pen & paper reflections

a peek into pen & paper

When I get home from hosting a Be Present Retreat and look through my photos, I am always struck by how few I take. Every. Single. Time. I know this is partly because being behind the camera is not really part of my role during these retreats, but somehow, it seems to be a piece in the list of reasons why I have a hard time writing about the retreats when I get back from them. Maybe you haven't noticed, but I seldom write about them when I return. The re-entry time is intense, real life just starts rolling again, planning for the next retreat begins, and somehow I never find my way back to this space to say much.

I would like to change that and have been thinking about a few ways to give myself some space before and after each retreat to write about my intentions and experience and then share some of those thoughts here. Sometimes, I become so focused on creating a sacred experience for others that I forget about paying attention to the ways I can make it even more sacred for me. 

Throughout each retreat (and there have been eight so far!), I am aware of how I know this is the work I am called to do. I feel at home. And I am deeply aware of what a gift this is at this time in my life. As I write these words, I am deeply aware of the support I am so lucky to have as I continue to grow my business and look to all that will unfold in the next few years. (thank you)

As for Pen & Paper...well...this is the part where I get hung up on what words to use. It was a beautiful, rich, open-hearted experience. We laughed and danced and wrote and "poemed" and played with paint and danced some more. Stories and meals nurtured each of us. Dreams were spoken aloud and then written down inside our journals. Naps were taken. Blue sky appeared just when we asked it to. And laughter arrived again.

I love hosting retreats at Frog Creek Lodge here in my corner of the world. Within minutes of arriving, almost every participant mentions that "this space just has such good energy." There is just something about this cabin in the woods. This time we were able to watch eagle parents swoop about looking for food to take back to the nest in the woods near us. And the rain rain rain came down down down, which gave us the perfect writing weather. And then the clouds left while we painted and then played down by Puget Sound.

After everyone left on Sunday, Kelly and I took just a few minutes to sit on the frontporch swing and take in the trees and the moss and the air and the birds singing amidst the raindrops. As we sat there, I was thinking about how each retreat brings a unique cast of characters. Deep friendships are born and nurtured and I am struck again and again by the truth and beauty that entwine to create the one-of-a-kind experience for each of us. After each retreat I say, "Oh I think this one was my favorite." And that is exactly how I feel again. 

I am so blessed.

*****

Today, I'm excited to share that registration for the Fall Unearth Retreat has begun! Kelly Barton and I are heading back to Frog Creek Lodge and bringing Mindy Lacefield with us! Kelly and Mindy will be co-teaching three days of painting and mixed media, and I will be sharing some of my favorite creative self-care practices (including writing and photography) throughout our time together. The three of us are integrating all of it into one big juicy creative adventure. There are just 12 spots left, so please head over to the Be Present Retreats site to learn more.

pen & paper :: a little about susan

a glimpse into Susan's workshop at the Fall 2010 Be Present Retreat

Today, my friend Jennifer Horsman is sharing a bit about how Susan Wooldridge inspires her. Susan is teaching at Pen & Paper with Kelly and me next month, and I thought you might want to know just a bit more about her. There are a few spots left and we hope you will join us!

Jennifer writes:

I first met Susan Wooldridge at a Be Present Retreat in Lake Bay, Washington in the fall of 2010 where she was a mentor. Her books Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words and Foolsgold: Making Something from Nothing and Freeing Your Creative Process had become favorites of mine; both copies highlighted, underlined, dog-eared and often reread. Susan was alive on the page, fully engaged in the world around her through each of her senses. 

Poemcrazy changed the way I thought about words. Words suddenly moved beyond their dictionary definitions and embodied their lyrical form. Words evoked emotion, memory and timespace. Words became playful and acrobatic. I began to see with fresh eyes and because of this I also began to write more.

To my delight I found that Susan in person was every bit as vivid and enticing as she had appeared on the page. Her excitement for poetry was palpable and infectious. Susan was generous with her time and convinced each of us, regardless of writing experience, of our ability to create poetry. She built an atmosphere filled with warmth, humor, encouragement and acceptance. Each exercise expanded our ideas about poetry and what we were capable of creating. We left the retreat with work we felt proud of and a desire to keep writing.

Susan is an alchemist. She is able to elicit unique magic in every student she encounters. She will return to Lake Bay at the Pen & Paper Retreat in March. I will be there and I'd really love to share this extraordinary experience with you as well. If any part of your heart leaps to recognition at the sound of the word writer you won't want to miss it!

"Poems arrive. They hide in feelings and images, in weeds and delivery vans, daring us to notice and give them form with our words. They take us to an invisible world where light and dark, inside and outside meet." 

- Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge (from Poemcrazy)

*****

Susan's Pen & Paper workshop description:

In a safe, free setting, we will gather and surround ourselves with words that will be gateways to deeper knowing about who we are, where we come from and where we're going.  

In this workshop, we will forage in a field of words, cast nets and gather what we need to joyfully and safely express the depths of our hearts, souls, spirits. Sleepy orange trust, clock's breath, preach nibbles have all emerged from playful "wordpools" like the ones we'll create together. We will tinker!

We will also create small worlds of gatherings in boxes that reflect our connection to the natural world (as well as to the sparkly world of litter) and write odes to our gatherings and odes to our shadows (and odes to our shadow gatherings). From this we will spinoff and spinoff and spinoff!

Find out more about the Pen & Paper Retreat.

*****

Jennifer Horsman lives along the California coast with her husband and greyhound in a small cottage filled with books, records and loose leaf tea.

She can be found at www.lovelyandimperfect.squarespace.com

2012 Be Present Retreats

I am delighted to announce that registration for three of the 2012 Be Present Retreats began today!

Pen & Paper

Teachers: Susan Wooldridge, Kelly Barton, and me 
Dates: March 14-18
Location: Frog Creek Lodge in Lakebay, Washington
Find out more details here. 

The Midwest Retreat

Teachers: Jenna McGuiggan, Kelly Barton, and me
Dates: May 2-6
Location: Culver, Indiana
Find out more details here.

Your Story

Teachers: Ali Edwards, Kelly Barton, and me
Dates: June 20-24
Location: Lodge at Little Beach in Gearhart, Oregon 
Find out more details here.
(This retreat is already just about half full!) 

The site also has a new About page. And there are a few exciting details that will be a part of all retreats moving forward, including:

A kit for all the mixed-media workshops that will include everything you need to get messy with Kelly (she is coming up with quite a juicy list!)

AND

A take home self-care kit designed by me that will support you in continuing to create space for creativity and self-care when you return home. This kit will become a companion for you during the sometimes challenging re-entry experience after time away from your daily life.

(There will be a fourth retreat, Unearth, in the Fall of 2012 with Mindy Lacefield, Kelly Barton, and me. More details will be on the website early next year.)

*****

Chief Grounding Officer Announcement

I am over the moon thrilled that Kelly Barton has signed on as my "Chief Grounding Officer" starting this Fall. After she taught at and helped me with several retreats, it became clear to me that all the retreat participants moving forward need to encounter her special combination of joyful, real, sparkling magic as part of their experience. It also became clear to me that I needed this kindred spirit with me on the journey as she simply and truly invites me to stay grounded. I am delighted to share that Kelly will be teaching mixed-media workshops at each retreat in 2012. And she will be bringing joyful laughter with her. There is just something about her spirit that invites others to feel comfortable inviting in joy. (Thank you my friend.)

oh these poems

this teacher's toolboxes

At Create Magic, we spent time in the world of words and poetry. Watching my students devour their word lists and play and write and laugh and share their truths was such a gift. Poetry heals. Yes. Yes. Yes.

And their poems...their poems took my breath away. I keep visiting their sites to read them again and again. Here are a few:

the light keepers
here
a girl
this girl she
there is a moment 

And the posts from my fellow teachers about the retreat have truly warmed my heart. You can read more over at Mindy's site and then at Viv's. 

*****

If you live in the Pacific Northwest and are wishing for a day filled with an invitation to find your inner poet and to spend time noticing your senses and the world around you and to take an adventure in self-portraiture (on the page and behind the camera lens) and to create a journal to house all your discoveries, consider joining me for Creative Self-Care here in Tacoma on October 29. An incredible group of women is gathering for this one-day workshop, and we would love to have you come along. Find out more here.

today, i am...

heart path . penrose state park, wa

today, i am giving myself the space:

to eat hot biscuits right from the oven while standing at the kitchen sink
to not get to all the emails quite yet
to sit with the beauty that was hosting five retreats this year
to rest during ellie's naptime
to tuck this real, true poem right inside the pocket of my heart 
to listen to music with my eyes closed
to know that it doesn't have to be perfect 
to remember to choose love 

the re-entry part is a bit different each time. this time it has included a pretty thick layer of exhaustion combined with such profound, deep gratitude. i can still hear their laughter and stories and brave truth sharing and silliness. i am sitting with the memories and unpacking them a bit at a time as i also rest and honor all that has been and all that is to come.

more soon...

*****

Create Space is an online experience that invites you to give yourself the gift of being present in this moment. During this four-week course, you will slow down, take a deep breath with intention, and notice what you need. Through video and audio lessons, stories, writing and photography prompts, and weekly creative adventure assignments, we will explore self-care and being-present practices to use in your everyday life.

Come along this fall and connect with the space within you that houses your true nature. Find out more here.   

mingle and other good things

a glimpse into article about Be Present Retreats in the new, fantastic Mingle magazine

I am delighted to share that the article shown above is in the current issue of Mingle magazine. It is written by my dear friend Jenna McGuiggan, and she beautifully captures the feel of these retreats with her words as she shares about the 2011 Pen & Paper Retreat. (Thank you Jenna!) And the photos (oh those photos!) taken by Vivienne McMaster and Kate Inglis are gorgeous. A big thanks to all, including Christen Olivarez of Stampington. I hope you will head to your local bookstore and find a copy (or order one here). 

In this moment, I am in the midst of the Create Magic Retreat, and again, I find myself so steeped in gratitude to be doing this work. Truly looking forward to sharing more in a few days...

Coming in 2012

I am also working on the retreats for 2012. My partner in crime Kelly Barton is getting used to me saying to her first thing each the morning here at Frog Creek Lodge, "I had another brainstorm...." We are really coming up with some juicy ideas for the 2012 season. My current plan is to send out a newsletter late next week that will include dates and sneak peeks of several of next year's retreats. The best way to get a heads up about future retreats and workshops (along with Etsy shop news and other happy things) is to sign up for the newsletter.

Hope your day is full of light and wonder in your corner of the world...

Liz

create magic (a be present retreat)

This October, come along to the woods along Puget Sound for Create Magic, the last Be Present Retreat in 2011. 

From the evening of October 5 to the morning of October 9, we will gather at Frog Creek Lodge, on the Key Peninsula (a little over an hour south of Seattle), to experience community, create alongside like-minded souls, and give ourselves permission to be present while in a nurturing environment.

Mindy Lacefield, Vivienne McMaster, and I will be your guides on this journey inspired by the joy that can be found when we realize we can find magic and hope in our lives even when it rains. Throughout the three days of workshops, Mindy, Vivienne, and I will share a few of the creative practices we use in our daily lives, including how each of us tries to seek beauty and joy in the midst of whatever life hands us. 

photo credits: 1) Vivienne McMaster, 2) and 4) Mindy Lacefield, and 3) Liz Lamoreux

Throughout this retreat, there will be time to play with paint + paper + color, photography excursions, time to sit in the quiet and listen, opportunities to ask questions, writing and journaling prompts, an invitation to find the poet within you, moments to share pieces of your story, and a whole lot of fun. There will be a designated "art & play" room within Frog Creek Lodge where participants will have 24-hour access to art supplies and other goodies. 

Here is some more information about the workshop I will be teaching this fall:

I close my eyes and see an image of a nine-year-old little girl with brown pigtails who gathers up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, her current Trixie Belden book, a thermos of apple juice, and her newest diary and favorite blue pen and tucks them inside a backpack. She tiptoes out the back, carefully closing the squeaky screen door and jumps down the two steps to the brick patio. She looks out toward the forest seemingly unaware that she has less than a quarter of an acre to explore as she finds the path toward her favorite log beside the chain-link fence. I often think about this little girl when I gather up my camera and journal and head out to the woods to breathe and notice and find myself again in the midst of all that must get done.

When we gather at Frog Creek Lodge, we will spend time remembering the creative journeys of our childhoods (real and imagined) as we spend time with our senses and play and write and breathe. We will discover ways to quiet our minds through guided meditation exercises and look at how focusing on our breath can connect us to our day-to-day journeys. We will examine how getting out into nature can be another tool to add to our personal and creative practices as we take in the beauty of our surroundings. We will also spend some time with our inner poet as we curl up with tea by the fireplace.

*****

This is one of the more intimate retreats this year with only 14 participant spots. We have recently had a few cancellations, so additional spots have opened up. I hope you will decide to come along. Feel free to email me any questions.

Head over to the Be Present Retreats website to read more about the details of this retreat.

the getting ready part

goodies for the gift bags

a vintage suitcase full of papers

oh the washi tape

what the kitchen table really looks like

your story happens this week. it is my fourth retreat this year, and i am really sinking into the getting ready part in a way that feels more excited and less "oh my goodness how will i get it all done." because the getting ready part can be pretty intense as i gather so many things to take with me to a spot along the coast hours away. this time, i am gathering even more art supplies than usual and the colors of everything are just making me feel lighter. as though summer is really here. i can't wait to stand under that light in gearhart. it is so gorgeous there. we are going to have so much fun.

while i am away, my plan is to schedule a few posts (and maybe even send a postcard or two from there). it feels like there is so much to tell you these days. how i wish we could meet for tea...one day soon i hope.