At the end of January, Jane and I went to Union Pier, Michigan, for a weekend to work on our creative projects. This was our third consecutive year taking a one-night, two-day creative retreat, and these weekends have become a highlight of the first quarter of the year.
Carving away substantial time to set and accomplish creative goals is invaluable—it really helps me visualize the entire year through the prism of creative living. Here’s what we’ve learned from doing three of these:
Location, location, location
We choose small towns without too many distractions that are booming in summer, but relatively quiet in winter months when we arrive. We’ve gone to New Buffalo, MI; Racine, WI; and this year, Union Pier, MI. All three destinations are within a two-hour drive from Chicago, so we can hit the road early on Saturday morning and get started well before noon. We feel like we’re out of town (which is key, being just far away enough from the tantalizing allure of plans with friends), yet the trip isn’t that much longer than a rough commute.
Accommodations
This is more important than a typical weekend getaway because you’ll be spending a lot of time in the room or at the inn. We’ve stayed in AirBnBs and, more recently, a (very generous!) friend’s second home. Consider lighting, table space, room to spread out your supplies, and reliable wifi when booking a place. For us, a big dining room table is invaluable, not to mention a little extra space for morning yoga.
The right kind of cafe
Good coffee shops are KEY. Find a place where you can park yourself for a few hours and the staff won’t give you dirty looks. You want a friendly vibe with enough activity to keep you engaged but not so much that you’ll be distracted from your work. Hearty sandwiches and well-made lattes are a bonus.
Dining in… and out
It’s okay to idly munch on muffins, trail mix, and fruit during the day while working, but we’ve found it ideal to completely separate ourselves from our work at some point for dinner out at a restaurant. We reflect on what we’ve accomplished so far and also just have some non-project-related conversation. The talks invigorate us for the second half of the trip.
Morning routines
I’m a stickler for these at home, so of course I like to have them ready to go on the road. This is my list of things to do before immersing myself in project work, just to get in the right frame of mind:
5-10 minutes meditation (disclaimer: I always have the best intentions of doing this, but I rarely do)
some form of exercise (either a run, a long walk, or some yoga, usually Yoga with Adriene)
30 minutes of free writing to get the creative juices flowing (I usually lose track of the time and end up going over on this one!)
List of goals/projects to tackle
The week before we leave, we share a list of our respective creative goals so each of us knows what the other hopes to get out of the weekend. The goals are there to provide structure, but I still try to allow plenty of time for free drawing and free writing inspired by the environment—and just brainstorming to see what develops. If I think of something exciting and new, I'm always fine with abandoning some predefined goals to see where the new idea takes me!
Creative tools packing list
I usually bring some combination of the items below:
"Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert and "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott -- two of my favorite books about writing and creativity
on a related note, a few "Magic Lessons" podcasts for inspiration
old magazines to tear up for projects or for scenes/images to use as drawing inspiration
markers, colored pencils, and other misc. art supplies
sketchbook
journal
blank paper
yoga mat
Of course, everything doesn’t always go according to plan. Sometimes you never unroll the yoga mat or crack open the inspiring writing books because you end up spending six straight hours on a 2020 Democratic candidate content audit (or maybe that’s just me), and that’s totally okay! The whole point of these weekends is to work on whatever you want and see where that takes you, especially if your work goes in unexpected directions. Since there’s no one’s schedule to adhere to but your own, you can enjoy several uninterrupted days to absorb yourself in passion projects and embrace the lack of structure to see what transpires.