defining an artists retreat... is that possible?

GLENYS MANN...in conversation EGAG May 2023

I have always found it interesting when other artists say to me “I just love going on an artist retreat… it gives me time to do more creative work”.
I have only done one small artistic retreat, in that I was alone on a floating studio near the edge of Lake Tyres in East Gippsland.
​This retreat is owned and managed by FLOAT.

​Having an artistic space is like having a blank canvas waiting to be filled with your imagination. It's a place where you can let your creativity run wild and explore the depths of your artistic potential.
​When you have a dedicated space for your art, be it at the edge of your dining room table or purpose built structure, it becomes a haven where you can escape the noise of the world and fully immerse yourself.

Josephine Jakobi's BUNGALOOK STUDIO... 

In this space, you have the freedom to create without judgment or expectation.
​It's a place where you can let go of any self-doubt or fear and simply allow yourself to be in the moment.

A place to surround yourself with inspiration.
​Fill it with objects, images, and artwork that resonate with your creative vision. Curate a collection of books, magazines, or online resources that ignite your imagination and spark new ideas.

Collections from the Glenys Mann studio

​When you are in that space, you create a physical and mental boundary that signals to your brain that it's time to focus on your art.
It becomes a place where you can fully immerse yourself in your creative process without distractions or interruptions.
​This environment allows you to enter a state of flow, where ideas flow freely and inspiration strikes more easily.

​​I am rambling on here, thinking that I have only been on one “residency”…. 

Wait!!!! As I am writing this… I am sitting in one of the most “artistic environments” on this earth…. INDIA.
​

​This is not the first time I have had an artistic retreat here…
For the past 8 years, any time between 4 weeks and 3 months, I immerse myself into this culture and the environment and feel like I sink into a silken mattress that comforts and nurtures my every artistic being….
​Sounds weird, but I cannot think of another way to describe this ‘luxury’ that I give myself each year.
​

It is not the colours that the women wear that excite me….
​Well, they do excite me a lot,.......   but it is the environment…
this ‘barren’ land that is teaming with life and emotions, a language that is
​non-comprehensible to me, but feel that I know EXACTLY what it saying,
​a landscape that brings tears to my eyes every time I go ‘out there’.

​The horizon line that is as straight as a ‘die’….
​A sound that is so far beyond silence that you can feel it.
Marks on the land that tells you that you are not alone… and the sky… I thought that I had a huge sky when I look out of my cottage window at home, but compared to where I am now, that sky at home is only the size of a pin-prick.

​​A constellation that is foreign to me…. A very small milky way….
A moon on the rise that fills the sky…. and no Southern Cross to define where I am really from.
​

GLENYS MANN : Beyond Silence: Luna 2  2020

So, if you have an artistic space somewhere on this planet, use it to its fullest potential.
​Show up regularly, even if it's just for a few minutes each day. 

My Indian Studio at Desert Coursers, Zainabad, Gujarat... 3 months residency

​Dedicate yourself to the practice of your art, and trust that something remarkable will eventually happen. Whether it's a breakthrough in your technique, a new perspective on your work, or a moment of pure creative bliss, your artistic space holds the potential for endless possibilities.

My permanent Studio, Callignee, Gippsland, Victoria

​No matter where it is….
The kitchen table…
Little Rann of Kutch…
Purpose built studio…

Create your Possibilities....
Glenys Mann
November 2023