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Happy New Year! I hope your 2026 is filled with creativity.In this monthly newsletter: Retreat deadline approaching, new creative reset worksheet, Creative Sunday, and my read/watch/listen recs
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Art, nature & an amazing way to support your creativity: Apply for our Winter Creative Retreat by Jan 5th!
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Get a break form the noise and hear yourself think at our Winter Creative Retreat at Sierra Meadows February 13-16, 2026. This is the multidisciplinary creative retreat I’ve been dreaming of and am thrilled to be partnering with Tara Lockhart to make it happen. Apply by January 5th. Our February cohort will be made up of of 8-10 creative minds from a range of creative disciplines. Retreat programming is designed to be just the right balance of facilitated group time to spark inspiration and build creative community, and plenty of solo time for you to decompress and focus on your creative projects—all while surrounded by the stunning beauty of the Sierra Foothills. We also will be providing delicious meals. Sierra Meadows is on 1300 acres in the Sierra Foothills, including a re-wilded golf course where cart paths are now for walking and biking, putting greens are covered in wildflowers and art, the clubhouse has been transformed to a lodge for meals, music, and events, modern cabins have been built, and, yes, there is still a pool and hot tub.
I have been a part of several incredible events at Sierra Meadows and have always craved going back when it’s quiet, to focus in the cabins, and see where my mind goes. Apply by Jan 5th to join us! Have questions or intrigued, but not sure if this is right for you? Email me your thoughts or to set up time to chat.
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Jan 11th Creative Sunday featuring live music with guitarist John Givens
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Our next Creative Sunday is Sunday, January 11th @ 2:00-4:30pm! Reserve your spot here. It’s $15 or $110 for a year membership which includes access to every event, a guest pass, and reserving your favorite table in advance. January’s Creative Sunday Featured Artist is Berkeley-based guitarist, songwriter and producer, John Givens, playing live music for the event and talking a bit about his creative process. “I live for those moments when you feel the room shift, it gets a little quiet and you feel the audience connect with music. Helping people to feel deeper is what it's all about for me,” John says.
John's solo music blends genres, incorporating elements of blues, soul, jazz, and ambient music to create what feels like a lush and gently funky cinematic score. John has produced, been the band leader, and primary song writer on eight albums ranging from an eight-piece soul band (No Lovely Thing), to an experimental post rock group (Lay / Lie), to his own solo guitar records (Music for Road Trips). He currently performs with Lay / Lie, The Jake Sampson Blues Group, Americana singer/songwriter, Joe Brennan, and as a solo electronic guitarist. Listen and learn more at johnagivens.com, Bandcamp, and @givenyagoosebumps. Future Featured Artists: February 8th: Blackout Poetry with Nina Madjid March 8th: Miniatures with Erica Meade April 12th: Memoir Writing with Walter Thompson May 10th: Poetry Adventure with Tara Lockhart
Cash bar is open throughout each event with light snacks provided; Gold Palm kitchen opens at 4pm
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The Winter/Spring 2026 Passion Project Workshop is Full - Why?
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I always offer spots to current cohort members first and, for the first time, every single one of them wanted to continue. Normally a couple people continue and we add a few new, but we didn’t have room this time. This makes me so happy because it means these workshops are having an impact. And if it happens again before the Summer/Spring Cohort, I’ll build another group. You can join the waitlist here. Cohorts meet twice a month for five months, with each session starting with participants sharing something they’re proud of and something that was hard with their project in the prior weeks. Each participant also gets a session dedicated to feedback on their work-in-progress—facilitated with guiding questions. It’s a pivotal time in their creative process. Throughout it all we’re also sharing inspiration and support to keep each other going. As one past participant described it: “In no time, Kate took a group of strangers and turned us into a trusting circle for testing out new ideas and project development.”
Creative passion projects are so good for the soul AND can be so hard to prioritize. This workshop changes that. You may be halfway done with something or have a seed of an idea, but either way you are looking for inspiration, accountability, feedback, and community to propel your project forward.
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Do our creative hobbies expire if we don’t do them enough? What is enough? I’ve played guitar since 1995 yet probably touched the instrument less than 10 times in 2025. It’s out of the case on a stand in reach from every angle of my office/studio, so, no, access is not the issue. This isn’t the first year with such dismal numbers either. At the same time, two top creative highlights for me this year were learning Jingle Bell Rock with my 10 year old nephew over the holidays and playing Wonderwall for a room full of people singing at the top of their lungs back in March. So why does something I enjoy so much get so little play? I often wonder: am I even a musician anymore? The challenge is finding and accepting the creative practice that truly works for us as unique individuals, which often requires letting go a lifetime of “shoulds”, comparisons to others, and identifying what comes easier or harder for you. Do you have a creative practice that could use a reset? Here’s a guide I created to help, with my guitar playing as an example below.
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Here it is applied to me and my guitar: Professional ambition: Balance: I am a multi-passionate creative so know I will always want to balance guitar with other creative outlets (writing, podcasting, crafting, event facilitating, etc) Time with friends and family is important to me I have to work for a living
Challenges: It’s always been hard for me to motivate to play alone It has historically been harder for me to play with men. Not all men. But while being one of the only females playing guitar as a teenager was cool, it was emotionally hard to keep up with my overly confident male counterparts, which impacted my confidence (and oh how I love this - start at 1:21) I minored in music in college and was always super intimidated by the “real” musicians in the program I was always way too shy to sing, but actually love singing and know it adds a lot to my playing My nerves come in the form of memory lapse, causing me to be annoyingly glued to my sheet music when playing It’s easier for me to say “I play music” than “I am a musician.” Maybe because I am a multifaceted human resisting oversimplified titles? Or it’s something deeper.
Good times: Figuring out a new song, writing a melody, getting lost in playing, listening to guitar I love BRINGS ME SUCH JOY I’ve played the most when taking lessons, hosting jam days, or learning songs for loved ones’ big life celebrations I have a lot of natural musical talent and learn quickly
Current state: How does this translate into action? If you try the guide, I would love to hear what you discover! Remember it’s never too late to dust off that instrument, camera, canvas, or screenplay. You may also reflect and accept that you want to retire something and start anew.
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A few things I’ve found inspiring lately:
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Prioritize your creativity Elevate your career & leadership skills For creative industry professionals evolving careers, preparing for job interviews, sharpening leadership skills, and more. Format: 1:1 sessions
Enable creative & efficient teams For creative teams balancing creativity, connection, efficiency and scale. Formats: 1:1 leader sessions, independent consulting, larger scale consulting with Blum
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That’s it for this monthly newsletter! Since you got this far, please help me grow by: Forwarding this newsletter to your creative friends, family and colleagues and asking them to sign up here. Following me on Instagram and/or LinkedIn for some news and inspiration that doesn’t always make it in here. I don’t overdo it, promise.
Thank you! Kate
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