What about a creative cohort? Do you ever think about that? Funnily enough, I do!

As most of you know, I’m all about taking classes, practicing what I learn and then passing that along. My longterm focus has been on creative writing (as a published author and more recently as a bit of a mentor) yet now painting has become a daily habit too. Or instead. My challenge has been to find community through out all this – especially as I don’t stay anywhere for more than six months…back and forth between places I call home. YET…it’s true, New Mexico and Colorado are both homes and I’m slowly building that in Baja too. I’m not fully committed to being there but we’ll see, I know it’s where I want to end up living and am actively working towards that.

So why am I writing about community today? I realise how important it is for me, a driving force, it’s what decides where and how I live and make a home. I need conversations about the things we’re up to, the creative projects we’re playing with and it doesn’t need to be anything I know or do myself but it’s the process. For some of us being creative is at our core, right? Well, that’s my experience and I know it when I connect with someone who feels similar. That is the moment of true connection and community, sharing our ideas and skills and all of it.

I know many folks happy with their husband/wife/partner and kids and that’s enough, no other community needed. All good but that’s not enough for me! Is it for you? What does community meant to you? What do you need to be happy and creative? Who do you need around? Think about these questions, sit with them, write out your ideas, it will help clarify what you are doing and what is lacking. Then we each have agency and choices on our own terms.

For me then, that drive to create and share the process comes out in conversations at coffee shops and pubs, at arts and crafts markets (which I love for that very reason!) and these days online. Social media though feels like I’m shouting into a canyon, a void, and no one hears me. I tried Substack but to the same result, no interactions or messages or true conversations. I keep trying to build places where we can share ideas, resources, classes and more. But where? How? I’ve hosted workshops in New Mexico, tried in Baja, and it’s limited. I share tons on here, this website, with posts on the craft of writing, revision, publishing etc but again, there’s no interaction and I need that. Don’t you?

Last week, I joined Skool, another online platform where I’m now in a Spanish language community and I’m thrilled! Lots of online content for me to learn from on my own time, nine live Zoom calls per week that I can join or not, and an active chat forum where people really show up and chat. What a concept! I’m hooked and yes, my Spanish is already better!

(In case you’re interested, here’s the group: https://www.skool.com/spanish-enablers-pro-5048/about?ref=649d884c631d49a2a670d32499c75965)

Well, Skool so far feels like a community and one I’d like to share with you too. So, you know how I am, after being in the Spanish group and a few others, I saw some potential for us. And yes, with a nudge from David at the Spanish class, I started Get Creative! I’ve posted six online courses into the Classroom so you can take inspiration from there, as well as I’m offering weekly Zoom sessions for the joy of writing with prompts and challenges. If you want to build a creative practice that becomes habit, a solid refuge for you to turn to each week if not each day, there’s a mentorship program too. The goal of the community is to share our processes, find online resources, swap ideas and projects with each other, learn new skills and chat with each other about what we’re up to…it’s a process though. It will be as good as we make it. Like any community.

What does it mean to be seen as a creator? and… Who are you creating for — and how does that shape your work?

I ask because for me it’s not just about getting out ideas and the such but it’s sharing them. A studio where I can be and have these conversations, show my work in progress, ask for advice, offer the same, that’s what I want. And until I am settled enough to create a physical version of that, this is the best I can do.

So this is the vision: to create an online creative community where members rediscover their creativity, develop a sustainable creative habit, and support each other in making new work. I reckon that many of us get stuck. Why? Well, there’s creative block, lack of consistency, isolation, unfinished projects and there’s a lack of supportive feedback.

Let’s do something about that, right? I’ve pulled together a healthy amount of courses and information, built the platform and it all builds upon everything I do and have done, the workshops, community building, sharing work and ideas hoping to inspire others to be creative too, whether that’s writing, art, photography or simply in daily living.

So I’m introducing this Skool group to you for those very reasons. It’s a hybrid style community as it combines creative practice, community accountability, regular live video sessions and VIP level mentorship. I’m building this as an online creative studio where people actually create every week, not just watch lessons. The community also connects to my in-person writing and creativity retreats in Mexico, so the online group becomes a hub for in person community and connections. That’s the goal. Will you check it out? Let friends know if you think it’s a good fit for them and what they want next? Thanks!

Get Creative! Explore n Create and build a creative habit with weekly prompts, workshops, and community! Onwards and upwards team!

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

WRITING UNCONVENTIONAL CHARACTERS: MAY 20TH 2026

The world needs more characters in fiction who are vibrant, authentic, and willing to challenge the status quo. Too often, characters on the page are reduced to tropes—flat and predictable, or written only in relation to others. This course is about changing that. Together, we’ll craft fully realized characters who are completely true to their own voices and stories—even when that upends cultural and societal expectations.

This workshop is for fiction writers—whether you’re working on a short story, a novel-in-progress, or simply want to develop stronger characters. You’ll generate new material through short assignments that push you to experiment with different approaches to characterization, while paying attention to the craft choices that make unconventional narrators unforgettable. We’ll look at how the finer details, such as skills, interests, and relationships, can make characters stand taller, speak louder, and live more vividly on the page. Our discussions will help you refine your instincts for when to push against stereotypes and how to create characters who feel original and layered.

You’ll generate and submit 1–2,000 new words, and we’ll workshop your writing with a three-point focus: what we loved, where we got a tad lost, and what we want to hear more about. You’ll leave the course with a set of new character-driven pieces, as well as the tools and confidence to continue developing complex, unconventional characters in your fiction.

Find out more here https://writers.com/course/writing-unconventional-characters

You’ll get the more detailed course description, dates and current discounts! I’m looking forward to it.

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PRESENTATIONS

I’ll be talking to a group on the same topic for the SAN DIEGO WRITERS GROUP in August. I’ll try to record and share it with you afterwards.

I’m also chatting a book club in Limerick, Ireland in May. Again, I’ll record it and save it to the Classroom on Skool.

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SANTA FE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CONTINUING EDUCATION CLASSES

JUNE 2026

Check the website for the final details but there are two online Zoom classes, one on revision tools and process for long-form fiction and memoir writers as well as a playful prompt based Flash Fiction workshop. Here’s their link but the summer courses aren’t up yet: https://www.sfcc.edu/take-classes-fun/

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There are a few more online and in person workshops in the works and I’ll let you know when I have details and links. I think this year is when it’s all coming together. Thanks for being on the journey with me.

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ART

Abstracts have become my thing this last month and so I’ll be updating the website here with good photos this week so check back. I am also going to update the portfolio pages as I’ve made prints of many, matted and framed many pieces from the Aspens Series and the Curious Critters. I’ll be selling them for $25 for small, $45 for large, plus shipping in US and Canada.

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Again, huge thanks for all your love and support over the years. I hope to see some of you on Skool so we can interact properly. I’d love to know what you’re working on, share your work with the wider international community and create together.

Take care and thanks, Sleam

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