Dory B.
My first visit to Squam Art Workshops was in the spring of 2009. I was in a place in my life where I was looking for new adventures and hoping to find experiences that spoke to me. My friend and I had been reaching outside of our usual free time pursuits, trying retreats, knitting excursions and fiber festivals all with the hope of finding something new that felt like it was home. We signed up at the very last min, most of the classes were full, but we both found ones that were outside our comfort zone while still totally captivating us (sewing for me and painting for her as well as some knitting technique classes for both of us that just looked cool).
We intentionally signed up for all different classes so we would get to taste as much as SAW had to offer. We made a pact that we would go back home and teach each other any cool things we might learn.
That first year was amazing and exhausting, a total sensory overload. Our brains were so full with all that we were creating and learning I don’t think we even made it to more than one evening event. We quite literally fell into our beds and we were sound asleep before heads even hit pillows.
To say that my take away from the week had nothing to do with the skills I learned in the classes would be wrong, but honestly the real experience of SAW was the people. The random amazing women you meet, who come from very different walks of life, all sharing this isolated little bubble of tranquility and self-expression out in the woods of New Hampshire are the true heart of SAW.
We came home filled with excitement and to create space within our homes and within our lives to live our art. Of course we also came home talking about this amazing experience we had, telling our friends and our family about this beautiful location with these amazing classes and this fantastic lake where you have no responsibilities except to do what feeds your soul. We told them how we spent time being social sitting in the dining hall sharing our class experiences over delicious food with total strangers who would later become old friends, and time in total silence just listening to the lake. It really was our week, and we got to define exactly how it went.
We have come back each year since, bringing others, taking more classes, joining in for more evening social things, and even bringing wine to sip while sitting on the dock watching the sunset. We caught back up with new friends who are now old friends and we moved from a small cabin to a big social lodge. Who knows, next year maybe we will try something new, perhaps a cabin for one, and see what Squam is like again in the quiet. It is our place and we get to redefine it every year.
We have come back each year since, bringing others, taking more classes, joining in for more evening social things, and even bringing wine to sip while sitting on the dock watching the sunset. We caught back up with new friends who are now old friends and we moved from a small cabin to a big social lodge. Who knows, next year maybe we will try something new, perhaps a cabin for one, and see what Squam is like again in the quiet. It is our place and we get to redefine it every year.
|
|
|
|
