Creative and reflexive practice in higher education: traditional fresco painting methods shifting learners from conformity to uncertainty

21st Century societies are increasingly seeing the need for creative, flexible, adaptive, and innovative educational programs that can disrupt and shift learners from conformity to innovation as a means of dealing with complexity, uncertainty, and change. Initially held at Macquarie University, Sydney, the researcher developed a new conceptual framework for intercultural research between academics, in-service teachers, pre-service teachers and industry specialists. Several workshops explored critical and creative thinking processes through experiential artistic practices (Wade-Leeuwen, 2015) in active learning environments. The specific purpose of this present workshop is to cultivate creativity in transdisciplinary spaces using experiential learning strategies through artistic explorations of media to stimulate reflexive practice. The findings of this research indicate certain elements such as valuing “time and space,” “risk taking,” and “building resilience” are essential to fostering creativity and reflexive dispositions. The workshop begins with ritual breathing to relaxing music while meditating on poetry to inspire and stimulate learner’s imagination. Being in this embodied state creates a sense of calmness and reflexivity as participants’ experience shifts from what is known to uncertainty through their artistic and aesthetic material explorations of traditional fresco painting methods using watercolours on plaster boards. This “hands-on” workshop demonstrates how intercultural higher educational programs can focus on processes for change while building confidence and resilience in learners when they respond to provocations of their own imagination.