How to Plan A Personal Art Retreat

At the Thrive Together Network, we host an annual retreat for our community where we come together in person to rest, get inspired, and bond. In addition, and especially since this experience is not going to work for everyone every year, we recommend all artists do a personal retreat once or twice a year. In Episode #35 of the Thriving Artist Podcast, How to Plan a Personal Art Retreat, we break down the steps on how to create a retreat experience for yourself that works for your circumstances. Jamie and Kaylan’s Six Steps to Creating your Own Personal Retreat Are: Block your Time: Check your schedule for available time. This should be 6 to 48 hours. Pick a day where you can push all the other to-do’s aside or a night or two where you can totally unplug from your normal responsibilities and get away. If you don’t claim the time, it will never happen! Name What Matters: Think about what you are needing most right now. What sounds MOST nourishing to you?  Is it reconnection with your body or nature? Is it seeing art in person?  List one or two things as a guidepost for yourself as you plan. Remember, not every retreat should be the same, we get to tweak them based on what we are craving during this season.  Plan Ahead So You Feel Cared For: If you were planning the retreat for a friend, what steps would you take to make them feel special? Do those things for yourself!! Buy your favorite bottle of wine, pack a bag of your favorite snacks, get ready to crack open that book you’ve been dying to read. Pack well and do it when you feel calm and thoughtful about the retreat.  Do Some Writing and Reflection: We are huge believers in taking stock through quiet moments of writing. We wrote a whole workbook for our community to follow for a YEAR that is full of this stuff! Take time to follow some of the writing prompts from this episode to reflect on your practice. It pays off! Prioritize Something You “Never Have Time For”: This is the time to do that thing that you just have been putting off. Not a task or to-do, but something for PLEASURE and joy. Just go do it! Make it a part of your plan and be nourished by it.  Let Go of Expectations and Have a Plan B in Your Pocket: This retreat will not go perfectly. And perfect is not the goal here. The point is to prioritize yourself, take up some space and make the claim that you matter. Come up with a plan B in case your dream retreat scenario doesn’t work out.  Don’t forget to get signed up for our newsletter so you don’t miss the Artists Summer Toolkit that is going to drop June 12th. It’s a packet of info to help you plan your retreats and get set up for a great summer. Go to www.thrivetogethernetwork.com to sign up. As always, we are here for you, we are cheering you on, and we believe in the work you are doing as thriving artists.