The Tired Creative: The Art of Letting Go
About this Event
A women-only creative day.
When did you last make something just because you felt like it?
Not for Instagram. Not to give to someone. Not to sell, or get better at, or tick off a list. Just because your hands wanted something to do.
It’s not about what you create. It’s about why and how you create it.
If you’re tired, this day is for you. Maybe life is so full of work, people and responsibilities that there’s no room left for you. Maybe you’re tired of always being capable, useful and on top of everything. Maybe you used to love creating, and somewhere along the way it became one more thing you could get wrong. You don’t need to be an artist to come, whether you’re blocked, a perfectionist, or just curious. You only need to be willing to spend a Sunday doing something with no point to it, in a room of women doing the same.
Why we do it this way
A lot of us stop creating because of the voice that asks whether it’s good enough, who will see it, and what it’s for. This day is designed to quieten that voice by taking away what it’s worried about. There’s no result to achieve and nothing to keep, only the experience of making something alongside other women who are also giving themselves permission to slow down.
How the day unfolds
We’ll gather inside at Fleurieu Arthouse around one long table, with a long sheet of paper running down the middle and flowers in vases along it. There are only 12 places, so the group stays calm and unhurried.
We arrive at 10:30am, settle in with tea and snacks, and take a few minutes of grounding to put down the week. From 10:45am we start sketching the flowers in pencil, letting the drawing grow into the person next to you and simply noticing what’s in front of you.
At 12:00pm we break for lunch for around 30 to 45 minutes, on the couches or at the garden tables. Look at what you’ve made, and think about the colours you might want. Then come back whenever you like and fill the flowers in with watercolour, adding layers of chalk pastel once the paint dries. We finish painting around 2:00pm and step back to admire our collective garden.
For the last half hour, you’ll write on a card how you feel, and then together we tear the paper up.
Letting go
I want to be upfront about this part.
We will tear the artwork up together, and it’s the most powerful moment of the day. We let go of the final piece and remember the time we felt creating it.
It might be hard to have nothing to keep or show for it. That’s the important part. When a piece has no future, it can’t be judged, shared or measured, and the pressure to be good lifts away. You’ll know the ability to create is inside you, and was never in the paper. You can make something just as beautiful again any day you like.
What you take home
Not the painting, but a card. You’ll choose a colour that feels right and write down how you felt. Keep it by your bed or on your desk as a reminder of the feeling, for the days when you’re tired again and the little voice returns.
Good to know
Tickets include all materials, a gourmet individual lunch box (fresh sandwich, side salad or fruit cup, and a baked sweet treat), and tea and light snacks throughout.
Please tell me about any dietary requirements at checkout.
There’s free parking on site, just off the main street of McLaren Vale. Wear something comfortable that can get a little paint and chalk pastel on it, and bring a hat or sunscreen if you’d like to eat in the garden.
Phones go away for the session, and I’ll take photos and video of the process to send to you afterwards.
The Arthouse is open to visitors while we work, so people may wander past and be curious. That’s nothing to feel self-conscious about. Most are quietly delighted to see it, and it’s a gentle chance to be seen doing something just for joy, and let the feeling of being judged wash away.
Your host
Hi, I’m Charlotte. I’m an Adelaide-based creative with a background in architecture and brand strategy, and I’m also a live wedding painter. I spend a lot of my working life making things that have to be good, delivered and approved. I started The Tired Creative because some of my favourite moments of making have been the ones nobody ever saw, and I wanted to make a space for women to have more of those.
You don’t need a reason, a result or an audience. You are allowed to spend a Sunday making something just for you, and to enjoy your own company while you do.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
AUD 70.00
