Art Retreat with Cat Coquillette in Morocco
At the end of May it was time for the art retreat with Cat Coquillette (instagram.com/catcoq) and Logan Elliott (instagram.com/flammable_entrepreneur), this time in Morocco.
Marrakech
Before the retreat, I spent one night in Marrakech. I was overwhelmed!
The Art Retreat
The art retreat was once again wonderfully organized by Andra from Uptrek (uptrek.com).
It took place in an old kasbah (= fortress) in the countryside near Agadir. Helène and Hassan had converted the kasbah into an eco-lodge. We were thoroughly spoiled (ecolodgemorocco.com).
It started with the food (tagine, couscous, desserts) and went on from the pool to a salt cave, massages and a hammam. Helène and Hassan showed us the tea ceremony. We watched how argan oil is made, and Helène introduced us to the world of Berber cosmetics. Mbark showed us how our names are written in Arabic and Berber.
The house was beautifully decorated. A dream for pattern designers! There were rugs everywhere, handcrafted details (every door was a unique carving) and plants.
The watercolor sessions with Cat took place at a long table by the pool.
She also gave portfolio reviews. Cat is always encouraging and generous!
I had decided to work with ink.
Logan gave us a structured introduction to the topic of “artpreneur” (how do I think like an entrepreneur as an artist?).
This time, though, I learned the most from the other participants: about Instagram, website design and how to find your style.
Adam (instagram.com/adampalmeter) took portrait photos of us again. Hardly anyone went into the photo shoot feeling relaxed. But Adam managed to make us feel good about it, and the photos turned out great again!
The highlight, though, was once again the excursions: to the desert (a mini Sahara), to the sea (the fishing village of Taghazout) and to Agadir (to the souk, and by cable car up to the kasbah). Our guide Said had a lot to tell us.
Back in Marrakech
I had some more time in Marrakech. This time I could really enjoy it. I had learned a lot about the country and its people. I even dared to haggle (not my thing at all) and to eat at a stall on Jemaa El Fna (the big square in the middle of the medina) at night. The couscous tasted fantastic!
After the Retreat
I came home with a long list of things I want to “implement”. The most important thing will be to put the individual points into practice slowly and steadily. For example, it’s time for an overhaul of my website!
With this blog post, I’ve made a start. I’d love to hear your comments! Have you ever been to Morocco? What was it like?