Running Away From Home

The Winter Blahs got the better of us. The Pilot Guy and I fled the (very welcome) rain, gray skies, and cold weather of our home town for sun and a little spring training baseball. (Yay for airline and hotel points!)

All is not perfectly sunny, however. As we touched down in another state, our son called to tell us he had wrecked the car he and The Pilot Guy share. Bummer. He is fine, the other driver is fine, (thank you God!) but the car is not. The photos he sent us were downright scary looking. It's too bad about the car because there are not dollars for another one in the immediate future. Life lessons have commenced. The best part of this is that our son, who had the option of coming with us, handled the situation very well by himself. He had to since we were unavailable, but it is nice to see grown-up-ness beginning to shine through.

In the meantime, I'm going to sit in the stands, eat junk food, and soak up the sun. Blogging will resume after I've recharged by solar batteries.

Creative Retreat

One of my favorite things about professional photography was the great seminars, workshops, and conventions I got to attend. After going to an event, I'd come home exhausted, but overflowing with ideas. For the last several days, while the rest of my family was away, I've indulged in a creative workshop right here at home. I literally withdrew from my normal routine and commitments as if I'd gone away on a long trip and immersed myself in all things creative. The goal was to listen to and honor and enjoy my creative spirit.

And it was good.

I wrote several thousand words on a fiction project. And resisted the urge to do work on too many writing projects at once. Pacing and patience. Not usually one of my strong points.

I spent some time with hands on creative projects. Cutting, pasting, rearranging, playing with framing...it was tactile and textural. Creativity I could touch. Very satisfying. I was limited by my stash of supplies and, occasionally by my lack of training. But it was still fun to approach a project with a child's sense of play.

I savored other people's words on the creative process. Gently, slowly, thoughtfully instead of my usual glup and swallow method of reading.

There were times of playing with food tastes and textures. Enjoying roasted veggies of the season with olive oil and a bit of garlic. Savoring tangy tomatoes and crisp, sweet watermelon. Green salads with raspberry vinagrette and strawberries. A feast of flavors, a different kind of fulfillment.

My head and my notebook filled up with thoughts, ideas, drawings, and details. My family is back home from their far-flung endeavors, so life is back to normal. But I hope not to the same old routine. In the past couple of years, I've taken one time a year to indulge in a creative or writing retreat. Once is not enough. I need a few days here and there throughout the year to think and be and refresh. I'm nosing around in my calendar now to find a fall date for a one or two day do-it-myself workshop time. Wanna join me?

I'm looking forward to working with the fresh ideas captured in my notebook. The future looks creative and fun.

A Home Based Writing Retreat

Vacations are supposed to be lazy, right? Laying around the pool, sipping a cold drink, and paging through a fat book. Well, I haven't been doing it right this week.
I'm having a working vacation. And for me, it has been grand.

Normally, I'm a homeschool mom. Which means there is someone in my house ALL the time. Since I love to write in privacy and silence....well, you get the idea.

But for the past week, no one has been home but me, the cat, and the dog.

Ds is overseas on a mission trip. Dh was away on business for several days.

The last few days were all about me and my creative work. (What a concept!) I wrote like a fiend. I considered and sorted through several projects, both writing and non-writing related. Having the uninterrupted time to think has been such a blessing.

Artists enjoy the chance to get away from the rut of their daily life. Carving out extended time to write, quilt, scrapbook, or paint allows greater expression. You simply have the time to think more thoughts more deeply. But you don't have to leave home to do it.

Some tips for a home-based retreat.

1. Send the kiddoes to a friend's or grandma's for the weekend. Trade off with another artistic-minded parent. You keep all the children one weekend, then she keeps everyone another time.

2. Plan yummy food. Eating is a sensory experience for me. I stopped at a gourmet grocery store and picked up a few entrees and sides for my retreat. Not having to worry about cooking or eating out enhanced my pleasure. Not living on PB&J was important. If you want, cook in advance and pop things in the freezer.

3. Assemble supplies. Gather your supplies and ideas several days ahead of time. That way when you do have the time, you can dive in. I like have several projects to work on. If I hit a roadblock on one, I can move to another. It keeps me fresh.

4.Work on your projects! Do not use this time to vacuum the carpet, mow the lawn, play on the internet, or clean out the garage. Create! At the end of the day, make notes on what you accomplished. It adds up, doesn't it?

5. Turn off the phone, TV, and internet. Pretend you have traveled several hours to get to this place. Be unavailable to your normal life, except for an emergency.

6. If you have several days, plan a creative date with yourself. If you had traveled to another city for a retreat you would make time to visit a great restaurant, art museum, or local shops or sites. Shopping and touring can be a right brained creative activity. We forget to play tourist in our own backyards sometimes. Fill up your senses with local color and experiences.

My private week is done. Dear Hubby is back and we will shift gears to have a few days of mini-honeymoon while the teen is away. I feel refreshed. Invigorated by what I've accomplished. Five new scenes for the book, several thousand words written, writing classes designed for fall, a new business idea explored, women's ministry thoughts outlined. I've indulged in some photography time,and spent time on my porch swing enjoying my gardens and warm summer nights.

It has been a wonderful experience.