I recently road-tripped from Wisconsin to South Dakota to participate in Douglas Beasley’s annual Dramatic Portrait: Figure in the Badlands Workshop, which has been on my wishlist for the past few years.
This photography workshop experience is well known for the fantastic group of people who attend, along with the dramatic portraits that are created in this remote, and sacred land with its sculpted soil, sweeping vistas and extraordinary light.
Recent events in the world surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the tragic murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others have brought into focus where we can do better, and be better. If you read my recent newsletter, you’ll know I am actively working on an action plan to better shape my mission at Open Air Places in a more diverse and inclusive way and I look forward to publishing that soon.
I admit, it’s been a challenge to stay active on this platform with all of the uncertainty in the world, and my own worries that I’ll do or say the wrong thing promoting travel or retreats (my two main gigs) when obviously those two things are responsibly on hold right now. I feel deeply that words matter, messaging matters and I always want to be an authentic voice sharing positivity and inspiration in everything that I do here.
This month I had a fun trip on my calendar - a week of Island Time in Hawaii where I intended to explore a handful of unique places to stay. This planning is in preparation for a 2021 retreat that I am producing with my friend and photographer, Douglas Beasley. The COVID-19 pandemic has paused my travel plans this month, but I remain excited to bring this trip to fruition when traveling is safe again.
Inspired this week by Kitty O’Meara’s “In The Time Of Pandemic” poem posted on her lovely blog The Daily Round: Living From The Spirit Level I wanted to share some of the ways I am staying inspired at home during this time of social distancing.
I’d love to hear what you are doing (….or not doing) in the comments below. Please feel free to share your silver linings! We’re all in this together.
XOXO
JENNA
If you’re anything like me, your ideal weekend escape is probably filled with beautiful cabins secluded in nature, proximity to Lake Superior and plenty of time for rest and reflection. Enter the space that rolls all of these goals into one: The RicePod™ - the first of the Salmela Architect cabins at Wild Rice Retreat, in Bayfield, WI.
I mentioned in my last blog that stepping into the old-town streets of Shangri-La is like stepping into a fairytale.
Arriving at this magical city on a day with soaring blue skies, cool mountain breezes and bright sunshine, probably has something to do with defining that impression. The longer I stayed, the more I decided that Shangri-La is way more than special.
I found so much to inspire me during my stay. Read on for my highlights!
Stepping into old-town Shangri-La, Tibet is like stepping into a fairy tale.
As I mentioned in my last blog, Shangri-La (formerly known as Gyalthang or Zhongdian in Chinese) is a 1,300-year-old Tibetan community, which was selected by the Chinese government in 2001 as the location of the mythical Shangri-La from James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon. I couldn’t wait to see this sanctuary above the clouds.
