Lucky Star

Sigh.

You know when you go on a trip and you’re kind of nervous cause you’ve never been to that state before, travelling makes you stressed, and are about to spend a weekend with 70+ women…and you are crossing your fingers that it is going to be good but your heart might be a little sore from going to a big retreat or two in the past years and feeling really alone in a crowd, or felt like you didn’t fit in at all…and hope this one will be different?

I don’t know if you’ve ever been there, but that is exactly where I was last Wednesday flying down to Texas for the Lucky Star Art Camp.

Then I arrived at Camp Waldemar near Hunt, Texas…in Hill Country as they call it.

I’ve got to share my friends, I need not have worried.

For the next 4 days I felt so at home, so nourished, so charmed by Texas, so welcomed and so a part of something really beautiful.

The setting itself was unreal.  As in…Painting Workshops on the bank of the Guadelupe River, the cutest cabins and buildings, gorgeous light morning to evening, the most beautiful yellow flowers everywhere, sweet cats and dogs that wandered as they please, a circle of colourful chairs waiting for us to gather us around the campfire, even horses cooling themselves off in the river!

Then there was the people.

The loveliest collection of campers, amazing down to earth teachers, spunky brave folks who came on self-portrait adventures with me, our fabulous camp leader Lisa & the most nurturing cook and kitchen crew (who made this gluten-free girl feel so well fed).  Oh, and my fabulous roomate Aleli!

It was such an inclusive, welcoming group of ladies.  I was literally grinning from ear to ear all week.

Then there were my classes!  I had two classes I was leading…one deliciously small which allowed us to go on some big adventures and really get to know one another.  The other class packed full of such lovely gals, all so brave and it made me SO happy to see them not just get to know their cameras better (which totally did happen) but to leave grinning, proud of themselves (as they should be) and feeling empowered to take self-portraits.

There is something so incredible about teaching Be Your Own Beloved online and incredible community that happens in online classes.  Then there is teaching in person….and really getting to be hands on in helping people through their nervousness, or technical challenges and seeing the smiles on their faces as they run up to me to show me a photo they are mighty proud of.  That is something that absolutely fills me up and I’m so grateful that I get to do both online & in-person classes.  These classes at Lucky Star really have me hungry to do more in person workshops!

Then there was the solo time (which this introvert needs), little moments to wander and take photos, an afternoon to sit by the river and make it my ‘office’, and that amazing turquoise truck near my cabin that was the absolute perfect place to go on little self-portrait adventures to (and to take my classes too)!

I know I’m gushing, but it was that good.  For reals.

Every moment of it.

I’m home feeling so energized (which I really needed after I let late September become so stressful) and so grateful that I got a chance to get to experience the Lucky Star Art Camp goodness.  Camp will definitely be on next year and as you can tell by my gushing…I highly recommend coming!