Possibility in the Wilderness: Explorations in Art, Music and Writing
August 7-10th
A 3-day workshop in the Sierra Foothills of California led by Mati McDonough and Monica Pasqual
(Just 2.5 hours from San Francisco, 1.5 from Sacramento)
Treat yourself to a respite from your daily demands while you sleep in deluxe comfort in a beautiful, natural setting, eat fresh organic food, take walks, float in the pool and connect with a group of fabulous women.
Let’s come together to create art books that are filled with fierce writing, juicy stories, messy collage, paint, scribbling and over-all yumminess. For those who want to add music-making to the mix, there will be songwriting workshops and one-on-one coaching, too!
We’ll spend the weekend cutting, pasting and mining memories from our pasts with easy writing and art prompts that we, (Mati and Monica), use on a daily basis to keep our creative juices flowing. Both of us have spent our professional lives creating art for a living, sidestepping our inner critics to tap into an innate creative flow. Sometimes it requires us to dig deep and pull from hidden wells of inspiration during the ebbs as well as the flows of life.
Our approach to teaching is playful, passionate, expressive, authentic and fun. We expect there will be lots of laughter, possibly tears, songs, writing and art unearthed over the weekend as we move fluidly between mediums, allowing creativity without limits dictate our moves.
We’ll also spend lots of time enjoying each other’s company in the pool, over the dinner table and around the fire. This will be a deluxe retreat with time for nourishing your creative self: a respite from your daily life in the company of other wonderful women in a lush, natural surrounding.
You will leave the weekend filled with creative fire, inspiration and a beautiful book to continue to work in and draw from as you move towards a life filled with creativity.
This weekend is for all skill-levels. From the expert artist, writer or musician to the newbie.
This will be an intimate deluxe retreat in a gorgeous home surrounded by nature, a beautiful pool, fire pit and even an amphitheater!
Secure your spot with a Deposit today for $500 before July 1st:
EARLY BIRD PRICING!
Private room $1050 until June 22nd, $1200 after
Shared King bed room $750 per person until June 22nd, $900 per person after
Day Only Rate $650 until June 22nd, $700 after (3 days which includes food and all-access to the property, but you are responsible for your own lodging)
Deluxe Private rooms with King and Queen pillow top beds available for 1200.
Deluxe Shared rooms with King and Queen pillow top beds available with a friend for 900 each.
About Our Teachers:
For over 25 years Monica Pasqual has been a player and a survivor in the music business. She’s worked as a singer/songwriter, a soundtrack composer, a dance accompanist, and a performer. touring the US and Europe with her band, Blame Sally, as well as creating documentary film scores that have aired worldwide.
In the last two years she has added personal mentor/coach, writing instructor, producer and memoir Writer to her resume. You can read her serial memoir online at https://medium.com/@monicapasqual
Pasqual is the recipient of Six Independent Music Awards and Six Emmy’s.
Mati is an artist and daring adventurer whose name is pronounced Matey, like Ahoy!
She is an Oakland, California based artist, illustrator, painting teacher and author of “Daring Adventures in Paint”. She also has illustrated several children’s books including “i carry your heart with me” written by ee cummings. After wanting to be an artist for many years, but feeling like it was “impractical”, at 29 years Mati took the leap and went back to art school at the California College of the Arts. Almost 10 years later, she is still excited and terrified every time she sees a blank canvas. She has had dozens of art shows, taught painting classes internationally and had her art used by clients Patagonia, University Games, Pier 1, as well as greeting cards, and her very own home decor line with Creative Coop.Through her workshops,book, and popular online course, she spreads a warm message of creative courage: it’s never too late to show the world your magic.
bio photos by Andrea Scher