Creative Connections: Writing and Meditation Retreat and Workshop for Academic Women Writers
Intellectuals spend countless hours reading, writing, and thinking. Yet, few of us spend much time thinking about how to be better scholars, how it might be possible to think, read, and write more effectively. There are specific practices intellectuals can use to enhance our creativity and our productivity. We have designed a workshop that puts these ideas into practice.
The Creative Connections writing retreat is based on the idea that there are four elements that lead to enhanced creativity: 1) focused writing time; 2) spending time unplugged and in nature; 3) connections via conversations about our work; and 4) meditation and mindfulness activities that enhance focus and allow us to tap into our creative potential.
We incorporate these four elements into our writing retreat.
Having focused time for writing is one of the most essential components of productivity.[1] Researchers have shown that meditation can enhance our ability to concentrate and allow us to tap deeper into our creative abilities.[2] Psychologists have also found that spending time in nature improves creative reasoning and higher-order cognitive functioning.[3] Others have argued that great ideas come through conversations about smaller ideas or even hunches.[4]
This retreat will use a combination of these proven techniques to create a space that not only provides for productivity during this week, but that also teaches participants valuable skills they can use for the remainder of their careers. Producing cutting-edge scholarship requires imaginative and creative abilities and this retreat is designed to maximize creativity.
Our next retreat will be in Morocco in June 2024.
**This retreat was designed by Tanya Golash-Boza.**
Please address correspondence to: Creative Connections. 5325 16th St NW. Washington, DC 20011
[1] Boice, R. (1990). Professors as writers: A self-help guide to productive writing. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.
[2] Slagter, H. A., Lutz, A., Greischar, L. L., Francis, A. D., Nieuwenhuis, S., Davis, J. M., & Davidson, R. J. (2007). “Mental training affects use of limited brain resources.” PLoS Biology, 5(6), e138.
[3] Atchley RA, Strayer DL, Atchley P (2012) Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. PLoS ONE 7(12): e51474. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051474
[4] Dunbar, Kevin. "How scientists build models in vivo science as a window on the scientific mind." Model-based reasoning in scientific discovery. Springer US, 1999. 85-99.
The Creative Connections writing retreat is based on the idea that there are four elements that lead to enhanced creativity: 1) focused writing time; 2) spending time unplugged and in nature; 3) connections via conversations about our work; and 4) meditation and mindfulness activities that enhance focus and allow us to tap into our creative potential.
We incorporate these four elements into our writing retreat.
Having focused time for writing is one of the most essential components of productivity.[1] Researchers have shown that meditation can enhance our ability to concentrate and allow us to tap deeper into our creative abilities.[2] Psychologists have also found that spending time in nature improves creative reasoning and higher-order cognitive functioning.[3] Others have argued that great ideas come through conversations about smaller ideas or even hunches.[4]
This retreat will use a combination of these proven techniques to create a space that not only provides for productivity during this week, but that also teaches participants valuable skills they can use for the remainder of their careers. Producing cutting-edge scholarship requires imaginative and creative abilities and this retreat is designed to maximize creativity.
Our next retreat will be in Morocco in June 2024.
**This retreat was designed by Tanya Golash-Boza.**
Please address correspondence to: Creative Connections. 5325 16th St NW. Washington, DC 20011
[1] Boice, R. (1990). Professors as writers: A self-help guide to productive writing. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.
[2] Slagter, H. A., Lutz, A., Greischar, L. L., Francis, A. D., Nieuwenhuis, S., Davis, J. M., & Davidson, R. J. (2007). “Mental training affects use of limited brain resources.” PLoS Biology, 5(6), e138.
[3] Atchley RA, Strayer DL, Atchley P (2012) Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. PLoS ONE 7(12): e51474. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051474
[4] Dunbar, Kevin. "How scientists build models in vivo science as a window on the scientific mind." Model-based reasoning in scientific discovery. Springer US, 1999. 85-99.
