What is Yellow Coco Online Creative Journeys?
The Yellow Coco Creative Journeys Online are a set of online courses designed to:
- Create an entirely new creative foundation of continual exploration for both you and your child.
- Set new relations with nature and embody Art as a way of knowing.
- Take you into your senses & imagination and will have you and your child exploring together, having fun, making mistakes, and playing with potential of different art forms.
You will get to know a rich mythology of diverse cultures to widen and expand your understanding of yourself, others and what is possible through creative exploration.
Our Story
Yellow Coco Creative Nest was founded by Susiawan and Susan Allen in 2011 in Bali with the intention of creating the place and space that nurtures creativity, individual and collective potential and well-being for all.
Our approach is called Holistic Arts whereby we use all art forms as a ‘way’ to explore ourselves, each other and where we are (in this case, Bali, Indonesia) and to express both individually and collectively in an atmosphere of openness, fun and intuition and respect.
We are excited and honoured to be offering many of the opportunities for creative exploration through storytelling, nature connection & diverse arts experiences that we curate on site at Yellow Coco in Bali to reach those of you living elsewhere.
Meet Your Teachers
Susan Allen
Susan is a holistic educator whose life work for the past 30 years has been in creating and implementing ways to engage, support and strengthen the whole being, wellness for all, cross-cultural understanding and reverence for life in education in all of its diverse forms.
With two years towards a PH.D in Holistic Education at the University of Toronto, a Masters in Environmental Studies (field work was carried out in Cirebon, Java through ITB (Institute of Technology, Bandung) from 1990-95, Hatha Yoga and Pranic Healing Training, Susan explored how education could honour place (the land we are on), culture (the cultures of the children and the ones connected to the land), and the multi-dimensional nature of begin human.
She has supported children and adults in becoming the creators that they are through her authentically designed and curated integrated holistic arts programs ranging from drama, musicals, yoga, experiencial environmental education, puppetry, kamishibai and creative movement at the Green School and Pelangi in Bali, Indonesia as well as through Exploring Toronto and Me and My Shadows ( a company she co-owned with Susiawan) in Toronto, Canada.
For the last 15 years she has helped to inspire students and teachers to access and nurture their creativity and well-being in Canada, Japan and Indonesia and curates programs through the Yellow Coco Creative Nest in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia - a centre of holistic arts to support the development of creativity and well-being for all.
Susiawan
From an early age, Susiawan loved to draw and learn about the world around through a visual lens. When he entered university at ITB (Institute of Technology), Bandung, he began to feel the gap between his life on campus and the families and children in the kampung he lived in. He started to wonder about how his life could benefit those children and families. From this point, he began to explore how visual arts explorations and other art forms could nurture children's creativity, innovation, support them in having a strong voice, confidence and be fun!
As a result of this inner desire and outer action, he pioneered alternative education using the arts for children in Indonesia – “Yayasan Anak Merdeka”/ Institute for Children’s Freedom of Expression (Bandung, West Java,1981) and with others, brought creative, innovative and inspiring activities and experiences to children across the archipelago.
Susiawan holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Arts from the Faculty of Art and Design – Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia.
He received the prestigious ASHOKA Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs in pioneering and developing children’s activities using the arts in environmental education (1986).
Susiawan developed an environmental education through the arts program in 8 public schools as a pilot project of the Cirebon Urban Development Project (CUDP, 1990 - 1995) where he trained teachers and students in community participation approach to develop a curriculum on environmental awareness (together with Susan).
He worked as the main art teacher for early years to high school at Green School Bali and pioneered lessons on natural dye batik painting, mask creation, arts for sustainability and Balinese ritual arts (2009 - 2011).
He co- created and co-facililates (with Susan) the Holistic Arts Foundational Training and subsequent arts-focussed specializations to engage, stimulate and support creativity and well-being in teachers and students.
Susiawan is also a painter and has shown his work in Indonesia, Canada, Japan and Europe.