Retreat!!!

Every writer needs a retreat, and I had pretty much zapped my energy by the time I left Atlanta. Rocking "alterna-grass" star, Lenny Lasater, and her band of Roxie Watson mates are traveling in the fast lane to fame, and I'm a slow lane writer. I drove the trip from Atlanta to Asheville, NC in record time, not stopping for my usual scenic detours. I arrived at Jane's house about 4 pm on a Monday.

I was house-sitting for my friend, Jane, while she taught a watercolor course at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. I walked right in, threw down my backpack, and fell into bed. Her tiny bedroom is perched in the treetops at the back of an old cottage style house. The bed itself is surrounded by windows, thick green branches filtering the breeze as it blows through the screens. I slept for two solid hours--this from a person who rarely takes a nap.

From that moment on, I did nothing but sleep and write. Eating wasn't even a priority. I visited briefly with a couple of friends. I enjoyed one short workout with my friends Kam and April, owner-operators of The Fire personal training studio, then shared a great brunch with Marianne in West Asheville on Tuesday.


But for the most part, I lay in that glorious treehouse room in a bed filled with pillows, scrawling notes and poems into a notebook on my lap, reading, and in general catching up with myself. Now that's what I call a retreat!

Every writer, artist, or creative needs to retreat (get away, fall back, let the others do the fighting) at least once a year, even if you have to do it from your own home. That's not always easy as long as we remain surrounded by our lives and responsibilities; it takes more than a modicum of willpower to block out the everyday of our regular worlds. My advice is to save up enough money, or points on your credit card, and blow it on a motel room as close as 30 minutes drive from your house. And for two days laze around and write or draw or pick on your guitar whatever comes to mind. Sleep. Eat bonbons or gluten-free cookies; whatever trips your trigger. Answer no phone, no email, no knocks at the door unless it's room service.


All you need is a good bed, your computer or notebook and pen, a couple of books, and a little extra cash. If that's hard to come by – believe me,I understand the monetary plight of writers – pack a cooler with some of your favorite treats and drinks before you go, and bring it in with you. Leigh has an embarrassed laugh she reserves for the moment I walk into the hotel and get the rolling cart so I can load all my shit for a one or two night stay. But hey, as much as it costs to live in one of those places for a night, you better make sure you have what you want. That's my philosophy.

You can also experience the luxury of an artist's retreat in a cabin, or house-sitting for a friend, as I had the opportunity to do on my Asheville trip. The point is that all of us need the peace and comfort that solitude brings when we are busy getting our work out into the world on a regular basis. The creative mind needs to sleep, dream, go slow, exist quietly inside itself as it turns over new ideas or shapes the future of things unseen. No, you can't take your lover, no matter how quiet he/she promises to be. You can't take anyone--you have to go alone. That's part of the retreat. Once you've retreated this far, you'll find you'll want to re-treat yourself, time and again. Don't worry, it's what I like to call a positive addiction. Besides, you'll never find the time to do it as much as you need, so take full advantage when you get the chance!