My Art & Writing Residency at Freehand Collective, December 2025
I'm taking nearly a month off from work and pretending that its an artist residency
Here’s the deal: This isn't a “real” artist-in-residency program, though “real” may be a relative term. However, this is as real as it gets for my current lifestyle, economy, and passport status, in my current situation. While I have always wanted to be an artist who jet-sets to various artist residencies all over the world, that hasn’t been in the cards for me (yet). So, I decided that I could make-believe my lovely little shared studio is, in fact, an artist-in-residence program. It kind of is, in its own way, but for fun, we’re going to romanticize the heck out of my little space and the extended holiday that I am taking from work.
During the month of December, I have been fortunate enough to take 22 consecutive days off from my day job. During that time, I will treat my holiday like my own personal artist residency program at Freehand Collective, my shared studio.
Accomodations
During my residency, I’ll stay in a storybook estate designed to resemble a traditional Cotswald cottage, just a few minutes’ drive from the studio. Its staff (i.e., my husband and me!) will prepare meals and host game nights. On-site, the cottage offers Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and a selection of movies, books, and other relaxing entertainment options.
Meals
During the residency, I will have access to both sit-down meals and grab-and-go fare from the on-site chef (aka, my husband) at the Cottage (aka, my house). During some of the studio outings, I’ll have the opportunity to enjoy tasty local coffee and cuisine from The Little Store and The Iron District, only a short distance from the studio.
Creative Immersion
The studio offers both dedicated and communal workspaces, as Freehand Collective is home to three other local artists specializing in various media. During my time in the program, I’ll have the opportunity to collaboratively create. The studio is equipped with oodles of supplies, Wi-Fi, engaging banter, great music, and ample inspiration.
During my time at the residency, I plan to:
Challenge myself to complete at least 1 new tarot card
Write and publish a chapter of my yet-to-be-named story
Dedicate lots of time to my sketchbooks and fill as many pages as possible
Read a book
Creative Curriculum
A font of creative, self-paced workshop topics are also available. Hosted by renowned artist Alisa Burke, a collection of courses will be provided (I purchased these a while ago and have let life get in the way of enjoying them), should I find that I need a jolt of inspiration or want to jump into a guided creative warm-up.
Final Thoughts
While it may be silly to pretend that my holiday break from work and real life is the magical artist residency of my dreams, I am doing it! I hope to close out the month of December refreshed and renewed with a new sense of gratitude for the things I have in my life and the folks I get to (and choose to) spend time with. While I won’t have picturesque scenes of the French Countryside filling up my camera roll during this artist-in-residence-staycation, I will have the opportunity to make a lot of art for me and enjoy a much slower pace, which, let’s be honest, is the majority of the appeal for the far-away residency anyway.
Thanks for reading!
Looking forward to sharing some day-to-day glimpses of my artist-in-residence adventure with you all soon!
— R