Reflections on an Artist Residency

May was a busy, fulfilling month. I drove, flew, rode trains, and walked around four states and ten cities to attend twelve events for WHITE MULBERRY. My longest stint was in Monson, Maine, where I attended an artist residency for ten days drafting my sequel, RED SEAL. What I learned there was the benefit of stillness and focus, and the importance of taking time for yourself in the hurry of life.

What is an artist residency? My husband calls it “art camp,” and in some ways, it’s an accurate description. At the edge of Maine’s North Woods, I resided in the small, quaint, town of Monson, the last stop before the 100 Mile Wilderness on the Appalachian Trail leading to Mount Katahdin. I didn’t sleep in a tent, but I did encounter extreme temperature swings (33° to 83°) and bugs of all sorts (including the dreaded black fly!). I was fortunate to sleep in an old white farmhouse and write in a modern studio overlooking a beautiful lake. I always dreamed of having a room of my own surrounded by nature to write, and I found it here. It couldn’t have been a more ideal “camp” setting to reset and recharge.

   Thanks to Maine’s Libra Foundation, I was accepted to the Monson Arts Residency along with a co-hort of ten visual and writing artists to have time and space for our creative work. We were photographers, painters, audio artists, paper sculptors, poets, essayists, and non-fiction writers from around the country—all of whom I was privileged to get to know. This was my first residency of this kind, and I was thrilled to be able to write RED SEAL without the usual daily distractions and the demands of book promotion. I needed it!

Meals were provided by Chef Lulu of the Quarry, which happens to be a James Beard award-winning restaurant in Monson. Our co-hort enjoyed sharing dinners and grabbing ice cream at the local shop. We visited quarries, waterfalls, lake beaches, and even Finnish dance halls and saunas when we needed a break. We saw loons, otters, deer, eagles, and native birds on our walks and enjoyed boat rides on Lake Hebron, thanks to a local resident. In fact, all the local folks were very friendly and welcoming here, as they are used to artists coming and going all year long.

Our group presented our respective projects to each other on our first day and checked in near the end about our progress. We had a reading and tours of our studios. My fellow artists were hard-working and passionate. They motivated me to keep writing and writing and writing until the last night when we lit a bonfire on the shore to celebrate the end of our time together.

  

managed to draft over seventy pages—the entire third part of my novel—during my residency. I created a wall of photos, documents, maps, and timelines to provide visual inspiration for my writing. I printed out my entire manuscript and used different color post-its to track the two points of view in my novel in progress. I learned from the visual artists how important it was to see my manuscript existing in the world as a tangible object rather than only as words on my computer screen. And I loved sharing my inspiration wall with everyone. I wish I had one at home now!

A former writer had posted a message on the wall in my writing studio, and I stared at it all day long. It was better than any craft book I’d read and just what I needed during my residency. It said AVOID WRITING PARTS THAT READERS SKIP. That is gold!

A friend asked me: How do you do all this? Do you enjoy it? I said a resounding YES! And when I really think about it, it’s because I love what I’m doing. I love meeting artists and being inspired by them. I also love meeting readers and writers “in the wild” at book clubs, libraries, book festivals, and on social media that I would never have met if I hadn’t said yes. I think I have a lot of pent-up energy from decades of being a stay-at-home mom that I’m channeling into this author phase of my life.

When another friend commented that “You were born for this!” I smiled. I am grateful. I know we can all find joy if we love what we do. And I learned that carving out pockets of time like I did at my residency is essential if we want to continue to do what we love. I encourage you to find time and space to create in a way that’s right for you. Be intentional. Put it on your calendar. The results may surprise you in the best way.

In July, I’ll be finishing the first draft of my sequel in my own writing shed at our summer cottage in Maine. It’s due to my publisher on September 1^st! Wish me luck!

What do you love doing lately? How will you create time for yourself? I want to know! Please leave a comment on my website or email me back to share.

Thank you for following along!

Past and Upcoming Events

I’m sharing a few photos here from my bookish events and speaking engagements that I attended since my last newsletter. I hope you enjoy them!

 

I have a special talk coming up on Saturday, June 21st at 3 pm at the Torrance Public Library where I spent many happy hours of my childhood. It will be nostalgic to reflect on how libraries played a role in my life and led me to write books of my own. I hope you’ll be able to join me and fellow Torrance author Christine Ma-Kellams if you’re in the area!

I will also be speaking virtually with author, editor, and retreat-leader Shirin Yim Leos on Thursday, June 26 at 5:30 PDT. Shirin has a list of wonderful questions about my publishing journey with Lake Union, my two-book deal, endorsements, and everything in between. Save your seat here.

I have a new podcast with Author Express and a feature in the Smith Alumnae Quarterly that I’d love for you to check out. You can see all my media posts here.

What I’m Reading

My Asian Author Book Club met virtually with my friend and Filipina American author Annabelle Tometich to discuss her book The Mango Tree, and we all loved it! If you’d like a list of all the 20+ books my book club has read so far, let me know and I will send it to you!