photo: Brandon Scott Herrell
Painting with wildcrafted brush and ink (photo: Brandon Scott Herrell)
Sitting in stillness to draw a flower, tracing the mountain’s slope with brushstrokes by eye, following the sound of waves down corridors of memory, and free association through writing – these are gestures of connection as much as they are creative acts. Join us for an intimate creative workshop on the enchanted grounds of Esalen Institute and along the trails of the Big Sur coast to explore art making as a relational practice with the wild.
Immersed in the outdoors during the first lovely days of summer, we will write, draw, and craft to nourish our innate creative capacities and cultivate kinship with the land. We will hike to set ourselves on the creative path, grounding our bodies and opening our senses as we move through the landscape. While emphasizing a spirit of play and practice over product and gathering inspiration and materials from the environment, we will engage with a variety of media as pathways of meaningful connection with the self and the natural world.
Acknowledging Big Sur to be a precious, biodiverse wilderness and the sacred ancestral land of the Esselen Tribe, our artistic gestures will be humble offerings of reverent attention to the living world. May we joyfully participate in a collective creativity – one we share with the trees, boulders, rivers, birds, and all beings – to honor the Earth and our interconnectedness.
Activities will include:
Writing exercises in prose and poetry inspired by the land.
Botanical, landscape, and experiential drawing practices.
Wildcrafting paintbrushes and inks from sustainable materials in the environment.
Check-in circles to facilitate meaning-making and relationship-building amongst our cohort.
Mindfulness and nature awareness practices to expand awareness of self and landscape.
Please note that this workshop is for people with all levels of creative practice, including those with no previous experience. You do not need to identify as an “artist” to participate. Various hiking abilities can be accommodated, but bear in mind that day hikes will be up to five miles long with rugged, uneven, and sometimes steep terrain. Participants must be able to sit on the ground for periods of time.
Meet your guides
Fletcher Tucker
Wildtender Co-Founder Fletcher was raised by the foggy redwood ravines and fragrant chaparral bluffs of the Esselen tribal territory now known as Big Sur, California. Fletcher is a lifelong student of natural history, an ancestral skills practitioner, and an experienced teacher of adults and children. Fletcher is a writer, multidisciplinary artist and musician whose practice and work engages deeply with place.
Fletcher’s inner work includes ongoing exploration in Zen and Taoist practices/philosophy; over a decade of study in the Gestalt lineage of Esalen Institute co-founder Dick Price; and engagement with the Earth-reverent, spiritual practices of his own Nordic and Celtic ancestors.
Fletcher is a NOLS certified Wilderness First Responder.
Noël Vietor
Noël has been in an ongoing apprenticeship with sacred gardens and wilds of California for the last two decades. Her work and interests are dedicated to helping people relate more meaningfully with the land, themselves and each other. Noël served as the Program Coordinator for the Esalen Institute Farm & Garden in Big Sur from 2010-2015 – organizing its land-based educational programs and practice of Relational Agriculture, rooted in Esalen’s Gestalt lineage. Noël finds meaning and belonging in the Big Sur wild while hiking the steep trails, learning the history and stories of the place, drawing landscapes and plants, and experimenting with wild-crafting arts.
Registration for this program is done by the Esalen Institute.
Other Information
This retreat will consist of numerous, outdoor, hands-on, physical practices and a great deal of walking, including two long-form hikes. Various hiking abilities can be accommodated, bearing in mind that our long hikes are approximately seven miles in length over uneven and often steep terrain. Participants must be able to sit on the ground, work/learn outside in all weathers, and get a little dirty.
Terms & Conditions (including registration and cancellation terms, and program requirements)
Schedule a Call With Us
Interested in this program but have a few questions? Please use the calendar below to schedule a complimentary 20 minute exploratory call with us. We look forward to hearing from you!