“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
~ C.S Lewis
In September 2010 I visited Squam Art Workshops for the very first time. Six months after leaving my job as a stockbroker and just a couple of weeks before beginning my photography studies at LCC, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
This gathering of shining souls to make magic around a New Hampshire lake changed my life in more ways than I can understand. Outwardly an art retreat for creative souls, what is artfully hidden below the surface is an experience that chips away at our anxieties, our barriers, our everyday stresses until we leave, five days later, shoulders a little further from our ears and with the community we need to support us in pursuing our dreams.
For a solitary soul like me, one of the hardest pieces of advice to follow in this new career has been to find supporters and peers with whom to commiserate and congratulate, Except for my oldest and most trusted friends and family, I don’t like to cry on other people’s shoulders. I don’t like to burden them with my frustrations and my moments of despair.
But community is not just about having someone to talk to in those dark moments. It’s also about being surrounded by the supportive energy of a group of people who wish only for you to be your best and most authentic self. That kind of love and support crosses oceans and continents. It fills your cup and sends you on your way, ready to do great work in the world.
I’m no longer embarrassed to admit it but the first time I attended Squam, I hoped I would become somehow transformed into a creative person. I hoped that, by being close to these talented, amazing women, some of their magic would rub off on me. A seemingly unrealistic wish but one that ultimately came true.
When I returned to London after my 2010 Squam experience, I went into art school with a different perspective and a determination to create my own art, without worrying if anyone else liked it or appreciated it. That gave me the freedom to experiment and helped me to find my own distinctive style.
And all the while, my community supported me, watching from afar, applauding my baby steps and willing me to keep going. For me, the magic of Squam didn’t end as I drove away from the lakeside camp. In fact it was just beginning.
Returning to New Hampshire two years later, it was different. I didn’t go to Squam for the creative outlet, I went to recharge my batteries. I went to nourish my soul and to spend time with the wonderful people whose loving and supportive energy had meant so much to me over the previous two years.
And it didn’t fail to deliver. Elizabeth and the Squam team have created a haven from the real world, where we can all play and let go of the pressures that so often hold us back from making connections and creating from the heart. Very gradually it softens us and opens us up. Five short days later, we return blinking into our normal lives and, if we let it, the after effects may change our lives.