There’s nothing quite like the energizing space of the artist’s circle.

Neither workshop nor critique group, I’m talking about the cozy, animated experience in which a small group of creative humans come together to think out loud in each other’s good company. Unburdened by a formal curriculum, it’s a space driven by inquiry and openness, often with a desire to ask better questions rather than solidify answers.

Open Studio is a 5-week intentional gathering space where we get to be with our projects—both the knowns and the unknowns—as artists in community.

We’ll talk about things like attention, practice, sustainability, enchantment, and the aspects of making that both trouble and encourage us. It’s a curated space built to reinforce the innate value of your perspective—the creative way in which only you can look at the world around you—and cultivate a deeper trust in the artistry behind it.

For five weeks, 3-12 of us will gather, think, share, inquire, percolate, and play together, with an eye toward stewarding a project of our choosing.

What kind of project?

Yours might be tangible and defined—a book manuscript, a collage series, a poetry chapbook, or something craft-forward that relies on your hands.

Alternatively, your project might be you. Maybe you’ve received a late-in-life ND diagnosis, and you’d like your creativity to play a significant role in integrating an identity shift.

Your project might feel loose and internal, something you’re still seeking language for, yet you have a strong hunch that creative writing will be involved.

Whatever your project, all you need is the willingness to take seriously that you are a creative person—an artist—who has some creative work they’d like to do.

The Basics

• Five 90-minute Zoom calls across five weeks.

  • We’ll meet every Tuesday at 9:30am Pacific / 12:30pm Eastern / 5:30pm London beginning September 8th, the day after Labor Day.

    • Call dates: 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, and 10/6

• We’ll utilize Padlet as a visually-oriented space for sharing the following between calls: excerpts from our own work, project updates, group resources, and random inspiration.

• After each call, I’ll send group emails with recaps, optional prompts / areas to focus on in the coming week, and inspiring videos & texts highlighting the work of other artists.

Questions? Reach out and I will answer them all:

hello (at) sarahteresacook (dot) com.

Dear global friends, if this time slot proves challenging for you, please let me know! Your feedback helps me accommodate as many time zones as possible.