Residency 2013: @BrushCreekArts Overall

This is an overdue post. And for that I apologize. Reality hit me smack-in-the-face as soon as I landed back in NYC with the humidity enveloping me after being in a WY hailstorm just several hours prior. And being atop a mountain means rain turns to snow, people. Snow in May. Yup. So what sums up my thoughts on Brush Creek? Peaceful. QUIET. Calm. Comfortable. Yes. What I may have missed out at Ragdale I had at Brush Creek. So, as I am prone to do. Let me break it down for you:

PROS

Space

For the writers this is spacious and warm. Mine was designed more for comfort while I feel like the Rancher's Daughter studio beside me was a bit more stylish. Either way I really liked both spaces as they were twice the size of Jentel (which was lovely and cozy) and separate from my room unlike Ragdale. Each writer's studio equipped with extra chairs (each studio had a La-Z-Boy), a couch, I had bongos for some reason, and lots of pillows, lighting, and a blanket. It was definitely cozy and if I could have or had more time I probably would've napped in there at some point.

The visual artists studios are a bit smaller than ones I have seen. Lighting comes in straight through the glass doors in the front and via some windows higher up that you'd need a ladder to reach for on the other side. They are spacious but again, not as big as I've seen visual artists work in at other studios.

The composers have houses! The Schoolhouse is massive and was a school house so it has several rows of pews and a stage. Armstrong studio has a piano and a good amount of space for a couch and fit several people in for a jam session so I'd say that's a nice space in and of itself.

The resident rooms were small, not really meant for lounging, but more as a place for rest and storage. But the bed was super comfy (foam) and the bathroom spacious. You get a robe and several sets of towels and cute toiletries. You have a big dresser and area to hang items with wooden hangers and a nice spot for your shoes/boots. There's a lot of light and a heater/air conditioner and it is QUIET. Everyone is respectful of being quiet once back in their room and you cannot hear sounds from the other studios. The housekeeping ladies are the sweetest and clean every Monday morning and they do a phenomenal job. Love them to bits.

The artists lounge is a bit small in terms of the library and computer area but very cozy as I read in there a bit. The library is still being built so feel free to add to it and send donated items! There are also games and some more additions we made when we went to a couple rummage sales on Saturday in the town of Saratoga. The kitchen is great but not well stocked in terms of cooking items since you're meant to reheat more than cook but this may get fully stocked as time goes on and if things change.

Out and About

Hiking you can do in abundance here. And not just hiking along a road but on trails, on roads too, but going to see land and nature and animals! Mainly moose, deer, and dogs, but still nature!

Also you can use the facilities at the main lodge. Colette and I tended to go to the gym every few days and once Jim started us in on the game room Hoop Fever and Buck Hunt became staples in our routine when we needed to get out and were restless. Plus, unlimited Gatorade in the game room!

CONS

Wifi

You have to log into the open access internet once every 24 hours which can be burdensome and irritating if you're using the internet steadily in that it'll conk out on you in the middle of something. Also range isn't the best, mainly suitable in your studio but not as great in your room if you can even get access on your computer/devices.

Culinary Delights?

As I may have mentioned, the food was mighty lackluster. And if you're a vegetarian be forewarned that the kitchen staff didn't seem to comprehend that there's a vast amount of things you can make for vegetarians outside of salad, quickly fried tofu, and pasta/pizza. A lot of times one of the other residents off-set the vegetarian items with leftovers and store bought items to appeal to the vegetarians who did not get as much protein as necessary.

In addition to that it seems that the variety of food doesn't improve for artists unless guests are present. Which is sad. It seemed that we were an add on and not a focus so the food was often uninspired and not great. The desserts were standard fare once guests came but nothing outstanding. You know I'm a foodie so that is important. But dinner was often better than lunch which I ate twice out of the ten lunches I was provided because I got sick of sandwiches doused in mayonnaise with lettuce and tomato on plain white bread that was heavy and soggy when I received it--often sandwiches were made early in the morning (around 5 or 6am) and left out until delivered to us around noon.

Activity-less

I did not get to go on any activities as by the time this was all sorted I was on my way out. Residents are allowed one activity per two week stay and it was odd that it would not be until the guests arrived that we residents would be allowed to get in on their activities. Which just seemed weird. So by the time guests did come which was the 16th we were waiting to be told every morning of what activities were available and after three days it was just not a good way of communicating/organizing. The director tried her best but it seems there's a real disconnect between staff at the lounge and the artists camp and hopefully this'll be fixed with new leadership.

In Summary:

If I could take Linda, Ragdale chef, and bring her to Brush Creek and add in a bit less tension between staff and the Artists Camp this would've been ideal and on par with Jentel for me. Speaking with other residents who had gone to Jentel and were at Brush Creek with me we agreed, hands down, that Jentel is the best residency experience we've ever had.

Of course you shouldn't always compare things. Every conference, retreat, residency, everything has it's pros and cons. But for the fact that the staff of one director was super attentive and kind, add in the amazing amounts of quiet, the cool people, the atmosphere, the cleanliness (in my room at least), and the lack of bugs it was delightful. I got so much more done at Brush Creek and I enjoyed every moment. Food be damned, though that is a big point for me, I would go back to Brush Creek and definitely recommend it to others to apply to with the caveats above. I think knowing more about your residency location can help you be more productive rather than being surprised. So, as a new residency they did a really great job and I'd encourage others to go if not for the peace and quiet in itself.

Jentel Artist Residency: Week 3 (Winding down)

While the first several days (week and a half) brought a flurry of inspiration, the tail end of week 2 and beginning of week 3 brought some serious winding down in terms of productivity and confidence on my part. In speaking with one of the other visual artists she also said that she was upset with herself for not producing as much as she wanted to in a month's time and that in reflection she needed to be easier on herself because of the fact that inspiration can't be commanded on a whim. In my case I was on a roll and found myself in slump. Said slump consisted of me typing up things and immediately hating what it was I was scribing but pushed myself to keep going, and at some point I just couldn't. At various moments I stopped and this is when Facebook and Twitter and the schedule for Book Expo along with work for my job came into play to distract me from the creativity that just wasn't flowing.

On top of which the end of the week brought a rejection from the only lit mag I queried about a flash fiction piece I'd been working on for over three year.! Yes, less than 1000 words worked on and edited and nitpicked for 3 years + (it happens). I got a one sentence reason for the rejection which I took to heart and am currently editing this piece again for mass submission this summer.

Other things catering to said slump may be the feeling of cabin fever (as beautiful as the residence and locale are sometimes you just need to get away) or the reality of time clicking away at a steady pace (What day is it? Friday! Crap.).

Yes, slumps happen to all artists. The residents here have all had those moments or are currently in the midst of them in some way and believe-you-me we are none too happy about having to leave said paradise and go back to our day-to-day lives where some of us just don't have the luxury to create full-time. The insecurity has bound in and I'm coming off the high of March into May with reality slapping me in the face again. The reality of wondering if your tale has a place in the growing African-American diaspora let alone the literary canon. The reality of wondering if you'll ever truly be done. And of course the reality of wondering if you're even good enough.  I was just reading Megan (aka Writer Girl's) blog about giving over her first draft to loved ones to read. Just a few months ago I posted about not believe in my NYC Midnight submission. And of course I see Twitter updates from writers grinning and baring it and plugging away and asking for good vibes and sugar sent their way so they can keep going. There are days when you feel you are just producing crap and to do so at a residency may feel like a waste, but it has to happen. It's going to happen, so you just have to deal with it. I produce stuff I am none too happy about at home in NYC all the time, so why not in Wyoming too? And maybe now's a good time to take Lynn's advice to heart and take a break from producing and just focus on moi.

Friday brought a nice trip to Ucross, another residency several miles away from Jentel that has hosted some big name writers like Heidi Durrow, Colson Whitehead, Sigrid Nunez (a former instructor of mine at The New School), Elizabeth Gilbert, Junot Diaz, and Wyoming's own E. Annie Proulx! I was so excited I had to tweet the authors I follow on Twitter and let her know I saw her work there. Turns out Ms. Durrow was not only a resident at Ucross (and Hedgebrook and Norman Mailer and Vermont Studio Center; yes, she's my idol!) but she said she found her voice here at Jentel. Amazing! Three of the visual artists and myself went to see the Ucross gallery celebrating 27 years of artist residents and saw some amazing work. Joyce and I were particularly blown away by the coloring and such for this piece:

And this was another favorite by the Ucross alumi:

If you're near Banner or Clearmont, WY I strongly urge you to stop in. I believe this particular showing is going on until June 1st.

As the days go on and we continue to experience cold, hot, warm, cold, chilly, snowy weather we also prepared for Jentel Presents! This is the time when us residents get to show our work to people in the community. And Lynn informed us that this presentation has also become mandatory for college students both in art and creative writing. Like I did at an Inspired Word NYC open mic I decided to read my flash fiction. I'm trying to stay away from reading aloud too much from the collection as I feel I've exhausted the strongest bits by reading to the residents and sending out to residencies these past few months. Though I am proud of what I've done here (some of it, well most of it) flash fiction tends to be a great thing to read because you can actually complete something and provide the reader something to mull over afterwards.

Everyone did an extraordinary job in presenting and talking about their work. For the artists, Lisa, Joyce, Rachel, and Karen it felt like I was being re-introduced to their work as we heard more about their process even though I had seen some of it before. Seeing them stand up tall and talk about it so confidently in front of a crowd was amazing and gives you a sense of pride in sharing space and time with such amazing artists. Lorraine read one of her favorite portions to write from her novel-in-progress and it definitely showed in her reading it. It was vibrant and the characters well constructed. She has a great reading voice.

After the presentations were over we got to speak with some of the people who attended, full house as you can see from the picture above. I spoke briefly with a poet who asked me why I felt insecure (something I mentioned before reading noting that while I'm in love with my collection I have bouts of sadness at the prospect of not finishing) and I told him the truth, just a few days earlier I had been blocked. He said he was going through the same thing. He's in the midst of writing something about his father and was going to do a series of poems but realized the structure may be better as one poem with four sections. I commiserated, informing him I think I just got an idea on the structure of one of the stories for my collection that morning and it'd been something I'd been thinking about for years since it's part of the crux or linchpin of the stories involved. I wished him good luck with his current block and we agreed that we'd get back to things when it was meant to be. We just had to be patient, though that can be hard.

We ended up having dinner with some local artists, Randy one of the heads of Sagebrush was such a pleasure to speak to as were Joel (another artist) and Sarah a teacher who is trying to find time to write while raising a family and working a full-time job. Everyone was friendly and the food at the Pony Bar & Grill was ridiculously large in size. All in all a great night.

We're headed out at the latter part of this week and working hard as we get to the last week and preparing to depart and get back to our real lives. *le sigh*

On another upbeat note,  my flash fiction piece, "The Resolution" has pubbed in the latest issue of Eclectic Flash. On top of that, Joyce made huge cookies! So after the end of a bad week looks like this week is progressing to end well.