Time & Space to Create

For the 2021/22 school year, I'm on a sabbatical to work on a few writing and storytelling projects that have been percolating for a while. This fall, I am attending a Playwrights Residency in the Leighton Studios at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. The atmosphere is secluded and serene at the Banff Centre. It's inspiring to walk outdoors and then warm up in the studio with some new writing. I've been assigned to the "Davidson" studio, which sits on the edge of a little gully at the end of a secluded pathway, and whose windows are angled just-so for maximum privacy. 

Inside, the studio has more than I need, namely the piano in the middle, because I don't play. Instead, I rely on the stereo for my soundtrack. Yet, one can't help but feel creative in this place where so many artists have composed, written and created.

I've put my trusty Smith Corona in the window so I can start my day with some "creative calisthenics" just typing some words manually, like a journal. It gets me going, and makes me spend just a little less time on the computer screen every day. It's become as important to my process as exercise and being outdoors on the Land.

So the goal during this residency is to draft the manuscript for a new stageplay that I'll be workshopping in the coming months with the Chromatic Theatre's Playwrights Unit in Calgary. Having this studio space and dedicated time to write, along with the comraderie and support of the other playwrights in the program, is a wonderful experience! It's inspiring to learn, write and create on the slopes of Sleeping Buffalo Mountain!