Retreat Dates:
December 6 – 13, 2026
Creative Magic: A Retreat to Rejuvenate Your Creative Spirit
in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
With Laurel True
View PDF with images and info here.
Join me for a magical creative adventure filled with experimentation, connection, and rejuvenation.
Imagine waking up to the beautiful morning light of San Miguel de Allende, a magical town in the central highlands of Mexico, surrounded by rolling hills and valleys, with the Sierra Madre mountains in the distance.
San Miguel is known for its thriving, long-time arts community, and its special designation as one of Mexico's "Magic Towns," blending rich cultural heritage, historical significance, and visual beauty.
I traveled to San Miguel last year and was enchanted by the light, the cobblestone streets, wrought-iron balconies, and riotous bougainvillea. I took so many photos of the earth-colored facades, the beautiful fabrics and decoration, and the sublime beauty that has drawn artists from all over the world for almost a century.
I'll be offering my next creative retreat in San Miguel, hosted by the award-winning Casa de la
Noche, in the city's historic district.
When creative expression flows easily, it can feel like magic.
Magic, Spirit and Creative Play
Creative Magic is a week of creative exploration, play, and renewal. We're going to light up our creative energy system by getting out of our heads and into our hands, breath, and body. I'm considering this a Conscious Creativity play date, a relaxing mix of energy reset and creative rejuvenation.
During the week we’ll explore lots of embodied creative techniques and fun experiments that will help us loosen up and lean into more process-oriented making as a way to relax, reset, and regulate our beautiful nervous system.
We'll use both structured and spontaneous art-making techniques, drawing on a variety of accessible approaches and media (mark-making, mosaic, collage, mixed media), plus gentle movement and breathwork, to explore creativity as part of a holistic wellness practice.
These techniques, tools, and methods FEEL like magic because they are so easy and cool. Mysterious yet so simple. Call it creative alchemy. These new methods of creative activation will help you turn your creative switch on anytime, anywhere.
We'll use both familiar and unfamiliar processes that engage the hand more than the brain, using color, line, and form to create astonishingly simple yet satisfying experiments.
You'll go home with a toolkit of fun, accessible, repeatable techniques to jumpstart your creative practice, ignite your mojo, or rejuvenate your creative flow.
***
No art or mosaic experience necessary. Come as you are. Experienced makers are invited to bring a beginner's mind. You are welcome!
Expect laughter, inspiration, creative play at your own pace, and magical stuff: card readings, surrealist fun, intuitive and automatic approaches to making, studio visits, and new methods of creative activation.
We'll learn a bit about artists who drew on magic, spirit, and mystical themes to inspire their work. We're going to work with a bunch of really cool autonomic (automatic) techniques and explore spontaneous delight and other weird joy, all in a co-creative space. Making together is part of the magic…
We'll explore:
Enjoying the creative process in an embodied way (and what this means!)
Seeing what happens when we shift from creative work to creative play
Accessing enjoyment, flow state, and joy in our creative process
Magic tricks for getting creatively unstuck
Learning to trust yourself during the creative process
How co-creativity and sharing creative space with others can be a magical support
We're going to look at ways to support our own creative flourishing from a holistic perspective: body-mind-spirit.
Each day will hold new experiences. We'll explore a variety of creative experiments with different media and methods (drawing, paper, paint (don't worry!), collage, mosaic-ish, gentle movement, mindful breathing exercises, and more).
Our aim is to lean into the magic of the creative process itself and not get caught up in making a product or masterpiece. And you can take that magic into your ongoing creative practice.
“You are the magic.” Laurel True
Participants come away with a deep sense of inspiration, a feeling of "lightening up" in their creative practice, and an increased sense of enjoyment, experimentation, and fluidity in their creative process.
Workshop Structure:
We’ll open the week with a present-moment welcome, some interactive exchange, and a collective creative activity that will set the tone for our week together.
Each day begins with creative warm-up exercises, guided breathing, and gentle movement to help you regulate your nervous system and open your creative channels. (Techniques you can take with you and use anytime!)
Studio time will run from after breakfast until early afternoon. There will be plenty of time to relax and explore the beautiful surroundings and colorful town of San Miguel de Allende during the week. Participants are welcome to work after hours in the studio.
In short, our days will be filled with creative experimentation and fun, sharing food and ideas, and exploring the magic town of San Miguel de Allende with its colorful markets, crafts, beautiful culture, and cuisine. There will also be studio visits and other optional activities.
Who This Retreat Is For:
Anyone Who Wants To
Rejuvenate their creative spirit
Engage in creativity in a curious, playful way
Explore their creative inner realms
Go deeper and expand their connection with their creative energy
Move into a place of balance, flow, and magic with their creative process
Reconnect with their creative core
Financials and Details:
Workshop fee: $3,054 to $3,614
There are three "levels" of room types at Casa de la Noche. Total cost of the experience depends on which type of room you choose. Each room is different, with its own style and character. Rooms can be viewed on the Casa de la Noche website.
Working Girl Rooms: Cozy, en suite bathroom, queen bed: Total retreat cost $3054
Luxury Rooms: More spacious, en suite bathroom, queen bed: Total retreat cost $3369
Suites: Most spacious, king beds, kitchenettes, living area: Total retreat cost $3614
Workshop fee includes:
Seven nights of accommodations (total fees based on the room option you select)
Workshop experience
Airport transfer to and from Querétaro Int Airport (QRO) or Bajío Int Airport (BJX)
Welcome Happy Hour
Seven breakfasts and six lunches, served daily on-site
One catered group dinner
Admission and transportation to and from one arranged off-site experience
Payment is due in full, unless other arrangements are made with Laurel. Payment by Zelle, bank transfer, check, or PayPal (there’s a 3% surcharge for certain platforms).
Please email Laurel for a registration form to fill out, plus complete payment instructions.
A detailed materials list will be sent in advance. Students bring their own materials, with supplemental materials and tools provided.
Arrival day is Sunday, December 6 and departure day is Sunday, December 13th.
I hope you can join me!
I’m excited to adventure with you to the magic town of San Miguel de Allende and to the inspiring Casa de la Noche.
View PDF with images and info here..