If You Want To... Bring Out Your Creativity
5 Great Places to Play With Your Inner Artist
Sunrise Springs Spa Resort
1440 Multiversity, Scotts Valley, California
A weekend getaway is often all you need to reboot. This 75-acre campus, nestled in the redwoods, offers a variety of 1440 Discovery Weekends. Opened in 2017, 1440 Multiversity is a self-described “modern learning destination” where you can immerse yourself in connection, creativity, embodiment, and nature. Creative exploration is what this place is all about, and you’ll find workshops like “The Artist’s Way” with Julia Cameron; “Zentangle Weekend: Creating Art and Life” with Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts; and “Brave Magic: An Invitation to Curiosity, Creativity, and Courage” with Elizabeth Gilbert and Cheryl Strayed. 1440.org
Esalen, Big Sur, California
Set in a spectacularly beautiful location—hot springs overlooking the Pacific at Big Sur—Esalen has been a natural draw for thousands of years. Not surprisingly, Esalen is also home to the Art Center, aka the Art Barn. This is where a number of workshops—ceramics, drawing, metalwork, painting, stone carving, textile arts, and wood turning—are offered throughout the year. The new year offers workshops like “Art as a Spiritual Path: Paintings That Awaken the Soul” with Paul Heussenstamm; “Summoning the Artist Within: A Radical Exploration of Creativity” with Kim Krans; and “SoulCollage® and the Art of Imagination, Intuition, and Inquiry” with Jennie Oppenheimer. Theater, music, dance, and writing workshops are also on the menu. esalen.org
Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York
A great place to disconnect from the digital world, Omega is spread out over 250 acres and offers lots of wonderful ways to retreat, including Rest & Rejuvenation Getaway Retreats. There are hundreds of workshops to choose from in many different categories, but you can embrace your inner artist with workshops in the Creative Expression category. Classes like “Tibetan Thangka Painting for Balance” and “Uncork Your Creative Juices” are offered. There are also writing, painting, and clay courses to choose from. In your free time, visit the Ram Dass Library, devoted to spiritual studies, or step inside the Sanctuary to meditate or take time to reflect. Eomega.org
Courtesy Yoga & Adventures Worldwide
Sunrise Springs Spa Resort, Santa Fe, New Mexico
There’s a lot to draw inspiration from at this laidback resort, and guests here are encouraged to explore their creativity through collage, drawing, painting, and much more. Daily visual art classes—“Expressive Painting: Move & Groove;” “Botanical Drawing;” and “Printmaking Made Easy,” to name a few—offer small, relaxed settings that are perfect for self-expression. This destination spa has made a name for itself through its experiential activities and Eastern and Western healing therapies. Set on 70 acres with lots of gardens, walking paths, and historic spring-fed waters. sunrisesprings.ojospa.com
Yoga + Art Retreats
A new offering of retreat from Yoga & Adventures Worldwide, a boutique yoga retreat travel business that just celebrated 10 years, the Yoga + Art Retreats pair traditional yoga practice with creative workshops that include henna adornment, photography, and painting. Two of these experiential retreats are being offered in 2019—one in Cuba, the other in Morocco. yogaadventuresworldwide.com
—Mary Bemis
About the Author
Mary Bemis is the editor in chief of Journey to Renewal and the founder of InsidersGuidetoSpas.com.
