Have you heard the call?
You’re already tuned in. You’re aware when the idea lands in you - maybe delivered by your guides, your ancestors, a childhood dream or wherever the Muse operates from or maybe it’s just a sneaking suspicion you have comedy in you.
You’re led to start a Substack, an innovative program, try your hand at fiction, turn your recent life experience into poetry, edit your relative’s manuscript or develop some bits for funny reels.
The idea of actually doing it is simultaneously scary and energizing. Your experience shows you that when you let these ideas rest too long they have a way of turning stale. A year or two later you see someone else made it instead. The idea you tabled found a new more attentive home.
You mourned those ideas. You can’t do it all, it’s okay. But this time you don’t want to put your creative expression last.
It’s incredibly easy for scarcity to be the filter that decides what you do each day. “Not enough time or energy” means the paid work, laundry, the voice notes, the bill paying, workout, healthy meal, the clean up after said meal, being a good father, daughter, partner and friend all come first. Exhausted yet?
That little idea that came to you as a subtle shimmer suffocates under all that busyness.
The CREATIVE CHANNEL retreats provide a home for it to be born.
5 days to surrender the expectations that govern your routines. The roles you play, the priorities you juggle, the urgency you feel underneath it all.
It’s for the traveler that wants to return with momentum not just a tan.
What’s that thing you can’t quite start?
The muse is already getting excited to have her time with you.
We are nestled in the grove of Querubi, a family run regenerative organic olive farm using a minimal-intervention philosophy inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka: no tilling, no synthetic fertilizers, no pesticides. We arrive soon after the harvest and will have our own private tasting of the fresh liquid gold.
The Farm
Margaux, our private chef, sources ingredients from local organic, regenerative farms including the goat cheese farm and biodynamic vineyard next door. We will do a wine tasting and bring a few favourites home. There will be also be a cooking class for those interested in learning some local recipes. The latter are available as optional add-ons.
The Food
Domaine Madrona is a 13th-century Catalan farmhouse in the foothills of the eastern Pyrenees lovingly restored by interior designer, Holly. It has been a haven for centuries, sheltering Cathar pilgrims crossing from Spain in the medieval period and serving as a refuge during the 1300s plague. It has been highly praised in multiple publications.
The Estate
Eight bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, which can be single or shared, each with a distinctive design and headboard. One four bed dormitory for budget travellers. Get in touch early to reserve the room that catches your eye. Stunning common spaces including writing nooks, a forest-facing outdoor deck, a platform in the woods and a large pool.
The Accomodations
The Pyrénées-Orientales where Catalan, French, and Spanish cultures overlap. Walkable to the medieval Castelnou - officially ranked among the most beautiful villages in France - and short drives to Thuir’s Saturday market; Collioure, the pastel harbour town that drew Matisse, Picasso, and Chagall; the Mediterranean beaches of Perignan; with the scared Canigou mountains on the horizon.
The Region
You may have noticed that our final night lands on the 31st of October which is no coincidence. One of the most significant spiritual and seasonal thresholds across many cultures, it's celebrated as Halloween, Samhain, All Hallows' Eve and by All Saints' Day and Dias de los Muertos. We have a special celebration in store for our guests to mark this enchanted moment of transition.
The Season
A Typical Day
Daily Movement
Pilates classes taught by Kari on the mountain facing deck; e-bike rides through the hilly trails; reflective hikes through the surrounding landscape. We keep the body relaxed but energized.
Solo Reflection Time
There is nothing like a solitary walk or swim or automatic writing rant to answer a burning creative question that's coming up in your process. We leave space for that too.
Structured Coworking
Work sessions will be timed and loosely guided. Some writing prompt and intuition exercises will facilitate opening up the bridge to the subconscious imagination and fuel your ouput.
Fun & Communing
A night out in the charming French village; a day trip; a cooking class; wine and olive oil making tours; aperitivo hour debriefing with the group at sunset. Joy is crucial for flow.
Pricing & Payment Plans
Private room with en-suite bathroom:
$3,600 USD (early bird, deposit by August 15th)
$3,800 USD (after August 15th)
Single Rooms
1
Two beds with en-suite bathroom:
(ideal for friends/partners):
$3,200 USD (early bird, deposit before Aug. 15th)
$3,400 USD (after August 15th)
Shared Rooms
2
Large room with four single beds:
$2800 USD (early bird, deposit by August 15th)
$3200 USD (after August 15th)
Dormitory
3
1. Deposit: $1,000 USD at booking.
2. 50% of balance due Sep. 7th
3. Final balance due Sep. 27th
4. A monthly instalment plan is available on request.
5. Refund deadline: Aug. 28th
Payment Terms
4
FAQs
Do I need...?
Do I need to be a writer?
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No — bring any project your soul keeps nudging you toward: a novel, the website copy for your business, a legacy memoir, a decision.
Do I need Pilates experience?
No. Classes are designed for all levels, and all movement is optional and adaptable, and it varies daily (Pilates, hiking, e-bikes)
What's included
What is included? ​
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Full workshop curriculum (writing, intuition, creativity, Pilates); all meals (except 1-2 meals out); olive grove tour & tasting.
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What’s not included?
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Flights, transfers (though we help arrange them), dinners out in the village and optional extras (cooking class, massages, e-bike hire).
Travel Itinerary
How do I get there?​
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We will organized shared 30 min. shuttles from Perpignan (70 euros pp). Trains arrive there from Barcelona (1h20) or Paris (5hr). Perpignan also has a small airport.
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Recommended timeline?​
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If it's an option for you and you are travelling from a different time zone, I recommend a few days in Europe before the retreat to acclimate. The train ride from Paris is quite pleasant.
How to Prepare
How do I pack?​
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T-shirt by day, fire by night. Pack layers and a swimsuit. Clothes to move and cocoon in. Also bring your work materials.
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Special Dietary needs?
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The chef tailors the menu to the group — vegetarian, vegan, and omnivore all catered. Let us know dietary restrictions ahead of time.
Natalie Vansier
A former professional actor, freelance producer and contemporary art gallerist, Natalie pivoted her career in 2020 to the spiritual sphere. With her father being a retired Buddhist monk turned therapist, bodyworker and meditation/yoga teacher and her mother a psychotherapist, hypnotist and multidisciplinary healer - her new career choice was not exactly unprecedented. However, she soon carved out her own fascination with the mechanics of intuition and the multifaceted ways divine guidance presents in our lives.
With an emphasis on practical psychology, Natalie is interested in equipping her clients with tangible tools and practices that connect them with an inner compass that is true, accurate and reliably fosters agency and engineers more enjoyable and satisfying lives. July marks two years since she started the weekly Nosara Writing Society group (in person and online) where she lives in Costa Rica. This is her third retreat and the second iteration of The CREATIVE CHANNEL.
Kari Skaflen
Kari is an American based in Paris, France. With more than ten years of teaching Pilates and other movement modalities, she believes in movement as a conduit for creativity and a vital piece to our generative energy. She is also a writer and trained in teaching journaling.
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Kari completed a comprehensive program with Balanced Body (2015) and a Bridge Program at The Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado (2019). She has been teaching since 2014 and has had the immense joy of teaching group and private classes in the renowned wellness town of Nosara, Costa Rica, at Pilates Nosara, for the last ten years.
She has co-led retreats in Europe and Costa Rica, assisted teacher trainings, given workshops, teaches online and in person, and has a breadth of experience in the wellness industry. She creates dynamic, fun mat classes for retreats to move the body and clear the vessel for creativity to come through!