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KATE SULLIVAN CREATIVE

In this monthly newsletter: Creative Sunday’s first anniversary, exes on This American Life, a low-key creative retreat

 

I recently spent a weekend tinkering in a cabin in the woods at Sierra Meadows in the Sierra Foothills. I’ve been to Sierra Meadows multiple times for events (many I’ve written about here), but this was the first time I experienced it quietly.

It was the most inspiring and rejuvenating weekend I’ve had maybe ever. There’s something magical about being in nature, taking a break from usual surroundings and routines, having so much time in the day to come and go from projects, and setting a clear intention to be creative.

I played more guitar than I have in months, finally learned to use the looper I’ve had for years, wrote a melody I don’t hate, journaled a ton, brainstormed future workshops, and connected with others having their own low-key creative retreat. It was the perfect mix of solo time while not being too alone.

You may recall our initial plan was facilitating a full-blown creative retreat. We were planning lots of programming, had a schedule, full catering, etc, etc. That didn’t pan out for a few reasons (mostly timing and money) and was disappointing at first. But I knew I still wanted to go and so did a few others, so we scaled it back and it ended up better than we could have ever planned or imagined.

Less was absolutely more.

There will be more low-key creative retreats. Stay tuned for details, which will basically be me sharing a date and saying go book a cabin in the woods. I encourage you to make your own wherever you feel inspired, too!

I also binged the 13-part series Fela Kuti Fear No Man by Jad Abumrad on my drive and highly recommend. If 13 feels like too many episodes, start with number eight on his song Zombie.

 

Creative Sunday’s Anniversary + March/April Featured Artist Spotlights

Our next Creative Sunday is Sunday, March 8th @ 2:00-4:30pm. Reserve your spot here!

It’s officially been a year since I started this Creative Sundays experiment in March 2025. The vision was wanting to be in a coffee shop where everyone is being creative and you can leave your stuff unattended while you wander to a craft table or chat with a new friend. I was also playing with the idea that sometimes (often) you need to put something on your calendar in order to make it happen.

To make it easier to start, I only committed to one as a test. It was clear right away there would be more.

It’s been an amazing year of creativity and connections and just keeps growing. We have regulars and members! I legitimately look forward to it every month and love working with our featured artists. It would not have been possible without the the best collaborators (especially David, Shirin, and Dan) and best space at Gold Palm. Thank you to all who have supported and attended!

 Make time for creativity! 

Our March 8th Creative Sunday featured artist is Erica Meade, Berkeley-based artist and miniaturist behind Mini House on the Line @minihouseontheline. Come hear a [mini] artist talk on miniatures, checkout some of her tiny things in person, and make some mini art to put in a mini frame on a mini wall! Or just come do your own thing.

Erica discovered her passion for making miniatures when she made a dollhouse for a friend’s daughter in 2023. She found that minis – so tactile, creative, challenging, and satisfying – were the perfect antidote to Zoom burnout. And the process of recreating something in a small scale lets her explore a breadth of craft techniques including woodworking, textile arts, sculpting, electrical wiring, bookbinding, tiny tiling, etc. 

“With each project I get to try something new + push myself to solve (tiny) problems.”  

Erica is also the co-founder of Practice, a new platform that helps people discover and nurture creative hobbies, and is a Product & Design Leadership Consultant for tech companies. 

I hope to see you on March 8th! It’s $15 or $110 for a 2026 membership which includes: access to every event, a guest pass, and reserving your favorite table in advance. If you aspire to come to more than SEVEN Creative Sundays this year, the membership will save you money.

 Join us! 

Future Featured Artists:

  • April 12th: Memoir with Walter Thompson - learn more below!

  • May 10th: Poetry Adventure with Tara Lockhart

  • June 14th: Mokuhanga Printmaking with Nichol Markowitz

  • July 12th: Portfolio Review with Eiko Nishida

The Four Walters

April 12th’s Creative Sunday Featured Artist is Walter Thompson inspiring us through memoir.

Walter is an award-winning independent journalist and podcast host based in San Francisco. His work has appeared in The Guardian, San Francisco Magazine, Hoodline, TechCrunch, and other outlets. He is also currently writing Four Walters, an intergenerational memoir that braids together the stories of his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and himself to examine legacy, reinvention, and the quiet forces that shape a life.

Join us on April 12th to hear a brief talk on memoir writing, an excerpt from Four Walters, and to be part of an optional mini workshop where you learn the basics of memoir writing or work on memoirs you’ve started. There will also be memoir-related prompts for those who prefer exploring this topic independently.

 Reserve your spot! 
 

The Joy of Ex on This American Life

You may recall me sharing All My Exes here before. It’s the multimedia Substack where the brilliant Evan Roberts (also a past Creative Sunday Featured Artist) chronicles talking to all his exes. I’ve been helping out with story editing and one ex, Keith, has always stood out. He’s of course the one who seemed least interested in participating and had been the hardest for Evan to let go. Until now.

Checkout The Joy of Ex on last week’s This American Life where Evan finally talks with Keith.

 

Show & Tell Date Change

My Passion Project Show & Tell Happy Hour at Local Economy has moved from March 14th to May 9th @ 5-7pm! Stay tuned for registration details.

The only thing better than engaging in your own creative passion projects is hearing other people light up talking about theirs. You can choose to be a spectator or show & teller – ideally including an object/visual (we’re channeling Kindergarten here). Just remember: this is a celebration of the creative endeavors you do for you, not for clients and bosses. Each share can be anywhere from one to five minutes. We’ll also swap tips for getting in the flow amidst many competing life priorities. Come get inspired, connect with other creative minds, and maybe meet your next collaborator. 

Email me if you want to volunteer to share your creative passion projects in a casual, low key, fun, easy, facilitated way. Impromptu spots may be available too! You can also just come watch and get inspired.

Local Economy is a super cool community events space and coffee shop in Rockridge. I highly recommend checking out their other events and supporting by being a member. Members get early access to many of the event tickets, which tend to sell out.

 

That’s it for this monthly newsletter. Go make something! See some art! Make time for creativity!

Kate

KATE SULLIVAN CREATIVE

Kate Sullivan Creative, LLC, Carleton St., Berkeley, United States

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