A local artist hungry for a creative experience recently sought to create one for herself.
Feeling inspired after reading a recent news-column about someone recently attending a creative retreat, Rimbey’s Gloria Nesbitt was herself hungry for that kind of of experience.
Lacking the ability to actually attend an in-person retreat herself, Nesbitt did the next best thing; she planned out a weekend long retreat for herself based out of her home studio.
In the case of this retreat, she took on the roles of retreat and activity leaders as well as participant, but that didn’t deter her.
“I love to pretend,” said Nesbitt.
Despite conducting the retreat as a solo activity, she planned the entire weekend as if others would be participating as well.
“I like the idea of sharing and inspiring,” Nesbitt said.
“I had a nice list of things planned out.”
Unfortunately, the weather for the weekend was not ideal and part of Nesbitt’s plans involved driving to town for coffee each morning.
“The group atmosphere is important to me,” said Nesbitt.
Another portion of the weekend called for Nesbitt going out for walks to be inspired by the nature around her. Here again, the weather was uncooperative but she was able to draw on a lesson she learned from her grandson.
She told an anecdote about a painting of her grandson’s that was not going quite right, and he ended up choosing black to paint over it, essentially giving himself a blank canvas to start with.
Nesbitt says with the weather, she saw the “black” and chose to be creative anyways.
“I’m so glad I went out. I was learning and pushing limits,” Nesbitt said.
According to Nesbitt, she wanted to quit on the second day of her experience, but she didn’t.
Instead, she pushed through, doing some creative work that she hasn’t done in a long time.
In pushing herself through the discomfort, she was able to find the creative freedom she last knew “as a child.”
“They were paths of joy I could choose,” said Nesbitt.
“I can still be a child. I just let myself play.”
After the experience, Nesbitt says she is recharged and in a creative mindset again. The retreat is also something she plans to do again.