the creative retreat

i went away for the weekend. by myself. this is a big deal for me, i haven't done anything like this in over 10 years. 'this' being taking time for me and only me. since having kids every vacation, getaway and adventure has pretty much been centered around them. it will continue to be that way for another 10 years so this was definitely something special.

i went to the makerie creative retreat in boulder, colorado. not far from home but a whole different world. it was amazing to be surrounded by so many generous women that i could connect with immediately because we are all their for the same reason. we were there to nurture our creative spirit, follow our heart, relax, and make great art.

my first workshop was photography with alessandra cave. alex is an amazing photography, her images are striking and she is a great teacher.

my goal for this class was learn skills to be able to capture those everyday joys that come with kids. take amazing photographs of our Kids that TRI athletes and have an eye catching blog.

we talked about perspective, telling a story, depth, lighting and more. we talked about camera settings and angles. i felt like a had a great grasp and start on all of this. then we talked about patience. this little word that keeps coming up in my life this year. patience. definitely something i need to work on.

here are some of my favorite photos from the afternoon all taken on the chautauqua park grounds.

my second workshop was painting with flora bowley. have you seen her paintings? they are amazing and she is just as amazing. she is a terrific teacher, everyone was talking about the energy in her classes. hours flew by as we painted. we painted with wild abandon. it felt great.

my paintings are yet to be finished but i have a great start. i will post them when i finish them up.