and hosts carefully to ensure that they are of high quality.
That's why we provide a money-back guarantee*: If you're unsatisfied with this experience, just leave it at least 20 minutes before it ends, and tell us (the ClassBento team) the reason for your dissatisfaction within 4 hours of that time, and we'll provide you with a refund.
* We may choose to limit our refund per customer at $500. In some rare cases, we may also require you to show us your photo ID before we process the refund.
How can we help?
Q: What can I expect?
You’ll work with a variety of collage materials, all provided, alongside guided prompts and reflection that move at a pace built for the room. There will be some story sharing woven throughout, always optional, and plenty of spaciousness to follow your own creative terrain rather than anyone else’s timeline. You’ll be free to go as deep as feels right, and no deeper. To take a break if you need one. To skip anything that doesn’t feel like yours to do that day, or to sit with a blank page if that’s what’s true for you in the moment. You are the only one who knows what you actually need, and we trust that. Come with whatever is true for you right now. That will be enough. You’ll leave with a clearer picture of your own creative terrain: a better sense of what the block actually is, real confidence in the strengths and adaptations you’ve already built, and one small idea for how to move forward.
Q: Who are the facilitators?
Kathryn Vercillo Kathryn Vercillo is a writer, artist, and creative health researcher with twenty years of experience studying how health and circumstance shape creative practice. She holds an MA in Psychological Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies and pursued graduate studies in Visual and Critical Studies at California College of the Arts. She is the founder of Create Me Free and developer of the Creative Health Cartography framework, and has facilitated creative workshops in San Francisco community settings for years. Heidi Waterman spent thirty five years in the professional arts world, as a mezzo-soprano, an arts nonprofit communications manager, and a freelance arts marketing copywriter, before burnout led her to a full pivot into coaching. She is now a Certified Wayfinder Life Coach with a gift for holding space, helping people trust their own internal compass toward a life that actually feels like theirs.
Q: Where is this happening?
An adorable cafe-turned-art-space on Cortland in Bernal Heights, San Francisco. Full address sent after booking.
Q: How many people are attending?
The size of the group is intentionally kept small, so the room stays a place where real sharing and attention are possible for everyone in it.
Q: Do I need art experience?
No. You can be a full-time working artist, someone who doesn’t identify as an artist at all, or anything in between. This isn’t about skill; it’s about navigating through your own creative terrain, whatever that might look like.
Q: Is this therapy?
No. Neither Kathryn nor Heidi are licensed therapists, though Kathryn brings a background in psychology and Heidi brings training as a coach. Both have experience with resourcing and grounding techniques. What we bring most of all is real care for making the space feel safe enough to be honest in, as well as an understanding that this means something different for each person.
Q: What's the cancellation policy?
A: No cancellations or reschedules allowed
Q: How long does the class run for, and what's the price?
A: 3 hours, $150 per guest
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Need a thoughtful gift idea?
card_giftcard Gift an experienceCreative Block Recovery Workshop
Reclaim your creative practice in San Francisco, no matter what stands in your way!
ClassBento donates
with every booking to
3 hours
Bernal Heights
1 to 10 guests
$150
What you'll do
Something in you is still reaching toward the work, even if it has been a while since you let it!This class is for anyone who has been quietly wondering how to get inspired again, how to get over writer's block, or simply how to be more creative when life has made that feel complicated. Maybe you are navigating a chronic illness, a grief, a diagnosis, a life transition, or a season that reshuffled everything you used to rely on. Maybe it is vaguer than that -- a wall you cannot see the edges of, a version of yourself you keep measuring against even though that version no longer applies. You do not need language for any of it before you walk in. You only need to be willing to sit with whatever is actually there.One of the best things to do in San Francisco is make something with your hands, and that is exactly what this class gives you space to do. Think of it as creativity inspiration without the pressure -- a place to rebuild something real at the pace that actually works for you, not the pace you used to have. If part of this description caught you, trust that pull!
See more FAQs
What you'll get
- Permission to work within your actual current capacity
- A space that holds chronic illness, grief, or caregiving without requiring explanation
- Physical making with your hands as an alternative to verbal processing
- Rebuilding creative identity without comparing to a past version of yourself!
Knowledge required
All skill levels are welcome!
What to bring
- Your curiosity and creativity!
- An open mind
- Enthusiasm to learn and experiment
FAQ
What can I expect?
You’ll work with a variety of collage materials, all provided, alongside guided prompts and reflection that move at a pace built for the room. There will be some story sharing woven throughout, always optional, and plenty of spaciousness to follow your own creative terrain rather than anyone else’s timeline.
You’ll be free to go as deep as feels right, and no deeper. To take a break if you need one. To skip anything that doesn’t feel like yours to do that day, or to sit with a blank page if that’s what’s true for you in the moment. You are the only one who knows what you actually need, and we trust that.
Come with whatever is true for you right now. That will be enough.
You’ll leave with a clearer picture of your own creative terrain: a better sense of what the block actually is, real confidence in the strengths and adaptations you’ve already built, and one small idea for how to move forward.
Who are the facilitators?
Kathryn Vercillo
Kathryn Vercillo is a writer, artist, and creative health researcher with twenty years of experience studying how health and circumstance shape creative practice. She holds an MA in Psychological Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies and pursued graduate studies in Visual and Critical Studies at California College of the Arts. She is the founder of Create Me Free and developer of the Creative Health Cartography framework, and has facilitated creative workshops in San Francisco community settings for years.
Heidi Waterman spent thirty five years in the professional arts world, as a mezzo-soprano, an arts nonprofit communications manager, and a freelance arts marketing copywriter, before burnout led her to a full pivot into coaching. She is now a Certified Wayfinder Life Coach with a gift for holding space, helping people trust their own internal compass toward a life that actually feels like theirs.
Where is this happening?
An adorable cafe-turned-art-space on Cortland in Bernal Heights, San Francisco. Full address sent after booking.
How many people are attending?
The size of the group is intentionally kept small, so the room stays a place where real sharing and attention are possible for everyone in it.
Do I need art experience?
No. You can be a full-time working artist, someone who doesn’t identify as an artist at all, or anything in between. This isn’t about skill; it’s about navigating through your own creative terrain, whatever that might look like.
Is this therapy?
No. Neither Kathryn nor Heidi are licensed therapists, though Kathryn brings a background in psychology and Heidi brings training as a coach. Both have experience with resourcing and grounding techniques. What we bring most of all is real care for making the space feel safe enough to be honest in, as well as an understanding that this means something different for each person.
Location
Bernal Heights, CA
Exact location is masked for privacy. You'll automatically get the specific address after booking.
Your teacher
Create Me Free is the heart's work of Kathryn Vercillo — a writer, artist, and researcher who has spent twenty years exploring the beautiful, complicated relationship between creativity and health! What began as a deeply personal journey, picking up a crochet hook during a difficult season of depression and discovering that making things could be a way through, grew into a life's calling. Kathryn has since written books used in hospitals and classrooms, earned a Masters in psychology, and listened to hundreds of artists and makers share how their health shapes their creative lives. All of that listening became something tangible: the Creative Health Cartography framework.At Create Me Free, the belief is simple and quietly radical — the answers to what works for you are already inside you. Kathryn's approach is warm, strengths-based, and rooted in disability justice and trauma-informed care, designed to meet artists, writers, and makers exactly where they are. Whether someone is thriving creatively or finding it hard to even call themselves an artist right now, Create Me Free holds space for all of it, and gently helps people see their own patterns more clearly so they can work with themselves rather than against themselves. It's a place where creativity and wellbeing get to grow together!
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