ALT MFA
An intimate 6-month incubator for creatives and culture workers ready to be their own genre
January 2026 is our TROUBLE MAKER edition
QUICK AND DIRTY FACTS
Applications Open: November 28, 2025.
Applications Close: January 2, 2026. (Admissions are rolling, so it may fill up before January 2.)
The Alt-MFA starts January 21, 2026
Program runs: January 21, 2026 - June 10, 2026
Pricing: $2700. Or $450 monthly.
What the ALT-MFA actually does
Most programs focus on producing. This one recalibrates you, the person doing the making, on a soul-deep level.
ALT-MFA is an immersion in trusting what only you can see and say so your work stops sounding like the culture around you and starts sounding like the specific, unreplicatable life moving through you.
It’s where you learn to hold your own viewpoint with enough clarity and courage that you no longer hand your authority to:
algorithms of virality
mentors and peers
“industry standards”
the imaginary audience you don’t actually like
your inner prosecuting attorney
There is no other program like this
ALT-MFA has a spiritual and existential orientation (not a vibe, dogma, or a belief system) with major everyday consequences (in a good way).
It’s based on a way of meeting your life that says:
everything you bring to the table — your resistances, desires, contradictions, experiences — is part of your creative intelligence and belongs in the room.
This orientation changes how you interact with:
your talent
your blocks
your ambition
your contradictions
life itself
The quirks, stories, fears, and obsessions you’ve tried to manage or mute become unmistakable gifts and resources.
Applications are now open
Sound good?
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Increase the potency of your work
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Nurture your practice in a radical way
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Connect with companions and co-conspirators, not competition
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Be your own genre
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Take risks with freedom
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Know, then OWN, your voice
“The inspired coaching calls felt like a new form of ritual, creative church ... This program has changed me and my creative process.” - Tessa Fleming
“The inspired coaching calls felt like a new form of ritual, creative church ... This program has changed me and my creative process.” - Tessa Fleming
"This was worth every penny and more, and it helped me come deeper into myself with love and care. A million gold stars and high reviews!" - Sarah Blunkosky, creator (M.A. & C-IAYT)
"This was worth every penny and more, and it helped me come deeper into myself with love and care. A million gold stars and high reviews!" - Sarah Blunkosky, creator (M.A. & C-IAYT)
“This is a foundation I will build on for a lifetime. I treasure my time in the program, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat." - Elizabeth Pinborough
“This is a foundation I will build on for a lifetime. I treasure my time in the program, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat." - Elizabeth Pinborough
"The ALT-MFA taught me how to embrace what I thought was a weakness as my biggest asset. " - Elissa
"The ALT-MFA taught me how to embrace what I thought was a weakness as my biggest asset. " - Elissa
You know your craft. You make stuff that works.
Now it’s time to make your TRUEST work yet.
I’ve wanted to create an alternative to traditional creative education for YEARS.
After a client in another one of my programs told me “this was worth 1000X more than my MFA,” I knew the time was now.
Another person told me, “I want a workshop I don’t have to recover from.”
This is that.
And it isn’t just for writers, but anyone in any medium who wants to sink their teeth into their work. It could be a series of paintings, an ongoing newsletter, an EP of music. The principles are the same.
This is an alternative MFA program for people who want to create their most potent work. A cohort that supports the artist first, treats the creative process as a spiritual process, and draws out your most powerful material.
This program presumes that potent creativity — the kind that helps the artist evolve and moves hearts and minds — comes from an artist who is drawing from their WHOLE being, not just their mind or craft technique.
This program is for you if:
You know how to produce stuff, yet you sense there’s untapped potential. You know you could be more you.
You want a community of fellow creatives because you get that a group of supporters multiplies your power.
You’re already working on something (or multiple projects) or you have a project you’re ready to dig into.
I assume you are motivated to be in the making. Doubts and hesitations are welcome! But if you aren’t ready to be actively engaging with your work, I recommend holding off on this round. (Psst, you might consider working 1:1 with Maria instead to address that obstacle.)
This program will not include:
Posturing about who knows who and who is fanciest.
Competition between participants.
Anyone looking over your shoulder to force you to make stuff.
What’s Inside the Program?
Foundational curriculum
This is how we all get on the same page. Once you’re in, you’ll have instant access to videos explaining stuff like:
What does it really mean for a creative work to feel “alive”?
What does the artist’s way of being have to do with what they make?
How can your creative obstacles help you create stronger stuff?
Living Seminars
We will interact with pieces of art across mediums, treating them as living pieces of wisdom for your process.
We will not dissect them to judge what is “good” or “bad.”
Our texts (words, music, visual art) will serve as catalysts for your clarity and nourishment for your soul.
Numinous Workshopping
This is not your traditional workshop.
I’ve created a model for workshopping that holds the artist, the work, and the participants in a sacred, communal space so that everyone is left with more awe, clarity, and respect for the process.
This is not a free for all where people poke at your stuff to abstractly “improve” it.
24/7 Maker’s Community
No more lone-wolfing it!
Connect with your cohort, celebrate, ask for feedback on a private forum any time.
You don’t have to wait for a coaching call or workshopping to bounce your ideas off someone else.
Breakthrough Coaching
Bring your resistance, your questions, your triumphs and get personal coaching. Learn from your fellow geniuses.
What comes up for you as a person in the process is just as important as the product.
✺ Frequently asked questions ✺
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You’ll have access to personal coaching on coaching calls, community forums, and ongoing feedback from your cohort.
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There's a payment plan at $450 a month for 6 months. There are no additional fees for using the payment plan. Or you can pay in full upfront at $2700.
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Bring a current project, an open mind, and a willingness to dive deep into your creative journey.
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There are no refunds. Because we are all going to invest in each other very intentionally, when members leave, everyone feels it! Please apply with care for your whole self, including your nervous system. Don't worry about missing out this round if you're not ready. Of course if you join and something happens that makes it impossible for you to stay, I totally understand and we'll work something out.
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Beautifully. With cross-pollination and great curiosity.
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I feel you. This workshop is designed to hold you and the work with great reverence. I won't guarantee you'll be comfortable all the time (that's impossible, and also not helpful), but the atmosphere is one of deep respect and care.
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Two reasons. 1) There simply isn't enough room in the cohort for everyone who wants to join at once. 2) The intention of the program is very specific, I want to make sure that everyone inside is in the right place, at the right time. Also, a "no" to an application is not a no to the person!
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Willingness and readiness. Specifically, to do two things: the inner "work" and outer expression of it. I have a no-jerk policy. (Though I highly doubt I'll need to enforce it on anyone reading this far!) After that, a balance within in the program. Don't worry about any of this though.
Meet your guide
Maria Bowler
I wear two hats: coach and writer. (My first book, Making Time, came out this year.)
I treat your whole life as a creative process. I overturn traditional how-to-get-stuff-done advice on its head so your practice is joyful, potent, and sustainable.
