I am busy dreaming and planning Creativity Island for Mums number TWO. It’s a nice phase to be in and comes from a lot of reflection on what ended up being an 18month process where I also carried, birthed and cared for my own baby Luna-Jean.
I’m side stepping in the most delightful way in creating and holding space for a Postpartum Healing Retreat with my friend and fellow pandemic mummy Zoe but it feels SUCH a brilliant place to put energy in this phase of my project development.
You may know I already have a mentoring programme called The Artist Boat and have seen first hand the impact creative escapism can have on a creative who feels trapped or bound up by rules. It’s been on hold for a little while and in bringing it back I’ve realised what GIFT it is to those who opt in.
And I guess that’s what I’ve always appreciated about retreat space. Can you hold in your cells a memory of your last proper retreat? A holiday? A spa date? A handcrafed coffee with a heart swirled in foam in a lovely environment?
I adore retreats and I’m blessed to have attended some absolute corkers from shamanic journeying in Tuscany to sacred art creation in Australia.
Unknowingly I think I’ve held mini retreats my whole career whether that’s been in designing mind blowing arts events or through gifts of reiki offered to friends in need in our yoga studio. In recent years all my energy has gone into artist residencies and creative workshops for families in deprived areas blended with upbeat little coffee date mentoring sessions for artists. I love working in person but the pandemic has had me question everything – perhaps you’re the same?
I’m aware as a ‘recovering perfectionist’ (aren’t we all) that it feels GOOD to move completely away from an identity and start a new thing but it made much more sense to put all the energy in a programme which nodded soulfully to one I already successfully run. And that’s why Creativity Island was born and it’s staying for good!
That means I’m looking at ways to reach more mums and share exercises and tools from a year long creativity programme for all us pandemic mums.
Create the things you wish existed.
Early motherhood is the perfect time to day dream to capture moments in the slower days and in the unfolding of your new life with your tiny best friend in tow. It’s also really bloomin’ intense!
‘Creativity Island for Mums’ was my Arts Council funded project which had its aim in being there for you through pregnancy, birth and beyond.
I designed it with my artist team to feel like a BIG HUG because I wish it existed in 2014 when I lost myself to sleep deprivation, modelling motherhood society showed me and post natal anxiety.
It was a project that made space just for you, for your musings, doubt and celebrations and acted as an anchor for looking back on the time you were “just” a mum and because of that courageous act every single day without even trying or knowing or feeling it you made the world a brighter place.
Following on and designing up new stuff for a pandemic/ post pandemic world.
I still feel very compelled to hold space for mums in the pandemic whether those mums grew babies, gave birth, home schooled or feel like are only just emerging from the intensity the impact of it all. (Or perhaps like us still somewhere in the abyss of the fall out from it?)
I want to hold space to talk about motherhood through covid (*) and for us to heal collectively in that. For us to see each other, celebrate each other, eat cake, drink coffee, be guided by our soul whispers and our unmet frustrations.
That’s why the first step for me is to hold a very simple, no frills but all the nourishment in person retreat. And I’m beyond excited that it’s a perfect partnership with Zoe from Postpartum Matters.
The details are here. It’s going to be my only ‘in person’ group event this year because my energy is mostly focussed building my online community so if you want to come up and be somewhere that has magical fae energy and lots of light you’ll find us in our allotment garden tipi and we’re so excited to welcome you.
Full details here and don’t miss our EARLY BIRD OFFER.
We can’t wait to meet you.
(*) I never feel like I can talk openly about covid in real life or on instagram. 1 because people are sick/ scared of it and 2 because meta (facebook/ instagram) hide my stories every time I mention my husband’s long covid. What a TRIP! There’ll be no censoring at our retreat – in-fact quite the opposite – it’s time to pour it all out into the fire because let’s face it it’s probably the only element that can handle it!