It is so easy to lose your creative self: social media, expectations of others (and your own), what you think you should do… During this 3-day retreat you will explore with Marloes De Vries what makes you happy creatively, while walking, writing and drawing. With exercises in letting go of perfectionism, and tuning into your feelings and worrying less, you will bring out your creative self, which might be buried under a layer of expectations and obligations.

Artists and writer Marloes De Vries has had success with her illustrations both in the Netherlands and abroad. She has won several prizes, illustrated over 40 books, makes a weekly comic strip for children and wrote a non-fiction book. All was going well, until she suffered a burnout. She had to learn to look at her life and creativity differently. “What do I really want?” became the key question. To answer that, you have to go back to basics. To a place where you don’t judge your abilities, but try new ways and experiment, where you park your perfectionism for a while (or rather: let it go) and follow what lights you up inside.

In the German Eifel you can fully immerse yourself in this process for three days. In a romantic country house in the woods, you’ll be taken care of all-inclusive, so you’ll only have to focus on your creativity. You’ll go for walks every day to reconnect your body and mind, and join daily workshops from Marloes. In between you’ll have time for yourself to read, light a fire or take a nap. For those who wish, a sauna and a wood-fired hot tub are available.

A few days of complete relaxation and a chance to tune in with yourself, so that you’ll go home with a fully charged battery and tools to take better care of your creative self.