As our time together was winding down, our final day was dedicated to our newest tradition (est. 2023) The Saturday Salon. During this deep dive into the business side of art, Michelle and Penny answer any and all questions on myriad subjects related to the aspects of art beyond its initial creation: marketing, sourcing materials, pricing, website creation, online sales, in person sales, and more…. Questions are addressed in a round-table manner, allowing everyone to benefit from the experiences of their fellow Creative Explorers as well as their Hosts. Another way in which we are able to be in community with one another and expand our circles.

***V. Coleman shares with fellow Creative Explorers***

After a final lunch (another beloved tradition: Leftover-palooza), thoughts turned to finishing up our various projects and a final round of creative “what-ifs.” Women, many of whom had only just met three days ago, chatted and worked alongside one another as old friends while music provided a background to laughter and conversation.

As the night wound down and projects wrapped up, our thoughts turned to the next days departure…

…and on Sunday morning, we said farewell. Bags were packed with snacks for travel and final mementos of our time together. We sent our Creative Explorers homeward with new techniques to make their own, new friendships to treasure, and new memories to savor.

…and just like they say in the movies: That’s a wrap! We cherish the opportunity to be surrounded by such incredible women for 4 days each March. While we revel in the memories of every year, we constantly have an eye toward “what’s next?” If you are wondering the same thing, stay tuned!

Now that we have had a chance to look back at 2024, we are full-steam-ahead toward 2025 - and it will be here before we know it. Stick around for some behind-the-scenes looks at what we have in store for Seaside Sessions 2025. We’ll be back soon with that and a few more surprise announcements. Remember: space is limited at our haven by the sea, only 7 spots remain. You can snag yours by visiting the Our Events tab (above) & registering today!

***Join us for mixed media magic, memory making, and treasure seeking in Surf City, NC - March 19-23, 2025!***

On our 1st full day, we rose shortly after the sun to enjoy coffee and breakfast together before spending the day with Penny and the wonders of gel plate mono-printing toward the goal of creating Flag Books. In addition to the desired beautiful weather, it would appear that the dolphins got the memo, too - treating us to a show as they too enjoyed breakfast & frolicking to begin the day.

After a glorious morning and afternoon of creating with wild abandon, our Creative Explorers then assembled their various prints and tags into a colorful and kinetic Flag Book - a veritable (Mini) Encyclopedia of Gel Printing Techniques. Revelatory exclamations ensued. Our good times continued through the evening with a delicious dinner and Open Studio time into the night. Music and laughter filled our lovely (albeit temporary) home by the sea….

***A Circle of Happy Makers and Their Creations***

Join us again tomorrow for a look back at Day 3 and our 2nd full day of Studio Session fun with Michelle as our self proclaimed “Year of the Gel Plate” continues!