I Am/We Are: Our Stories Connect Us
Storytelling for collective healing
Tricia is a Creative Ambassador for the City of San José in 2026. She has built upon her 25+ years as an arts educator to bring the “I Am / We Are: Our Stories Connect Us” workshop series to the community-at-large. The series combines creative writing, photography, collage, audio & video storytelling to promote self-expression and collective healing.
The goal of the “I Am/We Are” project is to amplify participants’ stories, transforming individual reflection into a sense of belonging within our communities.
Follow the “I Am/We Are” project on Instagram @flacafilms.
Upcoming Events
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"Grief in Full Color" Collage Workshop
Wednesday, October 21. 6 PM-8 PM.
Using mixed media materials, we will create space to express the parts of grief that can be difficult to put into words. There is no right way to grieve, nor is there a right way to collage! Come as you are. Make what you need. Free and open to all.
Co-facilitated by death care professional/grief ritualist/grief educator Alexis Hart. This workshop is part of Tricia Creason-Valencia's "I Am/We Are" Creative Ambassador Project for the City of San José
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Embroidery on Photographs & Ekphrastic Writing Workshop
Friday, October 30. PM-8 PM.
What memories do you carry with you? What stories might you want to revisit, alter, or hold differently?
Inspired by Arabela Espinoza’s Inherited Patterns exhibition, this workshop invites participants to explore memory through embroidery on photographs and ekphrastic writing (writing in response to images). Participants will explore memory and personal storytelling while preparing for Día de los Muertos, or as a personal meditative practice that stands on its own.
Arabela will introduce her process of embroidering directly onto photographs, sharing techniques for using stitches and repetition to add new layers of meaning to an image. Co-facilitated with San Jose Creative Ambassador Tricia Creason-Valencia, the workshop offers a creative space to explore memories and what happens when we literally stitch something new into an old story.
No embroidery experience is necessary. Bring a photograph that holds meaning for you.
Free and open to all. This workshop is part of Tricia Creason-Valencia’s “I Am/We Are” Creative Ambassador Project for the City of San José.
Past Events
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2026 NAMI CA Conference
October 8-9, 2026
Tricia brings her expertise as a documentary filmmaker and podcast producer to the NAMI CA Conference as on-stage interviewer for panels on two films screening at the conference: "Prodigal Daughter" (Mabel Valdiviezo, Film Director/Editor) and "No One Cares About Crazy People" (Gail Freedman, Director).
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Community Reweaving Project: Reckoning with Cesar Chavez
September 12, 11 AM - 4 PM
Conversation + hands-on weaving workshop with artist Pilar Agüero-Esparza! Join us for a nuanced conversation + communal weaving session, as we grapple with the legacy of César Chávez within our communities.
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"I Am/We Are: Seen" Photography & Empathy Building
Wednesday, June 24. 6-8 PM.
Interactive creative workshop combining creative writing, embodied photography and empathy building dialogues. Co-facilitated by Creative Ambassador Tricia Creason-Valencia and Nicole Ennen of Org Empathy Consulting. This workshop is part of Tricia Creason-Valencia's "I Am/We Are: Our Stories Connect Us" 2026 Creative Ambassador Project for the City of San José.
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VISIBLE: Exploring Self Through Cyanotype Printing
Friday, July 10. 6-8 PM
What stories emerge when we step into the light and allow ourselves to be seen?
Join Tricia Creason-Valencia and photographer Janet Appleton for an artist talk + hands-on cyanotype printmaking. This workshop is part of Tricia Creason-Valencia's "I Am/We Are: Our Stories Connect Us" 2026 Creative Ambassador Project for the City of San José.
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Wild Women in the Woods: Photography in Nature
Saturday, July 11. 10 AM-2 PM.
Creative retreat at the gorgeous Uvas County Park in Morgan Hill. Join Tricia Creason-Valencia & Janet Appleton for a day designed around two seemingly dichotomous photographic practices: the old fashioned art of cyanotype printing and modern cell phone photography. Create magic and build community with like-minded women+.
Poem fragments from the I Am / We Are workshop series, reflecting on identity, family, culture, sense memories and belonging. Each card is a glimpse into the individual’s lived experience.
Together, they are a collective story of who we are.
Audio and video projects produced by youth and adult community members as part of the I Am/We Are: Our Stories Connect Us Project.
I Am Visual Poem (High School Youth)
I Am Visual Poem (High School Youth)
10 Things that Scare Me (High School Youth)
10 Things that Scare Me (Adult Participant)
Tricia Speaks! creativity workshops offer an empowering, hands-on experience for educators, students, leaders and community members to connect with their own creativity and sense of purpose. Through guided writing and audio & visual storytelling exercises, these workshops create space for nuanced exploration of our individual and collective identities and offer multiple entry points into creativity as a tool for mental wellness and empowerment.
Tricia Creason-Valencia facilitates creativity workshops with organizations such as Google, Adobe, NAMI California, Santa Clara County Division of Equity & Social Justice, Sierra Health Foundation and at education and mental health conferences nationally.
Learn more about our Professional Development Workshops and book Tricia Speaks! today.
