Towards Elementalite: Ceren’s Story
Today, I want to tell you my story before Elementalite was born:
It was 2023… I deeply missed the workshop atmosphere I had back in high school. Those days when we created together with classmates, blended with colors, and felt motivated just by seeing each other… I wanted to return to that feeling. Then it came to me—why not invite people who would like to join such work into my home, and hold small workshops there?
I started hosting free sessions, using my own materials (as much as they lasted). Because of the size of my home, we could be a maximum of 5 people. Both the participants and I truly enjoyed it. Of course, I shared these moments on my Instagram page. A friend of mine, who had an office in Tivat, saw the posts and said: “Come and do these here, even organize them weekly under a theme.”
For the past ten years, I had been working with the theme of the four elements in all forms of art I practiced. So, when the idea of creating my own workshops came up, my mind immediately went to the elements. Exploring the elements and sharing what I had been experiencing with others through art felt like a priceless opportunity.
In the workshops, each week focused on a different element. I used their qualities and symbolism, but I also asked participants reflective questions, guided short meditations, and included art practices.
The results—and the participants’ engagement—turned into a great success; everything unfolded in a natural flow.
My intention was to help people remember their connection with nature in a creative way. The outcomes and feedback were incredible.
The seriousness of spirituality had softened through art; even those who used to say “I can’t meditate” found themselves entering a meditative state—simply by focusing on their creativity and the art they were making. Even if they couldn’t focus on the guided meditations, they still got to experience that space in their own way.
After the successful element-series workshops, I wanted to take things one step further. Weekly sessions blending art and spiritual teachings were beautiful, but they didn’t offer enough room to go deeper. This thought grew into an idea I couldn’t shake off: a retreat.
A retreat where we would explore and practice each element day by day, with art at the center. Not in a closed space, but out in nature—sharing knowledge with nature, through nature. The idea of explaining nature inside nature felt like a dreamy vision.
I wanted to form an artist collective, so I shared my idea with a few people. Some were interested, but no one truly committed. The project hung in the air.
Until one day—when İpek, who had been in my life for a long time, who had actually encouraged me to move to this city and stayed as a friend afterwards, said:
“Celil has a project, and you also have something in your mind; why don’t you two sit and talk?”
At that dinner, Celil shared his idea (which is actually the ultimate level of what we want to bring Elementalite into), I shared mine, and İpek put hers on the table as well. We found common ground—and that’s how we began. What followed was truly blood, sweat, tears, endless laughter, and countless playful moments…
After months of experiments, discussions, even fights, designs and research, we finally took the first steps toward our goal. We strengthened our knowledge, calculated the obstacles we might encounter, and trusted that every unexpected outcome would work out for the best. We allowed the flow to transform our starting point.
Today, we are proud to share this beautiful creation with you.
The project I had dreamed of for years turned out to show me how limited my dream had been. It grew into something I could have never imagined: a strong tree, with branches stretching into the sky and roots firmly grounded beneath the earth.
Welcome to Elementalite:
“This is not a teaching.
Not an awakening.
Not an enlightenment.
This is a journey.”
You are invited. Welcome.
I attended multiple workshops led by Ceren. In addition to providing sound instructions related to the artwork itself, Ceren leads a guided meditation and instills mindfulness practice in her sessions. She approaches workshop facilitation with openness, curiosity, and attentiveness, without any judgement about artistic capabilities of her students. Attending one of Ceren’s workshops is like attending a holistic mind-body-spirit seminar, leaving you feeling uplifted for days to come.