Time Away to Both Focus and Wander Creatively

Residencies have given me something increasingly rare: uninterrupted time to slow down, experiment, and devote myself fully to the creative process. Away from the routines and responsibilities of everyday life, I can spend long days exploring materials, testing techniques, learning new tools, following unexpected ideas, and making work simply to see where it leads. That freedom to experiment, to make, fail, reconsider, and begin again, is an essential to creativity.

Just as important is the sense of community that develops during these periods of concentrated making. At Penland School of Craft and Pilchuck Glass School, I have shared studios, meals, walks, conversations, and discoveries with artists and friends. We cook together, talk about art and books, wander through the landscape, exchange ideas, and make space for one another’s work. These seemingly ordinary moments become part of the creative experience, creating a rhythm of focused work and generous connection.

For me, a residency is not simply a change of place. It is an opportunity to step outside the familiar, give attention to materials and ideas, and make room for new work to emerge.

I look forward to sharing more specifics from future residencies here with you.