I recently attended a creative retreat in Santa Rosa Beach, FL — specifically, the Watercolor resort area. Isn’t that a perfect location for a creative retreat? Watercolor! So many people have asked me what a creative retreat is and what we did on the retreat so I’m sharing a little run-down of my experience. The retreat was hosted by Shaunna Parker and The Creative Exponent. Shaunna is a talented writer, painter, and creative business coach.
Participants were welcomed to the retreat house with beautiful flowers from Petaldriven and styled by Michael Wurm, Jr. of Inspired by Charm. If you are interested in creating this arrangement for yourself, the blooms include White Dahlias, Pink Alstroemeria, Mixed Eucalyptus, Miss Piggy Roses, and Roseum Viburnum. This combination lasted beautifully the entire retreat! Every bedroom had a bouquet and there were several in the living/meeting areas.
The coffee table was covered with stacks of creative magazines and books to leisurely browse through and candles were lit to welcome guests and throughout the weekend. The house was inviting and even had unique antiques sprinkled throughout. I’m on the lookout now for a coffee table like this one!
CREATIVE RETREAT ACTIVITIES
Is it really a creative retreat if there isn’t hands-on activities? We tried our hand at flat-lay photography and oil painting and learned some photography and editing skills.
FLAT LAY PHOTOGRAPHY | One morning we enjoyed doing flat-lay photography and learning some editing tips and tricks. I really enjoyed this process once I got started. At first I was a bit intimidated but I warmed up quickly.
OIL PAINTING | I was so excited to give oil painting a try! In the past, I have shied away from oils believing they were for the professionals, and that they required a good amount of supplies. I’m happy I gave it a try — I discovered I really enjoyed it. I’ve just added oil paints and brushes to my Christmas list!
A CREATIVE WORKBOOK | Shaunna put together a beautiful workbook with writing prompts and exercises for us to complete. We talked through a couple of the pages in the workbook as a group. It was comforting to know we were kindred spirits in many of our feelings. As an introvert, I appreciate authentic conversation, so this was an enjoyable exercise for me. I’m keeping this workbook to go through again and again as I take time to discover new things about myself.
CONVERSATION | I enjoyed many good conversations with my fellow creatives: over coffee in the morning, sitting on the porch enjoying free time, and over meals. These were rich conversations about creative life, blogging, and life in general. I soaked it all in.
FREE TIME | In the afternoon, we were given the gift of time. There were plenty of options — taking a bike ride, walking in the beautiful area or on the beach, relaxing by the pool. Typically, I would choose walking the beach, but we are heading back to the Florida beaches soon, and sitting on the porch with a magazine and a journal for my thoughts was just what I needed.
RETREAT MEALS AND BEVERAGES
Shaunna loved on us with some amazing meals which were experiences in themselves . A beautiful chacuterie table full of deliciousness was the perfect welcome reception.
For lunch one day, Shaunna packed french market baskets with charcuterie boxes, French bread loaves with olive oil, autumn salad, mint water, and even a mini bottle of wine for each of us. We walked to a quiet park near a pond and enjoyed lunch together.
Other meals consisted of continental breakfasts featuring amazing breakfast scones from a local bakery (my favorite was the orange), fruit and quiche. For lunch one of the days we walked to the shopping area and enjoyed food truck cuisine.
Our last evening we were treated to an in-home private chef, 5-course dinner that knocked our socks off! Every single course was delicious. This Brie Encroute was a huge hit with everyone, including me!
We were also treated to some delicious beverages.
Marqués De Riscal was kind enough to provide two different wines for the retreat. While I enjoy red wine I rarely drink more than a sip (reds give me headaches). I tasted this red and wished I could have had a full glass, it was so good. The white wine–their Verdejo– was excellent and wonderful for sipping.
Two of the evenings, Michael shared his expertise in cocktail making. The first evening he made a ginger-lemon-bourbon cocktail with Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon. I was surprised by how much I liked it, and surprised to discover I actually enjoy a bourbon cocktail. The rosemary twig made the drink for me — smelling the rosemary as I sipped made the cocktail all the better.
The next evening Michael mixed up drinks with this Gin. This beautiful bottle of gin was shipped by Julia, of Ponder and Purchase, all the way from the UK for us to enjoy. Julia is also a member of the Creative Exponent community. Julia refers to the bottle’s contents as “Juniper Extract,” which gave us all a smile 🙂
RETREAT GIFTS
Beginning with a welcome gift in our room, we were also treated to more thoughtful gifts each day.
CREATIVE RETREAT THOUGHTS
As I mentioned earlier, this was my first creative retreat. Attending a retreat, traveling alone, spending time away from home (and my people), being with people I’ve never met (in person) were all out of my comfort zone. I’m still surprised I actually went! To be honest, I loved it. It was refreshing, refueling and relaxing. I learned, I grew, I tried new things. I’ve even dreamed of hosting a creative retreat in Minnesota!
It is highly likely Shaunna and The Creative Exponent will host more retreats in the future. There was even some talk about a retreat abroad. Give The Creative Exponent a follow, listen to their podcasts and sign up for their mailing list so you don’t miss out on details of future creative retreats.
I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about my creative retreat experience,
Note: this post was not sponsored in any way.