Seaside Sessions 2023: Oh, What a Time We Had! (pt. 4)

…and just like that (insert fingers snapping here), it was our final day together. We started our day a little later, enjoyed a hot breakfast, and set our sights on learning more about The Business Side of Art.

The Saturday Salon
We were quite excited to extend the length of our retreat by one day to add both an opportunity for more depth to our offerings as well as ensure that folks who wanted time to enjoy the town of Surf City (and/or the beach) had a chance to do so before we all headed our separate ways on Sunday.
Michelle opened our first ever Saturday Salon with a look at establishing an online presence. She highlighted the services of Squarespace for web-site hosting, providing our guests with an in depth look at the various ways to illuminate one’s work online and offering tips and tricks for taking photos of finished work.
Integrating an online presence with an online sales portal can dramatically increase one’s reach. Michelle shared her experiences with Square (not affiliated with Squarespace) as both an ideal payment portal (for in person/festival sales and online payments) as well as a means to add direct sales to a website. With a Square account, one can set up a free online store page through their service.
After a healthy round of Q&A, Penny offered some insight on sourcing goods and materials for keeping creativity going. Guests were provided with a handy reference guide that featured all of the suppliers that we used in gearing up for our Studio Sessions at this event.
Note: because TECHNOLOGY, and we were all a bit tired from too many late nights, and (perhaps) the wee-est bit distracted by our surroundings - or, at the very least, a little “all of the above,” we managed to conduct our very first Saturday Salon without taking a single photo (insert face-palm emoji here). In lieu of that, we have included some favorites from our most lovely time by the sea.

Wrapping Up & Looking Ahead
Before we called the business of the day complete, we took a moment to look ahead to next year. While there are a few variables that remain unknown, we know that we are committed to providing this respite from the everyday again. The Class of 2023 has already signed on to be the majority of The Class of 2024! When we announce the final details of Seaside Sessions 2024, we will only have 4 spaces available. We will, of course, offer a waiting list. The most important thing is this: we will continue to offer creative experiences curated for women by women, and we revel in the thought of a full year to prepare just the right combination of mixed media magic for our new class of Creative Explorers to discover. Following a lovely and free afternoon, we feasted on lovingly handmade lasagna as our farewell dinner.

Greetings from The Class of 2023!

That’s all for now! We’ll be posting the Studio Sessions for Seaside Sessions 2024 soon. As always: be kind, live out loud, and never miss the chance to add a bit of beauty to the world with your art!
Until next time,
~ Penny & Michelle

Seaside Sessions 2023: Oh, What a Time We Had! (pt. 3)

Friday: Penny’s Studio Session
Friday arrived with a happy buzz throughout the house.  Our House Elf, the lovely Barbara, had arrived the evening before and all (most especially the Hostesses) were grateful for the extra hands.  After a breakfast enjoyed while ocean-gazing, Penny’s Studio Session was at hand.  Working from flat to fabulous was the order of the day!  We began by examining the form and constructing a series of working models before moving on to our final projects:  two Maze Books loaded with personal imagery, pockets (3 ways), and windows.

Our guests enjoyed various colorful mediums in creating the backgrounds of their folded structures:  tempera paint sticks, acrylic markers (with thanks again to Royal Talens/Amsterdam), and Sharpies.  …and ALL of that before LUNCH!?

After lunch, we returned to our worktables sated and excited to complete our mixed media masterpieces.  We finalized our backgrounds with additional mark-making using India Ink with dip pens handmade tools.  Whether by drawing or adding ischemic writing to their designs, our Creative Explorers further personalized the papers that would become their final pieces.  After all of the surface design & mark-making, it was time to turn our flat sheets of paper into functional books.  To these we added pockets, and windows, and all manner of surprises! 

Once again, we were able to enjoy the magic that comes from creativity run wild, when a group begins with all of the same materials and ends with a wide array of expressive outcomes.  While the ladies wrapped up the Studio Session, Hostess Hands put the final touches on dinner – thoroughly enjoyed by all!  As we reveled in the pleasures of a good meal (and fabulous dessert!) and great company, we reflected on our time together so far.  It seemed like we had just gotten here, and yet our time was reaching its end.

Books in the round - creativity on display after a day of surface design, colorful exploration, and folded goodness

We were treated to beautiful customized Journals/Planners from Nikkea, lovely Haiga (haiku accented by her photography) from Jill, and bountiful ephemera packets from Angela in our Creative Exchange for the evening.  While the Creative Exchange may have concluded the “official” day, our guests arted well into the night during their Open Studio time – what JOY to hear the chatter and laughter of new friends as they enjoy their new creative discoveries. With only one day remaining, next time we’ll explore the wonder that was our inaugural offering of The Saturday Salon….

Seaside Sessions 2023: Oh, What a Time We Had! (pt. 2)

Thursday: Michelle’s Studio Session

Thursday morning dawned brightly, and everyone exclaimed over the sight of the beautiful, tasseled bookmarks and iridescent foil butterflies hanging from ribbons over the wall of windows! As you can see in the photo below, they made a lovely foreground to the spectacular ocean view.

Marbling, and Paste Painting, and Stamping
During our 17-hour kitchen marathon, Penny made the solutions for marbling and the paste to add to acrylic paint. This meant that we could dive right in without waiting for them to cool. After breakfast, it was my turn to lead the morning Studio Session which gave our Creative Explorers the chance to explore paste paper painting, mark-making with a variety of tools, and how to create custom stamps using foam sheets and acrylic blocks. The afternoon session was a whirlwind of paper marbling, more paste papers, and some work with stencils. As I described in the “Great Reveal” post, one goal was to create painted papers to embellish the wooden book boxes, but I could tell that our artists were eager to try everything. I could see the ‘wheels turning’ as they envisioned how these new painting and mark-making techniques could enhance their own work. The gallery below shows just some of the images from our creative Thursday:

After dinner, we continued the Creative Exchange, including the “spin and win” box of Sharpies, Jeanne’s alcohol ink magnets, CJ’s shell creations, and Theresa’s adorable little ocean-themed pouches. Open Studio time after dinner was filled with the sounds of boxes being sanded, laughter, and camaraderie. Another satisfyingly creative day was done, and we were all looking forward to the next day, and Penny’s Studio Sessions….

Seaside Sessions 2023 Oh, What a Time We Had! (pt. 1)

It’s hard to believe that a month has passed since we welcomed our Creative Explorers to Seaside Sessions 2023. In this next series of blog posts, we’ll share some of our favorite moments from our time together which included boundless creativity, uproarious laughter, lovely bonding moments, and numerous examples of the absolute magic which occurs when creative women gather in a gorgeous setting.

Penny and I traveled to our lovely Surf City NC oceanfront venue a few days in advance of the Creative Explorers to ensure that everything was ready for their arrival. We were ever so thankful for the existence of the elevator, as we made numerous trips from vehicles to the third floor, bringing in equipment, art supplies, food, and special gifts. During this prep time, we made beds (10), spent hours in the kitchen (17 in one day!), prepared delectable dishes for the week (with intervals of singing Motown hits, and a bit of dancing), and transformed the living area into a workspace for all of the creative activities to come. As we worked, we gazed at the wondrous ocean and sky right outside the wall of windows, knowing that everyone would be as entranced as we were at the sight (we even spotted pods of dolphins, and we hoped they’d reappear during the week so everyone could see them too. They did.).

The sky was an amazing lavender here; which was among the many moods of the ocean we witnessed during our incredible time by the sea!

Gifts galore!

Your Creative Connection embroidered tote bags were the first of many gifts our Creative Explorers received during Seaside Sessions 2023. We love our colorful, satiny butterfly ribbon!

Wednesday: Check-In
As each woman arrived, the level of excitement and anticipation increased. Our Creative Explorers came from as far away as California and Minnesota, with others hailing from South Carolina, Virginia, and other parts of North Carolina, ranging in age from 17 to 77!
Once everyone was settled in, we gathered for the Welcome Arty Party.
After dining on pizza and crudité, Penny and I officially welcomed our guests, and shared our excitement and gratitude that the time had finally come for us all to be together. I began our nightly Creative Exchanges by gifting everyone her very own stencil, courtesy of our fabulous sponsor: StencilGirl Products. Here they are, in the hands of their beaming new owners!

Thanks to StencilGirl Products, we have new stencils to try!

Our first evening’s creative activity centered on designing bookmarks using watercolors and markers supplied by another one of our generous sponsors: Royal Talens. Penny and I showed the bookmarks we made by following the instructions provided, and others we created in our own ways which produced even more interesting effects. Then, ideas sparking, and supplies at the ready, everyone set to work.

Working on bookmark designs with watercolors, stamps, and markers from Royal Talens.

The finished bookmarks were spectacular! We’re always amazed at the variety of results when a group is given the same materials and instructions—each artist’s work reflected her artistic vision and her approach to the use of materials supplied—a hint of the creative magic to come was revealed on just the first night. Several hours of open studio time rounded out the evening, and we had to encourage several Creative Explorers to leave the work area so that we could mount the surprise Penny had in store for the next morning….