In late April I opened the doors to my Free Online Art Retreat weekend and wow, what a fantastic weekend, and week in fact, it was.

For many years I was pushing aside my creative spark.

One day I realised that the only way to awaken the spark was to just dive in and do it. I had that precious moment, that catalyst that said “Hey, it is OK to do something just for me.” I felt happier and more grounded in every aspect of my life.

I wanted to inspire others to be brave, to use their inner creativity and do more of what they love – without the guilt!

I love sharing my creative approach and how it has helped the creativity blossom in me and in thousands of my students. I had a regular in person workshop tour and opened up online classes to help reach more people. It was amazing to be able to work with students and see their journey progress.

Mixed Media Online Art Retreat

When Covid hit I saw and heard of many people who struggled with the lockdowns and a sudden increase in time we had available as our lives were effectively put on hold. Getting into my flow in my art gave me sanctuary and something for me I could focus on. I wanted to share that with many more people.

In 2021 I launched my first free online art retreat in response to the pandemic. The uptake was incredible and the feedback from the participants was amazing. Since then, it has become an annual event and my third annual online art retreat is almost over.

Amazing students…

During the weekend we embarked on our creative journey with just a few art supplies. There were classes that took students through the different mixed media techniques, how to make and build on an art journal as well as guiding students on how to let go of fear and just start creating. All art goes through that “ugly”phase, the place where things just don’t feel quite right. That is when you need to tap into your feelings and let them do your talking, I call this finding my flow.

The weekend focussed on giving the participants a taste of several different techniques and processes and on the last day we did one project from start to finish (or at least somewhere close to finishing as I know that I often revisit pieces to work on them some more). I love how different each piece looks, this is not a follow the class and repeat the image and each artists soul shines through. As an artist and guide it is the most amazing feeling to see this - it always makes me smile.

A supportive community

More than creating some truly incredible works of art, the students really dived in and not only encouraged their own creativity, they supported each other in the Free Retreat Community as well.

Thank you to everyone that participated in the 2023 Free Online Art Retreat, it was wonderful to see you embracing the importance of daily creative practice and extending it beyond the weekend and into this past week to develop your piece and expand your flow.

Looking for regular creative inspiration?

If you would like to unlock your flow and start small with regular creative practices, the doors to Café Flow – The Art Club are now open for a short time.

Café Flow is an online subscription that, for a small monthly fee, gives you a monthly project to complete, live Q&A sessions, demos, prompts and a growing resource library to share techniques and my knowledge on materials and techniques.