Guests Share: Experiencing a Creative Retreat

The first step of a creative retreat: letting go

Often, it’s really true: those who aren’t searching often find. And sometimes the best journeys start exactly where there’s no fixed destination. Marie shows what many Raus guests experience: a creative retreat doesn’t start with a strict plan – it starts with the courage to do nothing. When your mind is full and everyday life too loud, a few days of peace in nature can be exactly what you need – to get back into your own rhythm, and yes, maybe even to finish writing a book!

Of course, a creative holiday doesn’t necessarily mean finishing something or being constantly productive. It’s more about creating space – for thoughts, ideas, and all the things that don’t usually have room in everyday life. And that can truly be anything.

On the chance we’re leaning too far out of the (cabin) window: in a cabin in the middle of nature, it almost happens on its own. Especially in stressful times, it can be incredibly freeing to have nothing to do – no appointments, no deadlines, no distractions. Just you, the silence, and maybe a blank page waiting to be filled. Perhaps the idea that’s been brewing in your mind finally makes it onto paper. Or you find answers to questions that have been spinning in your head. Or you try something completely new – something you never thought would suit you: painting, knitting, or even singing? A creative holiday can be not just a change of perspective, but a fresh start – for projects, ideas, or personal well-being.

Rituals for Body and Soul

Nature plays a huge role: it naturally inspires. Imagine fresh air, birdsong, and an open view of the sky. Moss glowing vividly, a colorful mushroom, the intricate pattern of a tree bark – here, creativity comes alive again. Old, familiar things, long forgotten, connect to form something new. And it helps even more when there’s space to follow those impulses.

Ask yourself: what could use a little more room in your life? Likely, a few things will come to mind that make a creative retreat worthwhile – a chance to reconnect with yourself, organize your thoughts, and find inspiration. Those who have the courage to let go and simply be often encounter the moments from which new ideas, projects, or stories emerge. A creative holiday can be not just restorative, but the starting point for something entirely new: professionally, creatively, or personally.

Three Questions for Marie:

1. What tips would you give someone planning a creative retreat?

I’d say: don’t plan too much. If you’re setting out on a creative holiday, let it truly be what it’s meant to be — a break from the overly planned everyday. No to-do lists, just pack the essentials and see where the days take you. Creativity thrives on freedom, not on a schedule.

2. What helps you get into the flow of being creative?

Music and light – my two best accomplices when it comes to sparking my inner lighter. Sometimes it just takes one song that stirs a memory, or a glimmer of sunlight bouncing off a wall, to awaken that familiar tingle. Maybe it’s because I love writing about the way light and emotions connect :)
And honestly: nothing works as reliably as a bit of cultivated boredom. As long as I’m busy, everything inside me stays quiet. But in those moments when almost nothing happens, when I start paying closer attention to myself, suddenly the words appear.

3. What did you learn about yourself during your creative retreat?

I learned that I need far less “doing” than I thought. For my bike trip, I’d downloaded podcasts, audiobooks, playlists — an entire orchestra of entertainment, just in case I’d get bored. And then I sat there for hours, feeling the wind on my face, listening to my own thoughts rustling — and realized: that’s enough. Just me, the wind, and the road. That’s where the real creative retreat began — and the ideas showed up all on their own.

PS: The novel Marie wrote during her creative holiday at our location Lodge am See is called “beziehungsweise –” a quiet love story – available everywhere as hardcover and e-book. Enjoy the read — and, of course, your next creative getaway in nature.