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Wayward Retreats
@waywardretreats.bsky.social
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A creative retreat for those pursuing their artistic calling as a vocation. Waywardretreats.com
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With applications rolling, please contact us with any questions you may have! There's a lot of info on our website about eligibility, the house, our scholarships, our programming and more, but you can always email us and ask anything we didn't cover. Contact (at) waywardretreats.com
A steaming teapot. Text reads: "questions for us?"
March 3, 2025 at 2:48 AM
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2 weeks left to apply to the 2025 Wayward Retreat! Creatives from any medium are invited to join us at our cozy, inspiring house on Quadra Island. Remember: there's no cell service or wifi there, so if you need a week where the news can't get you, come reset yourself with us. Waywardretreats.com
Retreaters sit around a small bonfire on a beach using driftwood as benches. One gives an enthusiastic thumbs up. Retreaters gather around a long table for dinner, raising glasses. Retreaters chat and work on different projects on a sunny porch. A retreater writers in a notebook on a cushion laid out in the sun on the porch.
March 1, 2025 at 8:39 PM
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From 2024 alum Alice Lee:
alright here's a super sappy post. last year, i went to @waywardretreats, an artist retreat in the wilderness (Quadra island), and it was one of the best experiences. last year was an intensely difficult year for me, went thru a destabilizing break up that just threw me out of whack u know? I think I was "getting there" pre-retreat, but i was definitely putting myself thru the motions of my routine before, which sometimes is what u just gotta do. wayward was the first week where I actually felt like "normal" me again. stable, happy, free. I drew A LOT. moved my body physically to the point of falling into bed exhausted everyday. but most of all, the PEOPLE. I love my queer art commune I feel like the retreat expanded my brain and heart be of the amazing friends i made there. felt loved seen and inspired by these artists (i miss yall!) I'm not saying wayward will solve all your problems but personally it cleared my skin and watered my crops. I emerged hydrated and nourished, bright eyes. like im feeling really good in my life / art these days and i think wayward was one of the initial sparks of this current wave. anyhoo highly rec 10000/10 @waywardretreats
February 27, 2025 at 4:56 PM
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Applications are rolling in for our 2025 retreat, and we're getting excited to meet the artists who will join us this fall! Waywardretreats.com
Photo collage of hands holding a newt, hands inking an illustration, hands holding forager mushrooms, hands painting a sculpture, hands holding s seashells. Text reads: Wayward 2025 retreat dates: Sept 28 - Oct 5. Applications due by March 15.
February 25, 2025 at 4:59 PM
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Lauren's squash game is no joke.
A big pile of green squash on a porch A fluffy yellow cat walks between large yellow squash.
February 23, 2025 at 7:38 PM
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A lot of our produce at the retreat comes from Lauren’s garden, which she documented via this illustrated map. It changes every year, but with a fall retreat, we're looking forward to a lot of apples, greens, garlic, squashes and more.

Applications open until March 15 at Waywardretreats.com
Hand drawn line art map of the garden at the retreat house, with a decorative border featuring drawings of significant flora and fauna.
February 23, 2025 at 7:35 PM
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Meet us at the house on the lake, the one that's equal parts cozy and inspiring.

Applications for the September 2025 Wayward Retreat are open now through March 15. More information and answers to many questions can be found at Waywardretreats.com
A collage of photos from around the retreat house, including a cozy chair, quilt-draped beds, a bedroom with a balcony and a rolltop desk, the back porch of the house hung with fishing buoys found on the beach, and a closeup on a cabinet shelf full of shells and small objects. A collage of photos from around the house, incuding: a view of the skylight over the stairs; a view looking past some monstera plants toward the kitchen; a fire in the living room woodstore; a collection of objects on a shelf showing a small animal skull and small art objects; a closeup on a bookshelf featuring titles like "Edible wild plants," "healing herbs, and "make light work in groups"; a view of the living room couch beyond a table made of driftwood.
February 21, 2025 at 10:41 PM
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A fall Wayward often means prime mushroom foraging! Last year we gathered chantarelle, oyster and lobster mushrooms, which went into breakfast congee and dinner side dishes. Artists can apply now open until March 15 at Waywardretreats.com
A collage of four photos featuring retreaters looking for mushrooms in a forest, a bag of recently gathered chanterelles, and retreaters happily showing off their mushroom finds
February 20, 2025 at 7:32 PM
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Artists who have come to Wayward in the past often say it better than we could:
"I don't think I could ever describe the transformative and magical experience of Wayward to someone who hasn't experienced it for themselves. This was an artist retreat that reminded me what art, and life, is for-joy, connection, community, silliness, and more. I left Wayward fuller than I could have imagined. There's nothing like taking a writing break by jumping into the lake, or living your best forest life eating salmonberries off the trees. The retreat is thoughtfully curated from beginning to end, which really makes entering and leaving feel like stepping into and out of a portal." - MANAHIL BANDUKWALA, POET + ARTIST A view of a living room looking through an open door to a sunny garden and forest. Text reads: JOIN US SEPTEMBER 2025 APPLICATIONS OPEN FEBRUARY 15
February 16, 2025 at 10:12 PM
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Today is the day! We'll be accepting applications between now and March 15 for our 2025 Wayward Retreat. Check our site for more info, and reach out with any questions you may have. Waywardretreats.com
Looking past jars full of art supplies on a shelf, we see a retreater through a window as they sit on the porch, stretching out their wrists and preparing to write something amazing
February 15, 2025 at 7:04 PM
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Magic, laughter and art are natural companions, as Wayward Retreaters know!
A blurry pic of a retreater laughing hysterically near a piñata A handwritten daily schedule, decorated with drawings. Text reads: Day 4, Saturday. Mainly sunny, high 20 degrees (Celsius). Breakfast: Almont Croissants & poached Eggs. Optional Field Trip-- May Day "Mycelium Madness: Flora, Fauna & Fungi. Lunch: Japchae bowls & oysters if someone wants to shuck them. Dinner: Farmhouse roast night. Evening Activity: "Repatterning the 90's Sleepover!" A retreater grimaces skeptically over a piece of driftwood with a tag attached, reading: "Shing-- please create a piece of erotic drift wood art using this driftwood. --Mad Dog" A retreater crouches near an assemblage of painted signed on a piece of wood, each with a string attached. The signs say odd things like "Caution- moon worm crossing," "Perspective watch on duty," "Focus Boredom and Nourishment LLC, wood sprites at law," and "comfort zone movers."
February 12, 2025 at 7:19 PM
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So much of what happens at the retreat feels impossible to explain. We craft opportunities for surprise, delight and play that our retreaters take and run with. The results are unique each time, but there's always magic and laughter involved.
A retreater crouches in front a strange assemblage of artists with a painted sign reading "the portal potty" on top A retreater holds out their hands and an empty jar as another person wearing kitchen gloves, a fern, and sunglasses offers them something from behind a curtain. A retreater tosses something under their raised reg as other retreaters watch on. A painted green poster with green froggy eyes reads "FROGS: a new ritual theatrical experience by Andrew Lloyd Webfoot"
February 12, 2025 at 7:11 PM
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It’s a new year and Wayward is almost ready to begin admissions for our next creative retreat! The 2025 session will run September 28 to October 5, and applications will open February 15. More updates soon, but in the meantime many questions can be answered on our website at Waywardretreats.com
Two retreaters forage for mushrooms in the ferns of a forest. Text reads: join us in September 2025. Applications open February 15.
January 26, 2025 at 11:24 PM
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Two artists chat on a couch on a porch A dinner table piled with a lovely dinner and bottles of cider, waiting for a group to sit down and eat Artists at a table each work on their various projects An artist stretches their hand out from a covered porch to catch some rain
July 11, 2024 at 4:49 PM
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Our June session was full of frogs, huckleberries, oysters, birthdays, ravens, music, typewriter poems, shadow puppets, and the magic of so many different kinds of incredible artists who each brought their own unique perspective to the island.
A group of artists sitting on stone steps, many caught mid-laugh or making faces reminiscent of a frog Two artists walking through a forest, looking up at the trees An artist sits down at a wooden desk to experiment with an old typewriter Two artists sit on porch steps to work on squeezing a big pile of lemons while a third opens a bottle of ink while perusing a field guide to amphibians
July 11, 2024 at 4:46 PM
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Another Wayward Retreat session has come to a close! We're still feeling the warm glow of this community of incredible artists. Each one showed up ready to dig into their own creative depths as well as get silly with us, and our gratitude to them is profound.
A group of artists gathered beside a lake Same group of artists, now posed like total goobers
July 2, 2024 at 4:55 PM
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Applications for the 2024 Wayward Retreat close at the end of the year!
If you're one of those folks who likes to get things in under the wire, it's just about time! Waywardretreats.com
Four closeups: a plate of dolmas and a bowl of salad. Notebook and something called a "biomancy kit" o. A wood deck. A bag of forged mushrooms. A found wasp nest (old, no wasps) next to art supplies. Four photos: a table piled with books, yarn and a handwritten sign saying "shh, quiet hours!" A cheese board piled with snacks. Small bottles with a single flower in each, accompanied by a handwritten sign explaining the plant and its uses. A book, notebook pen on a wood deck. Four photos: a collection of objects including a mug, a bandana and a field guide to weeds. A fluffy orange cat waiting at a glass door. A focaccia covered in herbs and surrounded by flowers and grapes. A collection of small objects including a hand-carved wooden spoon, salmon vertebrae, and dried poppies.
December 29, 2023 at 6:15 PM
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Painters, writers, dancers, sculptors, composers— all kinds of artists need a place where they can reconnect with their creative voice. Whether you’re feeling stuck or lost on your path or know exactly where you’re going, we have something for you.

Applications open now.
Nine retreaters stand in a line on a rocky beach, looking out over the water toward wooded shores and a small island in the bay.
November 27, 2023 at 9:17 PM
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Meet us at the house on the lake, the one that's equal parts cozy and inspiring.

Applications for the June 2024 Wayward Retreat are open now through the end of the year. More information and answers to many questions can be found at Waywardretreats.com
Six photos of details from the Wayward Retreat house: a circular painting near a skylight; large monstera leaves growing near the kitchen; a wood stove; a collection of small objects, including a create skull and a painting of a fish; books on a shelf with titles like "edible wild plants" and "healing herbs"; a living room with a couch, a bookshelf, and a table made from driftwood. A collection of photos from around the Wayward Retreat house: an armchair under a window, the front porch of the house with a collection of round buoys hanging from the eaves, a bedroom with a desk and balcony, a collection of seashells.
November 23, 2023 at 1:27 AM
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Applications for our June retreat are open through the end of December. Come join the 2024 cohort to make art in the woods and refocus your creative voice! Waywardretreats.com
The front of a wooden rowboat rests on the edge of a lake, with mist a d pine trees in the distance. Text reads: applications open Wayward 2024"
November 18, 2023 at 8:35 PM
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Don’t forget Mary!
November 13, 2023 at 7:40 PM
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We call the morning hours “solo work time,” but discussion and collaboration are always welcome. Cross-pollination of thoughts from artists of different media & backgrounds has led to inspiring results, often years after the retreat.
Applications for the 2024 Retreat are open!
Two retreaters lean together to discuss notebooks of illustration and writing A retreater works on a laptop on an outdoor couch shared by a black labrador dog. Retreats laugh and talk around lunch on a wooden outdoor table. A retreater works to perfect the guitar that she made out of driftwood that she found on a nearby beach. Seriously.
November 13, 2023 at 6:59 PM
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Additional garden appreciation post
A green garden with kale, garlic and more in rows. A bowl of salad, with a handwritten label detailing every plant from the garden that is included (including the Latin name of each). A fluffy cat walks among a harvest of enormous squash, some bigger than him.
November 6, 2023 at 6:33 PM
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A lot of our produce at the retreat comes from Lauren’s garden, which is as vibrant and nourishing as we always hope our week will be. She illustrated last year’s version for us, including a little field guide of a border.
A very densely- detailed illustrated map of the garden at the Wayward Retreat house, with enlarged local plants and animals around the border.
November 6, 2023 at 6:31 PM
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With this theme, we're thinking about the ways fire can represent a force of creation and resilience. We're also considering both the challenges and joys involved with forging one's own path as a creative in the world.

How has your internal furnace shaped your creative voice?
November 5, 2023 at 6:35 PM