Artist's Way Retreat in North Carolina - My Leap of Faith

Well, I did it.

I reserved a site for my 2009 Artist's Way Retreat in North Carolina. So my dream is becoming a reality. It's kinda scary - taking that leap of faith.

That's the way it was for the retreat I'm doing this year in Ohio. Somehow, I was granted the right amount of people at just the right time to help cover the deposits I needed to pay (at a time when financially I'm not doing so well). And on a weekend when I spontaneously decided to finally reserve the last of the houses at Lakeside, miraculously I received a late deposit from someone - which I had forgotten was due!

I'm stepping out, not knowing if there is solid land ahead of me... trusting that God will provide if this is indeed His purpose for me. To be honest, so many miracles have happened in my past, at times it seems to have faith doesn't seem so risky.
What provisions do I need for the NC retreat?
Workshop leaders and paying guests.
"... and a paddle game... and this chair... "

The place I've reserved is Lake Logan Episcopal Center, nestled in the lovely NC Appalachian mountains. I decided to hook this up because my NC friends and my sister can't make it to the one I'm doing up in Ohio... so I'm bringing the action to them, because I know they will benefit from it. We get so bogged down with our responsibilities, we forget to play. I want to give my friends & family that opportunity for playtime - and the serenity of the mountains will be a great bonus.

I've reserved my retreat to take place next year on the weekend of May 29, 30 & 31.
I've taken the next step in my creative journey. Boy, it sure is exciting!

Word Lover's Retreat at Lakeside, Ohio

This Saturday my husband David was sweet enough to watch the kids all day for me while I skipped off to attend a writing retreat in lovely Lakeside, OH.
Our activities included a lecture by John Ettorre and Claudia Taller. We explored the art of Haiku and memoir writing, and at the end of my experience we discussed Frances Mayes' book, Under The Tuscan Sun. The overall census was we felt the film was much more enjoyable and easier for us to relate. However, it was still a great discussion and Claudia did well keeping us on the topic of the book, discussing WHY we didn't enjoy it. I missed the storytelling that took place at the end of the day, which was unfortunate. I'm sure I missed some good life stories! I needed to get back home so I could get a decent night's rest to get my kids up in the morning.

Overall it was a fun day and I met some great people. There were many people there from the Skyline Writers Group, of which Claudia is also a member. Workshops all took place at the lovely Idlewyld Bed & Breakfast. I've visited there before at Artist's Way Retreats, and stayed there last year for my anniversary to see the Who's Line is it Anyway comedy act with Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood.

I plan to post later some of the exercises I was able to write during the workshop.

Andrea Schroeder's Creative Spa!

I was surfing the internet looking for resources to find workshop leaders for my NC retreat next year and stumbled upon an inspiring artist. Andrea Schroeder lives in Winnepeg, Canada and she created something called a "Creative Spa" in which to hold her "Creative workshops."
This is what she writes about her workshops:

Why attend a creativity workshop?
Some benefits are:

- time to PLAY and have FUN in an accepting environment with kindred spirits
- safe space to explore yourself and your life
- learning new ways of connecting to your own creative energy and intuition to fuel positive changes in your life
- experiencing how your creative energy can support and guide you in moving forward and creating new possibilities for your life

This attracted my attention because it's reflects my mission for the retreats I'm organizing. Boy, there seems to be a lot of creative energy out in central Canada!

Edible Art at the White Flower Cake Shoppe

There's a wonderful local cake shop I just have to mention in here. The White Flower Cake Shoppe, located in Beachwood, OH (my neighboring suburb), is more than a cake shop. They make works of art. My husband's aunt Theresa is related to one of the owners. I found out about it originally through her when Theresa volunteered to bring the cake for my baby daughter's baptism.


I really didn't expect much -- a cake is a cake, right?
Wrong!
The cake Theresa brought was a simple round cake, but its decorative quality was as perfect as a cake you'd see in a bridal magazine. It was the talk of the party!



A couple years later we had another baptism
party, this time for my second baby, Jack. I decided I was going to do something special for him too. I wanted a cross-shaped cake this time. It was beautiful. We hated to cut it up.

Any time I need a special cake done (when I can afford it) I plan to use the White Flower Cake Shoppe. They not only know how to make a delicious cake, but also how to make it special to fit the occasion.

Engine of Invention meets in Lyndhurst, OH

This past weekend my husband, David, had his buddies over to jam in our basement (band name: Engine of Invention). I find it very amusing having a house that booms throughout the neighborhood for a few days. Normally the only noise echoing from our abode are sounds of whining and crying (we have a 2 1/2 year old who is practicing her independence, and an 8-month-old who is teething).
I grew up with a drummer dad, and I remember it felt pretty cool having a drum set in our basement. It always gave me great joy to hear hi9m practice - even though it was terribly noisy, I knew my dad was doing something important for himself. I felt sad when years later the drum set ended up being packed away in the attic, because it symbolized packing his dreams away as well.
Although having a band playing in my basement can be pretty noisy, it fills me with happiness - because I know my husband is living his dream down there.
And as our kids grow up they will notice the same things, and they'll learn how important it is to practice those dreams to keep them alive.

My message today - BANG ON YOUR DRUM!

Energism Art by Julia Watkins

A new friend, Kristen Boyesen, recently sent me a link to this woman's art (Julia Watkins). It really appeals to me. I prefer her pieces which are more landscape-based, because they seem more abstract - I don't like the ones that combine the recognizable imagery as much.
My favorite is "Path to the Light." (pictured right)
The title has significant meaning for me.
"Coming into the Light" is a theme which has recurred to me for a few years now, but most specifically this year, where I have felt a kind of "AWAKENING."
I'll have to share some of my work which has this same theme.

Creative Mom: Jenny Rohrs

And here I begin my new journey in blogging! After a meeting with Jenny Rohrs, I decided to let my website be the home for my Artist's Way Retreat page, and I'll try to keep up with this site as an online journal. Thank you, Jenny, for all your wonderful advice. You live my dream life, aiming to make a living by being CREATIVE. Surely something I can aspire to, myself.
Motherhood is a wonderful job, but our children also look to us as role models for how to live a grown-up life. Do they want to see us dissatisfied? Or full of energy, excited, and dedicated to our dreams. I believe the latter is true.