SAN JUAN ISLAND WASHINGTON *POSTPONED TO JUNE 2021*
RECHARGE. RECONNECT. REIMAGINE YOUR OWN CREATIVITY.
Join photographer Amy Shutt, mindfulness instructor and massage therapist Jolene Beilstein and special guest author and artist Jordan Taylor on a beautiful San Juan Island, June 2021 for our first Wild Creative Retreat!
Wild Creative Retreats aim to provide a productive space for artists of all disciplines and levels to reconnect with themselves through wellness, nature and creativity. Return home after 3 days and 5 nights in the unparalleled natural beauty of Washington State inspired, grounded and with a unique body of work that directly reflects your wild, innate creativity.
This one-of-a-kind escape into the wonders of San Juan Island offers an opportunity to detach from the “cult of busy,” allowing participants to connect with their own creative spirit in new ways. Together we will take a break from the distractions of the day-to-day, and instead focus on opening clear paths to personal expression emerging from each artist’s own unique vision.
Participants will have the opportunity to photograph, sketch and reflect on the abundant wildlife that inhabits the island, such as bald eagles, foxes, sea lions, orcas and even endemic populations of rare butterflies. A variety of creative techniques will be explored - which not only develops a more diverse portfolio of work, but deepens our appreciation of and connection to these animals and our shared home. This location is the perfect backdrop for ultimate reconnection to one’s self, purpose, and creative goals.
Join photographer Amy Shutt, mindfulness instructor and massage therapist Jolene Beilstein and special guest author and artist Jordan Taylor on a beautiful San Juan Island, June 2021 for our first Wild Creative Retreat!
Wild Creative Retreats aim to provide a productive space for artists of all disciplines and levels to reconnect with themselves through wellness, nature and creativity. Return home after 3 days and 5 nights in the unparalleled natural beauty of Washington State inspired, grounded and with a unique body of work that directly reflects your wild, innate creativity.
This one-of-a-kind escape into the wonders of San Juan Island offers an opportunity to detach from the “cult of busy,” allowing participants to connect with their own creative spirit in new ways. Together we will take a break from the distractions of the day-to-day, and instead focus on opening clear paths to personal expression emerging from each artist’s own unique vision.
Participants will have the opportunity to photograph, sketch and reflect on the abundant wildlife that inhabits the island, such as bald eagles, foxes, sea lions, orcas and even endemic populations of rare butterflies. A variety of creative techniques will be explored - which not only develops a more diverse portfolio of work, but deepens our appreciation of and connection to these animals and our shared home. This location is the perfect backdrop for ultimate reconnection to one’s self, purpose, and creative goals.
OUR RETREATS AIM TO...
- Provide a positive, productive space conducive to clarity and creativity
- Calm the chatter in the mind
- Facilitate wellness of the mind, body, and spirit
- Offer ways to develop creativity, clarity, and focus
- Provide guidance via exercises, critiques, and discussions
- Encourage participants to take time out to care for themselves and recharge
“The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work,
who felt their own creative power restive and uprising,
and gave to it neither power nor time.”
— Mary Oliver
DETAILS
During this retreat you’ll find focus and inspiration for artistic vision, growth and goals. You will have the opportunity to share creative exercises with like-minded people and receive personal support and guidance from a team of professionals.
This retreat offers:
During this retreat you’ll find focus and inspiration for artistic vision, growth and goals. You will have the opportunity to share creative exercises with like-minded people and receive personal support and guidance from a team of professionals.
This retreat offers:
- Daily guided meditation, mindful movement, breathwork, and healthy nourishment to stimulate clarity
- Daily photography walks and exercises to help develop your creative eye and illuminate your creative strengths
- Daily journaling and/or sketching exercises to enhance your observational skills and help uncover your creative goals
- Opportunities for one-on-one portfolio reviews and group image reviews
- Opportunities for one-on-one coaching in realigning creative goals and focus
- Relaxation and self-care through professional massage sessions by our certified massage therapist (additional fees apply for massage sessions).
|
MIND, BODY, SPIRIT
NOURISHMENT If food provides nourishment for the body, cooking provides nourishment for the soul. An often overlooked form of expression, preparing meals is an empowering way to explore our creativity, care for one another and demonstrate an appreciation for the land. We will provide vegetarian brunch and dinner options daily on June 6, 7, and 8, with cooking demonstrations by Jolene. There will be an option of attending a group dinner out one night. MEDITATION Daily guided mindfulness meditation with Jolene will help establish awareness of the present moment. We will start each day with this special opportunity. Meditation helps us recognize mental distractions and learn how to compassionately redirect our attention to the here and now, providing space for clarity and creativity to bloom. |
|
MOVEMENT
Movement of the body is a portal to access the imaginative potential of the mind. Through the opportunity of daily mindful movement practice, led by Jolene, participants will gain awareness of this connection, learn how to harness and balance their physical energy as well as alleviate aches and pains that can be associated with sustained creative work. Movement will be gentle and suitable for all ages and levels of experience.
BREATHWORK
The breath is a bridge between our conscious and unconscious mind. Focus and creativity can be enhanced by mindful attention to the simple act of breathing. Jolene will guide classes in how to create space for increased relaxation and inspiration with simple breathing exercises.
Movement of the body is a portal to access the imaginative potential of the mind. Through the opportunity of daily mindful movement practice, led by Jolene, participants will gain awareness of this connection, learn how to harness and balance their physical energy as well as alleviate aches and pains that can be associated with sustained creative work. Movement will be gentle and suitable for all ages and levels of experience.
BREATHWORK
The breath is a bridge between our conscious and unconscious mind. Focus and creativity can be enhanced by mindful attention to the simple act of breathing. Jolene will guide classes in how to create space for increased relaxation and inspiration with simple breathing exercises.
"In every walk with nature,
One receives far more than he seeks"
- John Muir
CREATIVITY EXERCISES THROUGH WRITING AND SKETCHING
Option of daily awareness and observation exercises through the use of our Simple Pause Notebook (provided for you) will be led by Jordan Taylor, a lifelong artist and experienced author. In this age, we see so many people disconnected by daily “noise” and blind to what's truly us. Anyone in the arts—from photography to painting to creative writing—must be extra aware to bring out the best of their craft. From the springboard of enhanced observational skills, we’ll work on exercises to help calm the chatter, build focus, and address each participant’s deepest creative goals.
PHOTO WALKS AND PHOTOGRAPHY
In our photo walks led by photographer Amy Shutt we will aim to use what we have learned in all of our exercises and apply it in quiet and thoughtful nature walks to help develop vision and creativity. During our walks we will encounter the stillness and beauty of the Pacific Northwest and coastal Washington. We will focus on allowing ourselves to see the often overlooked and also work in fun and creative techniques that will enhance your photography skillset. Through this process we will be more apt to approach these places with a sense of wonder.
Photographers will have opportunities to photograph breathtaking subjects of the island. Night skies, mountain vistas, coastal beaches, and the smaller macrophotography subjects like mushrooms, lichens, wildflowers and the tiny life found in tide pools is where we will focus our cameras. You will be guided in creative techniques and approaches to these subjects and will come away with a diverse portfolio of work.
IMAGE REVIEWS AND PORTFOLIO GOAL-SETTING
During our retreat you will have the opportunity to participate in group image reviews where we discuss our work in a supportive environment, ask questions of our peers, seek suggestions and just enjoy seeing how differently we all interpret the same space and time.
Image reviews have always been a huge success in Amy’s photography classes and workshops and many students remark on how much they learn from them but also how inspired they become by viewing and discussing their peers’ work as well.
You will also have the opportunity to schedule a one-on-one portfolio review and goal-setting session with Amy.
ITINERARY OVERVIEW
You will receive a detailed itinerary which includes more location information, transit, and lodging once your deposit has been paid. Please see the basic itinerary below. Feel free to email with any questions: amyshutt@gmail.com
*Lodging is included in a stunning private retreat for the nights of TBD
Please note all activities are optional and you can have as much alone time as you desire!
You will receive a detailed itinerary which includes more location information, transit, and lodging once your deposit has been paid. Please see the basic itinerary below. Feel free to email with any questions: amyshutt@gmail.com
*Lodging is included in a stunning private retreat for the nights of TBD
- Day 1: Arrival day!
- Day 2: Full retreat day
- Day 3: Full retreat day
- Day 4 : Full retreat day
- Day 5: Departure day
Please note all activities are optional and you can have as much alone time as you desire!
|
LODGING
|
|
SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT:
Email Amy if you are unsure if your gear will work for this workshop: amyshutt@gmail.com and she’ll let you know!
Email Amy if you are unsure if your gear will work for this workshop: amyshutt@gmail.com and she’ll let you know!
- Yoga mat if you prefer your own (otherwise one will be provided)
- For photographers and artists, please bring all the gear and supplies you would like to work with during the retreat
- Suggested lenses: Macro, Wide Angle, Long lens (something that extends to at least 300 to 600mm), Lensbabies
- A laptop if you would like to process images or have Amy review your portfolio or images
- Other travel-friendly artist tools that you’re used to using, such as sketching pencils, journal, or laptop for writers
- Comfortable clothing for the weather and shoes appropriate for light hiking and walks
- Warm clothing, raincoat, gloves, hat, etc., for early mornings and late afternoons, as it gets quite chilly and windy
"I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful
— an endless prospect of magic and wonder."
- Ansel Adams
PRICING:
- Limited to only 5 participants
- Price: $2068 USD
- Deposit of $750 USD secures your spot
- It's a good idea to have travel insurance in case something goes wrong or trip cancellation. Amy loves World Nomads.
- Once your balance of $1318 is paid (by the deadline of TBD) you will receive a full itinerary with detailed information about the retreat, logistics, and your lodging.
- Please note: The deposit is non-fundable after TBD. If you cancel before TBD you will receive 80% of your deposit.
|
PRICE INCLUDES:
|
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Transportation to, from, or during the workshop
- Ferry
- Travel insurance
- Massage therapy sessions
- Meals and drinks, except what has been mentioned above
YOUR RETREAT FACILITATORS
Amy Shutt is a photographer based in Louisiana. She has worked in the industry for over a decade and has been leading photographic tours for 5 years. In addition to her tours in Africa, the USA, and Canada she has lead photography classes at botanical gardens, nature institutes, natural science museums, and wildlife rehabilitation centers in Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona. Amy is the Director of The Canid Project, a 501c3 non-profit, founded in 2017, that focuses on photography, photo-ecotourism, and community outreach to educate on the world's wild canids. Her interest in wild urban canids, like foxes and coyotes, and her curiosity about the human and wild animal relationships in our world, brought her to start The Canid Project. She hopes to preserve, educate, and inspire through this endeavor. Amy's work has been published in books and magazines and her work has been awarded by the Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice International competition and has been shown in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Amy's goal with her photography and her educational photography tours is to educate and inspire fellow humans and to help conserve the wild animal species and spaces of the world. amyshutt.com
|
Jolene Beilstein, a Certified Massage Therapist originally from Canada, is currently based out of Occidental, California where she integrates grounding intuitive touch with therapeutic, clinical resolution through her massage practice. A keen outdoor enthusiast, she enjoys hiking with her canine companion Charlie and is also a voracious traveler. Jolene has done a great deal of exploring in the East, notably obtaining her yoga teacher training certificate in Nashik, India and spending time in a monastery in Mae Hong Son, Thailand practicing mindfulness. Jolene graduated with distinction from the Canadian College of Massage & Hydrotherapy. This intensive 2-year program focused on all aspects of clinical anatomy, physiology and pathology as they relate to the practice of massage. She has continued her personal and professional education in countries around the world. The body’s innate healing capacity fascinates Jolene and she views her work as a catalyst to her clients learning how to reconnect to themselves. She is expanding her practice to integrate more neurokinetic training and exploring concepts of neuroplasticity as it relates to stress reduction, in both the body and mind. Jolene believes in the sentient nature of all beings and is excited to join forces with Amy Shutt Photography and The Canid Project to integrate compassion and awareness of the beautiful nature that surrounds us, but also the awe-inspiring potential within us. jolenecmt.com
|
|
Author, reader, explorer, hobby photographer, audiobook fan, and fox enthusiast, Jordan Taylor wrote her first story at the age of six by dictating to her mother on the typewriter. These days she loves to write, read, and research her next book more than ever. Jordan is the author of a range of fiction, with a special interest in World War One. No matter the genre or decade, dramatic emotional stories led by living, breathing characters—who talk to her all day in her head—are the cornerstones of her goal with each novel. Jordan is also the artist of an adult coloring book entitled Wild Dogs--a special project for Jordan and a throwback to her childhood, when she colored realistic animals from the Dover line while listening to audiobooks. As a lifelong artist and lover of canids, she filled it with her favorite subject to color, both then and now: wolves, foxes, coyotes, jackals, dingoes, and more. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with rescue dog, Firefly. jordantaylorbooks.com
|
|