Midsummer Creative Retreat: Day 1
Happy summer solstice! Creative reflections to celebrate the shift of season.
Welcome to the Isles of Curiosity and Wonder for our special digital midsummer creative retreat running June 20-24. The archives can be found here. This retreat is offered to all subscribers, but as a thank you for helping to make it happen, paid subscribers have access to the audio version. Thank you to all of you for being here!
Hello friends,
Happy summer solstice and welcome to the Isles of Curiosity and Wonder for our second annual midsummer creative retreat!
For those who haven’t been to these imaginary islands before (and even for those who have), I’d like to start with a few island basics to help situate you.
The Isles are found between the Sea of Ideas and Sea of the Unknown. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of islands in the archipelago, many of them uncharted and unexplored. The largest island, and therefore the hub of the Isles, is Potential Island. From here, there is excellent ferry service that travels between the main islands. Kayaks, rowboats, and sailboats are for rent at the boat shed near the ferry dock, if you would like to explore some of the smaller locales.
If you are exploring by boat, please be aware that the waters surrounding the Isles of Curiosity and Wonder are known for incredibly strong tides and currents, in particular, the Tides of Inspiration. Unlike other tides you may be used to, these ones are not trackable and their schedule is constantly changing. While there is no tide table to plot or anticipate the exact ebb and flow, we would like to assure you that the tide is always present, never stagnant. When it’s out, it will inevitably come back in.
Be sure to drop by Process Point at the very southern tip of the island, where Imagination River spills into the sea. There is an extensive trail system for walks and hikes, and there are numerous small cabins in the area with lovely workspaces. The cabins are reservable, by the hour or by the day, but we do leave a few open on a first-come-first-serve basis, since we know that creative inspiration is often unplanned and unexpected.
If you do visit Process Point, be warned about the Strait of Distractions, which lie between the point and Finished Project Island. These are some of the most glorious waters to swim in on the island, and can lead to many ideas and new connections, but the current is notorious for its unreliability and can become incredibly treacherous—many a visitor has been swept out to sea, and rescue efforts can take up to several weeks, sometimes even months. Please note that there is no fast ferry service to Finished Project Island.
“Now that it is possible to travel right around the globe, the real challenge lies in staying at home and discovering the world from there.”
- Judith Schalansky, Pocket Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Not Visited and Never Will
The Isles of Curiosity and Wonder are collectively managed as public land, and you may come and go as you like. We ask that you respect all of the organisms that call this archipelago home, and help to keep it an inviting and inspiring space for fellow visitors. We welcome everyone and particular needs will be accommodated, but please know that a sense of adventure and an embrace of the unknown will serve you well here.
Striped swimsuits are recommended for the Bay of the Subconscious, as the jellyfish are notorious for their sting of doubt. If you forgot yours, you can buy one at the general store. We do like to encourage creating over consuming here on the Isles, but if you do need to purchase something aside from swimsuits, the general store also sells an assortment of art supplies, our popular Permission Slip notepads, snacks, a collection of local guidebooks, and other sundries. In addition to the general store, there is also a nursery which offers a notable collection of wild seed packets and bags of the famous Isles of Curiosity and Wonder Compost, which is particularly rich and sought after by gardeners, researchers, and artists alike. Proceeds benefit our public forest sculpture program.
Of particular note is the vintage shop and free box on the Island of Discarded Ideas. Please drop off whatever you don’t need, and pick up something that strikes your eye. At certain times of the year, you may also find some seedlings available at the local farm stand.
Now that we’ve covered a bit of the geographic basics, let’s start the retreat.
Today marks the summer solstice, with the sun traveling along its northernmost path in the sky. It’s the marker of the astronomical start of summer.
Just like an island, the solstice—whether it’s winter or summer—as a kind of in-between space. The pause between an inhale and an exhale. A release of what’s behind, an embrace of what’s ahead. Stepping out of one moment and into another. Grounded and rooted yet with a sense of expansive potential. Like standing on a beach, one foot in the water and one foot on land.
A few years ago at the bookshop in the Mono Lake Information Center in California, I found a book called Island: Paintings by Tom Curry. Curry’s paintings are stunning, and Terry Tempest Williams had written some words to accompany them. As I flipped through the pages the other day, I read this:
“Agitation is not often paired with contemplation, but I believe these words are siblings. A restlessness precedes or prompts the cry for reflection. The mental tossing we experience as crashing waves within the walls of our mind begs for the pause of tranquillity. How else will we find our way in a world as discursive and distractive as ours?” - Terry Tempest Williams
The pause of tranquility. That’s what we need right now.
Summer can be a very full time for many of us, a time of colliding schedules, of abundant socializing, of minimal sleep, all filled with the frenetic energy that comes with trying to soak up and squeeze everything in. As we celebrate the shortest night, and longest day of the year and step into that season, what better moment than right now to just stand still. To take a pause.
In that still moment, here are a few questions to reflect upon:
What do you leave behind? What do you move towards?
What kind of an opening does the summer season offer? What would you like to fill it with?
What feels creatively abundant in this moment?
-Anna
ps: you can address any Isles of Curiosity and Wonder musings to hello@creativefuelcollective.com
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