At the beginning of this year I made a silent promise.
It was not a goal.
It was not a strategic plan.
It was one word: sowing.
Sowing of self-love.
Sowing of care for my children.
Sowing of deep respect for my work.
Sowing of listening.
And sowing is not always beautiful.
It is insistence.
It is to trust without guarantees.
It is to move without yet seeing the fruit.
For months I have sown without stopping.
And in this continuous movement —sometimes tiring, sometimes bright— I met extraordinary people. People who not only do, feel.
Juan García, co-founder of this platform.
Alba Méndez.
Vanina Salinas.
Laia Moreno.
Àfrica Sabé.
Maria Lledó.
Manu Gayete.
People who arrived because we were vibrating in the same place: the one of doing things with meaning.
This article is born from here.
And from something very concrete that we are gestating with Manu.
Something that might also be for you. Something we can harvest together.
The fatigue of designing (and living) without feeling
We live surrounded by materials.
We touch them.
We step on them.
We breathe them.
And yet, we rarely ask ourselves what they do to our body.
For years I also designed this way.
Well. Correct. Functional. Beautiful.
But there was something that didn't fit.
Spaces that fulfilled… but did not sustain.
Beautiful materials… but mute or dangerous for the nervous system.
It was when I began to listen to my own body —my perception, my sensitivity, my neurodivergent way of being in the world— that I understood something essential:
It was not about knowing more.
It was about feeling better.
Because today we know, and neuroscience confirms it, that the body processes before the mind.
That we touch before we understand.
That we react before we analyze.
Materials are not neutral.
They activate. They regulate. They tension. They accompany… or they hurt.
And designing without taking this into account, in the long run, hurts.
Manu Gayete: when wood is not dominated, it is listened to
Manu presents himself as a carpenter.
But those who know him understand that this is an understatement.
Manu is a philosopher who shapes wood.
An artisan who does not impose form, dialogues.
Someone who understands that matter is not a resource, but a living being with memory, smell, texture, and sound.
From Biofusteria, Manu has been doing something profoundly revolutionary for years:
working with wood with respect, dialogue, and awareness.
When we met, it was evident.
We were not speaking from the same place, but we were speaking the same language.
And we decided to do something that, honestly, does not exist.
The secret language of materials
Thus, this cycle of experiential and embodied workshops is born:
The secret language of materials.
It is not a training on usage.
It is not a master class.
It is not a course to accumulate knowledge.
It is an experience of 6 hours where:
- let's toast,
- let's honor,
- let's listen,
- let's feel,
- let the body speak before the mind.
Yes, there is theory.
But above all, there is experience.
Because the body knows things that technical language cannot grasp.
And because only from there can we create spaces with soul, coherence, and real care.
Before opening it to the world, an intimate experience
Before the official launch of the cycle, we have decided to do something very special.
A pre-session, intimate, careful, almost ritual.
A small gathering for people who feel that this is calling them.
A very small group.
Only 10 people.
It is not a “light” edition.
It is not a cut version.
It is an open door for those who are in the right moment and, by the way, only for those who are part of the community.
A gesture.
An invitation.
An opportunity that will not happen again in this way.
Then the complete cycle will come, with bi-monthly experiences.
But this, this way, happens only once.
Is it for you?
This meeting is not for everyone.
It is not for those looking for quick fixes.
It is not for those who want to copy solutions.
It is not for those who need closed answers.
It is for you if:
- you feel that you work (or create) from the head, but miss the body
- you design spaces, experiences, or products for people
- you are tired of superficiality and the fast-paced
- you want to trust your intuition again
- you know there is another way… and you want to experience it
You do not need to know about wood.
You need to be willing to listen.
To close (and open)
This year has been one of sowing.
And now, some seeds are starting to sprout.
This workshop is one of them.
If reading this has stirred something in you —even if you don’t know how to name it—
i invite you to enter [here] and read calmly.
The spots are very limited.
The experience is unique in this format, and in person.
Sometimes you don't need to understand everything.
It's enough to feel that it's this way.
We'll see each other where the body regains its voice.
Verònica Martín
Co-founder of ATIPICOS.org
Interior designer specialized in perception, nervous system, and sensory experience
(together with Manu Gayete, Biofusteria)