Alyson Stanfield, author of I’d Rather Be In The Studio and Art Biz Blog, is also a proponent of creative retreats. Hop over to her blog where she share her thoughts on the subject. Don’t be surprised if Alyson’s article has you thinking about a creative retreat of your own.
Although there are all sorts of reasons for taking time away, creative renewal is one of the most popular. Whether you can swing a few months or a few days, running away with your Muse from time to time can be a great investment.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Cottages at Hedgebrook is a retreat center for women writers on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. Hedgebrook offers a peaceful setting for writers, published or not.
Resident writers stay for one week to three months in individual fairy tale cottages, are given room and board with the only requirement being that they spend the time being the best writers they can be.
- Artists Residency Program of the Woodstock Guild offers summer residencies to craftspeople, writers, musicians, dancers and film, video and visual artists. Applications are closed for 2010, but if you wish to investigate, you might get a jump on 2011.
- Your Own Billionaire’s Retreat. For years, Bill Gates has taken himself away for a week-long reading retreat. You don’t have to be a billionaire to do the same. You know that stack of books you never quite get around to exploring? All you need is a quiet place and the intention of finishing the best books in your pile. A reading respite is also a great idea that you can adopt before you have the time and money for a longer sabbatical.
- Bellagio Center is a retreat nestled in the Italian Alps where the Rockefeller Foundation welcomes scientists, policy makers and scholars from around the world who are working on significant projects to solve global problems. The center, a 17th century building surrounded by 50 acres of parks and gardens, offers free room and board to those who are chosen.
- Change the Scenery. Take yourself away to a cabin in the mountains or a lake cottage or ocean bungalow. The key here is to give yourself as big a change of scenery as possible. If you live in Denver, for instance, consider time away on the prairies of Kansas rather than a familiar Rocky Mountain retreat. Or rent a motorhome and park it in a lovely setting. This is also ideal if you’re doing research on a subject like the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright which is scattered throughout the country.
Don’t wait until you can spare a big chunk of time. Making creative excursions a regular activity will enrich your life and fan your creative spirit. Even a day or two can be as refreshing as a spa visit.
Have you taken your Muse on a getaway? If so, please share where you went and what rewards came of it.
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I love listening to French Radio on Pandora. I feel like I am strolling down the Champs-Elysees. The music is happy and takes me right back to Paris. Enjoy it!
Unfortunately this all takes money (which I don’t have) My creative retreat, take a week off from work, close the doors, turn off the phone, and work away to my hearts content…doesn’t cost me anything…really the closest I’ll get to the italian alps is to make spaghetti….
Thank you for this! I love to travel, but I enjoy staycations too. Your idea of a week-long reading retreat sounds perfect to me. “Creative retreat” is a state of mind and I can create it wherever I want – even at home, with a large stack of library books and my favorite teas. Great idea!
Many artist colonies offer fellowships for working artists who are admitted to the colony. I was a Catherine R. Dodge fellow (read ALMOST FREE) at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, where I had my own studio and three meals a day. I only stayed 5 days but many visual artists especially stay for weeks or even a month.
I actually found the art colony experience to be socially taxing in its own way — a little too much of my brain power went into navigating the dining table question (who’ll invited me to sit with them? what tables do I want to avoid) but the creative energy at VCCA is great. On another occasion my dog and I spent a week at Hither House in Montauk, NY, where for $600 for 7 nights I had my own 3 room studio with full window ocean views from every room. LOVED that perhaps more than the artist colony and worked day and night on my novel.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’ve read about all sorts of artist colonies and imagine that each has its own personality. Lovely idea that I hope stays around for a long, long time.
A friend has found a group of women who share some experiences and they go to retreats annually. Soon she leaves for 2 weeks in Italy, the most extravagant retreat yet. They are creatives and some will lead the group in photography, another in cooking, etc. Since they have gone on other retreats together and a cruise it is a tested group that can get along well.