Room With View(s)

To creatives of all sorts, everywhere --

October of 2012, for two weeks I held an artist's residency at Dan's Cabin in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness, courtesy of the Friends of the Porkies.

The experience enriched my perspective on the real world and the folk who dedicate their lives to the protection and nourishment of it.

You'd like to think wilderness could just maintain itself. But, alas. The older I get, the greater the meaning of 'perpetual maintenance' becomes.

Two weeks at Dan's Cabin enriched me in ways that continue to unfold. If you've never spent two weeks living in the woods, I heartily recommend it. The wilderness will embrace you, give it half the chance.

If that's not your cup of tea, then find other residencies more to your liking and creative skillset. There's every sort of welcoming safe haven out there for creatives, maintained in all manner of fine places, catering to about every creative discipline under the sun.

My stay at Dan's Cabin was greatly productive. A fine place to work.

Maybe your residency wherever doing whatever will be too. I urge you to find out. You can start here.

The effect those two weeks had on my work is ongoing. My hosts were among the finest folk I've met. If I could change anything, it'd be that I didn't wait so long before giving it a shot, which would've left me more years to reap the benefit.

So go for it. Because the years do flow on…