The Improv Jam is a low-pressure environment for everyone to practice their improv skills, experiment with different techniques, explore new comedic approaches, and PLAY!

Absolutely no experience required for this free and fun, no pressure Improv Jam. 

With Keith Rains and Ben Michaels

Keith has been improvising in Denver for over 24 years. He trained with Theater Sports, Bovine Metropolis Theater, Rise Comedy, and scores of workshops and intensive sessions with artists from around the country.  

He has coached and instructed at Bovine Metropolis, Rise Comedy, and Boulder Improv Collective.  Keith regularly performs with Makeshift Shakespeare at Chaos Bloom theater, Hit and Run Musical Improv at Rise comedy, and Once upon a Genre at What If Theater in Lakewood. 

Keith believes that improvisation is an expressive art that enhances skills that are part of successful recovery. It fosters being present in the moment, open to what is  possible, and full cooperation and trust of oneself and other member of an ensemble.  

Ben Michaels is a seasoned live auctioneer, emcee, and actor with over 20 years of entertainment experience and a strong passion for youth advocacy. He leads creative workshops and podcast projects that empower lived experience youth, while also producing engaging events that blend improv, voiceover, and corporate entertainment. Based in Colorado, Ben is known for turning storytelling into impact—on stage, in the studio, and in the community.

Join us on zoom every Sunday from 4-6pm for our FREE Open Art Studio!

Open Studio is a safe space to create and meet other creatives in recovery. This is a space where you can work on a project you have been working on, or start something new!

We will be meeting on zoom.  You will receive the zoom link in your registration confirmation.

Virtual Open Studio is hosted by Jane Settle.Jane Settle, a self-taught mixed media artist and Colorado native, sought a quieter and simpler life, moving to the San Luis Valley 7 years ago and making Crestone her home. Her latest focus is abstract art, and her studio is in a Tiny House she finished herself. Jane’s love for creative expression has taken her on a beautiful journey of healing and self-discovery.

Come get creative with us, and connect with other sober creatives!

Living a new life in Recovery gives us the perfect opportunity to rekindle our creative spark.  Learning to play guitar can open up a whole new world of serenity in mind, body, and spirit. 

The benefits include:

• Mind

Improves Cognitive Function | Creates New Pleasure Associations | New Mindfulness Techniques | Self-Discipline

• Body

Stress Relief | Muscle Memory | Healing Energy Vibrations | Joy and Laughter | Relaxation

• Spirit

Patience | Self-Compassion | Accountability | Progress Not Perfection | Personal Achievement | Humility | Human Connection | Self-Love

In this class we will be exploring beginner guitar techniques.  We will be covering everything from tuning the instrument, holding a pick, how to read tabs and basic fingerstyle.   By the end of the 6 weeks course we want the students to be able to play 5 different chord shapes and have a basic understanding of guitar.

But above all, we will have fun, and create a new fellowship of courageous creative souls to walk alongside you on your recovery journey!

Nat Stiles Bio:

Nat Stiles is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer from Fort Collins, CO. They have over 5 years of experience as a professional touring musician and recording artist. They have performed under the record label “Side One Dummy” from Los Angeles and the sync licensing agency “Assemble Sounds” from Detroit. Teaching is a passion for Nat, having worked as the Music Director for the Larimer County Boys and Girls Club and the Performance Director of School of Rock Fort Collins. Nat has been in recovery since June 7th of 2022. They believe that music is a vital and inseparable aspect to their new life. For Nat, music is an emotional language that allows us to express ourselves in ways that verbal language cannot. Nat is grateful and excited to share the gift of musical expression to their new friends in recovery. 

Get ready to play, experiment, and discover just how magical a simple Sharpie can be! In this six-week, hands-on workshop, you’ll dive into creative techniques that turn everyday markers into powerful art tools. Each week offers fresh prompts and low-pressure exercises designed to spark your imagination as you explore different kinds of marks, patterns, and images on a variety of fun surfaces.

From bold doodles to tiny treasures, you’ll try your hand at:

expressive mark-making

decorating personal objects

designing cards and gift bags

creating “itsy-bitsy” mini art

embellishing photos and magazine images

Along the way, you can expect plenty of art-looking, experimenting, laughing, and practicing new Sharpie techniques in a relaxed, encouraging environment. No prior experience needed—just curiosity, a love of doodling, and a willingness to see where your Sharpie takes you!

About Quána:
Quána Madison is an artist, mindfulness teacher, healing arts workshop facilitator and self-leadership coach. She combines inner wellness practices with expressive arts to promote creative expression, community and holistic well-being. A graduate of New York University and Colorado College, Quána holds a MA in Education and a BA in Philosophy. More information is available at www.quanamadison.com

Journey Writing is a practice of writing and witnessing our truths. We gather in virtual circle to listen to powerful, contemporary poems from a diverse range of poets with themes related to addiction, recovery, and ultimately, self-love. Each circle begins with a heart-opening writing exercise followed by a poem that offers the creative inspiration as well as the prompts for a process of free-flow writing that empties your heart onto the page. We then take turns sharing what we have written out loud and being witnessed in the circle. This work is creative, connecting, and cathartic. 

*No writing experience needed. Everyone is welcome!

There is no feedback or critiquing, only witnessing and thanking.

In Circle you will: 

• Be supported to express whatever it is you are longing to release or manifest
• Experience the magic of synchronicity as you resonate with other people's stories
• Feel accepted for who you are and where you are at on your recovery journey

Virtual Class on Zoom - You will receive the zoom link once registered.

Shani Raviv Bio:

Shani Raviv is a writer, circle holder, and author of Being Ana: a memoir of anorexia nervosa. Shani has been leading healing Journey Writing Circles for the past six years in her communities and more recently at The Rose House treatment center and at 5280 High School (a recovery high school). Shani believes that writing truth heals, and that recovery is a spiritual journey of learning to love yourself and contribute your soul's gifts to humanity. She lives in a semi-rural co-housing community with her 12-year-old son and her partner and loves to camp in the mountains, drink tea in her garden hammock between the Aspens, and share her 25-year love of yoga with her communities. She feels blessed to bring her passion for Journey Writing to the CAiR community! 

Join us on zoom every Sunday from 4-6pm for our FREE Open Art Studio!

Open Studio is a safe space to create and meet other creatives in recovery. This is a space where you can work on a project you have been working on, or start something new!

We will be meeting on zoom.  You will receive the zoom link in your registration confirmation.

Virtual Open Studio is hosted by Jane Settle.Jane Settle, a self-taught mixed media artist and Colorado native, sought a quieter and simpler life, moving to the San Luis Valley 7 years ago and making Crestone her home. Her latest focus is abstract art, and her studio is in a Tiny House she finished herself. Jane’s love for creative expression has taken her on a beautiful journey of healing and self-discovery.

Come get creative with us, and connect with other sober creatives!

Join us on zoom every Sunday from 4-6pm for our FREE Open Art Studio!

Open Studio is a safe space to create and meet other creatives in recovery. This is a space where you can work on a project you have been working on, or start something new!

We will be meeting on zoom.  You will receive the zoom link in your registration confirmation.

Virtual Open Studio is hosted by Jane Settle.Jane Settle, a self-taught mixed media artist and Colorado native, sought a quieter and simpler life, moving to the San Luis Valley 7 years ago and making Crestone her home. Her latest focus is abstract art, and her studio is in a Tiny House she finished herself. Jane’s love for creative expression has taken her on a beautiful journey of healing and self-discovery.

Come get creative with us, and connect with other sober creatives!

Join us on zoom every Sunday from 4-6pm for our FREE Open Art Studio!

Open Studio is a safe space to create and meet other creatives in recovery. This is a space where you can work on a project you have been working on, or start something new!

We will be meeting on zoom.  You will receive the zoom link in your registration confirmation.

Virtual Open Studio is hosted by Jane Settle.Jane Settle, a self-taught mixed media artist and Colorado native, sought a quieter and simpler life, moving to the San Luis Valley 7 years ago and making Crestone her home. Her latest focus is abstract art, and her studio is in a Tiny House she finished herself. Jane’s love for creative expression has taken her on a beautiful journey of healing and self-discovery.

Come get creative with us, and connect with other sober creatives!