I am writing this on the final full day I’m spending at Elsewhere, after a month of calling the Gingerbread house my home. Wow, it’s been quite an experience.
This is the first residency I’ve attended. I made the 36 hour drive from Pennsylvania, stopping outside of Denver to see friends who had their second baby in the bathtub just an hour after I left the mountain they call home. And, thus kicked off an experience that I guess I’ll call my own creative birth (albeit, not as quickly or as physically demanding).
Being in Paonia was such a blessing. Time seems to run differently here, which is something I am not accustomed to but came to love. I was really happy to slow down, to sit with myself, to relax, and to write. I wrote some of my very best work at Elsewhere and I’m so honored to have time to dedicate to my writing, and to share it with the community.
I applied to Elsewhere with the intention to work on a book of fiction I’ve had in my head for awhile. I’ve only written and published nonfiction in the past, so this was my first time committing to fiction, and to such a large body of work. And, as my day-to-day life is spent writing professionally, I have very little time or brainpower to continue writing when I get home.
One of the things I’ve read in blog posts from other writers who attended the artist-residency at Elsewhere is that they were initially hit with imposter syndrome. That was something that I was not prepared for. Being in the company of two painters, I felt like I could see their creative process happening in such a tangible way and that they had no idea what I was producing while holed up in the Gingerbread house. But, I did the work and I let the feeling of worthlessness stay in the room. I just didn’t let it have any of the power. I invited it to sit with me and watch me write and eventually it got bored and left.
I can’t thank the Elsewhere founders, staff, and community members enough for creating a lasting impression. I know I will have a lifetime’s worth of stories coming out of this place, and some life long friends as well.
