Summer Camp…for Adults!

By LuAnne Silvia, ASID
As interior designers we have the opportunity to be creative daily. We have found that even if you work in a creative field you need to take a break to remain fresh and be creative. Huh!? The kind of creative we are talking about that children often experience. Meaning trying something new, out of your comfort zone, without a lot of premeditated thought to it. Not because you are interested in it, not because you think you will be good at it, not to produce some specific result, but just for the thrill of it!
Picture in your mind a child with fingerpaints. Messy fun. The tactile experience of paint on your fingers without the worry of washing your hands and clothes. The freeing experience of smearing the paint around without the preoccupied wonder of what you are creating and if others will like it.
For many adults summertime has us reflecting on our fond memories of childhood summer camp, especially those of us who are parents and dropping our children off at camp. For some it was a week long camp and your first time away from home and others attended a day camp full of fun and new activities. What an exciting time it was! Well, what if there was a summer camp for adults?
This is exactly what Lisa was thinking about when she discovered a unique art class for adults and immediately registered the LiLu Design Team. Adult Summer Camp: 4 Centers, 4 Weeks, 4 Mediums. The perfect opportunity! An introduction to different creative centers, and a chance to try different things, geared for adults.
First stop: Northern Clay Center, followed by Minnesota Center for Book Arts, the Textile Center, and Highpoint Center for Printmaking.
We did not know until we arrived at class and our camp instructor shared with us what we would be making. The anticipation grew each week, and we wondered what we will learn this week? Some things were new to us and some brought back memories of college courses. We each made the same things in class and it was exciting to see how no two were alike.
We all agreed it was a freeing experience that gets the creative juices flowing. Learning the techniques and trying them yourself gives you a deeper appreciation of handcrafted things. It is impossible not to feel a connection to the materials once you realize you are creating something new.
Stay tuned this week to read about our experiences molding clay, marbling paper, felting wool, and inking plates and to see photos of our works in progress and finished works of art...