Last September, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a week-long retreat to make paper flowers under the direction of the one and only Tiffanie Turner. It was a transformative experience to learn directly from such an incredible, visionary artist in the field, not to mention a luxurious and inspiring retreat. The retreat was organized by Lizzie Hulme of Textile Retreat Co. and if you ever get the chance to take a workshop through her – just do it.

I have spent much time since reflecting on both the techniques, and the snippets I learned from Tiffanie on being an artist – what makes an outcome worth the effort, and the individual perspective needed to reach a next level.

The visit started out with a brief but beautiful stay in Richmond, a suburb of London known for the magnificent Kew Gardens, a picturesque riverwalk, the Petersham Nursery, and now Ted Lasso. I spent a few days getting over my jet lag and enjoying the ridiculously perfect weather.

When it was time to be picked up and head to Goodnestone Park for the week, I got to meet my fellow attendees – all very fun ladies, and we had a great time together! Our breakfast and lunch meals were prepared by Sarah Mooney of Sauce of Love and dinners by Olivia Trim at Just One Cook and they were all so delicious, my stomach is rumbling just thinking about them.

The techniques and tips we learned are not mine to share, so I won’t, but I can say that every day I had an a-ha moment that reminded me over and over how worth it the trip was for my art (far beyond the chance as a mom of relatively young kids to get away and do something for myself.)

After the trip, an idea has come up many times in conversation for me: growth as an artist gets you to a level where eventually you stop worrying about the “how” of doing the art and start focusing on the “why”. While I am still very much enmeshed in the “how,” It was so rewarding to see the step up to the next place – to the “why” first.

As someone who is often working alone in my studio I can become isolated and stop challenging myself relatively quickly, and working in a studio full of women learning together was incredibly enriching.

Thank you to Tiffanie and all my wonderful fellow workshop attendees!