Journeying with Shaun McNiff: Entering the slipstream in the right moment in history, trusting the process and letting conflict define

Abstract

The authors have been journeying with Shaun McNiff from the inception of his training programmes at Lesley University in the mid-1970s. In those early years, students and faculty experimented together in the development and integration of new forms in therapy, education and the arts. The pioneering exuberance and creative thought McNiff personified was already evident as was his commitment to enduring principles that have sustained his influence and approach. With convincing clarity, McNiff gathered around him a circle of colleagues all committed to the engagement of the creative process across and between all disciplines of the expressive arts, and together led us towards ‘trusting that process’ in its unfolding into form. The themes of entering the ‘slipstream’, ‘trusting the process’ and letting ‘conflict define’ will be discussed further in this article in the genesis and influence of McNiff’s work in the United States and internationally.