Gatherings
Retreats

FAQs for Gatherings

  • Our creative gatherings are open to anyone who signs up. Each gathering has guidelines about the intended audience. Many gatherings are intended to be for anyone who wants to explore their creative side. See the Gatherings page for details.

  • Great question! The short answer, is that it depends on the type of gathering. That said, all of our gatherings are short term, intentional spaces where you can get your creative jam on with other folks. While different gathering types have different goals, all include some (or even all!) of these elements:

    • Building and diversifying your creative community

    • Opening up your creativity through playful activities

    • Getting your own work done

    • Collaborative work with other creative folks

    • Most importantly, having a damn good time!

    For more specifics, see the Gatherings page.

  • This depends on the individual gathering. In some cases, you may just need to bring yourself. In other case, you may need to bring individual work or other items. But, we will always tell you what, specifically, you need to bring.

  • Yes! We get it, and we aim to help give everyone a reasonably easy pathway into both the community in a gathering and into the shared activities by providing clear information about what will happen at a gathering and, once you are there, enough structure to help folks feel comfortable.

  • Yes! Sometimes the best antidote to imposter syndrome is embedding ourselves in a community that sees and honors creativity—and creating that kind of community is exactly what we strive to do.

  • Yes! While we don’t provide direct instruction on craft basics, our gatherings are a perfect place to do low-stakes, creative exploration. Descriptions of individual gatherings will help you decide what is right for you.

  • We can’t guarantee that you’ll make friends, but one goal of our gatherings is to create opportunities for creative folks to get together (even the introverts among us!) and meet new colleagues, collaborators, and friends.

  • Head on over to our Contact page and drop us a line. We’ll get back to you. And maybe we’ll add a new FAQ right here in your honor?

FAQs for Retreats

Are these retreats for me?

  • Our creative retreats are open to all creators who have an active creative practice and who are over the age of 21.

  • No! This just means we’re looking for folks who are actively and intentionally engaged in regular creative practice. If you are published, gigging, selling your work that’s fantastic, but it’s not a requirement.

  • Yes! We will provide the framework for collaboration and connection. If you are willing to dive in and engage with those activities, then this can be a great opportunity for you. (And, yes, we totally get the nervous part!)

  • Yes! We get it, and we aim to help give everyone a reasonably easy pathway into collaboration and community—as well as plenty of time to recharge your social batteries.

  • Yes! Sometimes the best antidote to imposter syndrome embedding ourselves in a community that sees and honors creativity—and creating that kind of community is exactly what we are striving to do.

  • No. There are lots of really great retreats, conferences, and workshops out there to help you get started with the basics of your chosen art form. Once you feel more comfortable with those basics, come back and check us out again!

  • Probably not. There will be lots of time during this retreat for individual work, but collaboration and community is at the heart of this retreat.

  • Probably not. Our goal is to create a diverse community of creators. This means, with any given retreat, we are actively looking for folks who work in different disciplines, media, and genres.

  • Maybe? If you are looking for industry connections that will lead directly to sales or publishing opportunities, this retreat is not going to be of much help. On the other hand, if you want to create community with other creators, then this may be right for you. If you’re not sure, reach out, and we’ll help you figure it out.

  • Yes, of course! Diversity of all kinds enriches our lives, our communities, and our artistic practice.

  • Yes! Bring all the mixes of weird things!

  • Does anyone ever really know what they’re doing? In all seriousness, this is a new venture born of a great idea, and it is led by three women with years (actually decades—you should see our smile lines!) of diverse professional and artistic experience. We are organized, experienced, and just anxious enough to do this really well

Retreat logistics

  • Registration covers lodging, simple breakfast and lunch options, plenty of snacks, and a home-cooked meal every night. Registration also covers all retreat programming (see itinerary). Cost of travel to and from the retreat location as well as any independently arranged outside meals, etc. are not included.

  • Retreats will have a variety of sleeping arrangements including (limited) single rooms, double rooms, and bunk-style sleeping. All attendees will have their own bed. Bathrooms will be shared.

  • We do not want you to be hungry! Self-serve breakfast and lunch will be put out at designated times (think continental breakfasts and salads, build-your-own sandwiches, and soup for lunch). Snacks will be available all the time. We will gather for a home-cooked dinner each evening.

  • We will accommodate food allergies and restrictions to the very best of our experience. We ask about this on the application and we’ll contact you if we have any concerns about your specific situation. Also, please feel free to reach out if you have questions.

  • All retreat activities are optional. At most retreats, we offer morning yoga. We may also offer moderate hikes at some retreats and/or excursions to a local community. If you are concerned about the potential difficulty of an activity, just let us know, and we’ll be happy to clarify. But, in general, remember that our goal is for you to have fun!

  • We will provide a packing list in your retreat materials but, generally speaking, you’ll need to pack for a week or so (less for mini-retreats) away from home in whatever weather is noted for the specific retreat location and season. You will want some comfortable walking shoes. You’ll also want whatever you need for your specific creative practice. This could include anything from your computer to paint and canvas. If you like to work to music or other audio, please bring headphones/earbuds.

  • This will vary by retreat, but you can assume there will be a variety of tables, chairs, etc. for those who are working on laptops or in notebooks. We will also provide limited work table space and drop cloths for those who need it. We will ask about your workspace needs in the application.

  • Sorry, but we can’t accommodate family members who are not attending the retreat.