What a wonderful month of creativity, friendship, and inspiration! September marked another year of The Creative Gathering, and together we created and shared 511incredible works of art. What a great way to celebrate 6 years of gathering, creating, and connecting!
Once again, our talented artists brought an amazing variety of styles, mediums, ideas, and perspectives to the gathering. From beautiful paintings & drawings to photography, mixed media, assemblage, and imaginative experiments like puppetry. Every contribution reflected a unique creative voice. What a joy it has been to see everyone’s work!
To every artist who participated, congratulations! Whether you created something every day or joined us when you were able, your contributions mattered. Every piece symbolizes time, imagination, and a willingness to explore and share your creative vision. We can all take pride in what we’ve accomplished together!
Celebrating Art, Friendship, and Connection
One of the best things about The Creative Gathering is how we encourage one another. We exchange ideas & celebrate each other’s accomplishments. We may live in different corners of the world, but our shared love of creativity brings us together. The friendships and connections we’ve made are every bit as special as the art itself.
Our Gallery Video is a celebration of all of us. It’s a chance to look back, revisit favorite pieces, and appreciate the incredible talent and individuality within our creative community.
To those who weren’t able to join us this time, you were truly missed! We hope to see you when we gather again in February 2027.
Thank you all for sharing your talents, your enthusiasm, and your friendship. You make The Creative Gathering something truly special. I’m so grateful to be part of this creative journey with you.
Congratulations, everyone!
You created with imagination and spirit, showing generosity to others & grace to yourselves.
The Gathering wouldn’t be the same without your creativity, enthusiasm, and friendship!
My August included a two-week stay in the hospital. I was having trouble breathing when I walked, although I was fine when sitting still. I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. High blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs, which makes the right side of the heart work harder. It is related to my COPD and pulmonary fibrosis. Interstitial lung disease contributes as well, and lupus contributes to the ILD.
It came on slowly over a couple of weeks, but I just thought I was tired and needed more sleep. Then one day, I could barely make it to the kitchen and had a hypoxic anxiety attack.
During that same time, I was slowly losing my appetite. Prescription side effects were causing several gastrointestinal issues, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Between the loss of appetite and the GI problems, I became underweight and malnourished. It was further complicated by the specific dietary requirements I have because of a previous Roux-en-Y surgery to control the acid reflux that was damaging my lungs.
The doctors wanted to feed me through an NG tube. After three days of monitoring my food intake, though, I convinced the nutritionist that I could maintain a healthy diet at home on my own. I was released on August 24—the very day the procedure was scheduled! 🙏🙏🙏
Creating with ChatGPT… From a Hospital Bed
While hospitalized, I worked on the materials for The Creative Gathering. All I had was my phone. I used ChatGPT to create the banner, invitations, countdown images, album covers, and inspirational quotes. It did a great job overall, but apparently some of my instructions were lacking! 😂
I asked for watercolor splatter effects, and it gave me little flower shapes. In fact, on the banner, even the oil paint looks like little flowers—I never mentioned flowers! For the countdown and albums, I asked it to keep the same design and change only the number. But the backgrounds in the countdown images ended up completely different. It was even more noticeable in the album covers. As I went along, the colors became darker and muddier, and the images became more pixelated and “piecey.”
Creating all 31 album covers was very time-consuming. It actually would have been quicker for me to do them in Photoshop. Once I have a design worked out, changing the numbers and saving each album cover takes about ten minutes.
Still, I am very grateful I had the option to get the materials completed. I even started the countdown on time! 🤣😆🙏
For the challenge itself, I decided abstract art would be a good place to start. I thought it would take some of the stress out of creating something every day. I began with watercolor. As always, I veered off in other directions. My graphics background definitely showed up in about half of my pieces.
Digital collage and digital art continue to draw me in. So often, I start a mixed-media piece with something particular in mind. But I have absolutely no idea how to make it work. I have to experiment and research—and how do you research something when you don’t even know what it’s called? 🤣😆
It often takes several tries before I finally get a piece to work the way I want. But each one teaches me something new, and that makes the struggle exciting and fulfilling. I think that is true for most artists.
I was really surprised to discover that I like just about every piece I created this month. Half of them made it onto my favorites list! I don’t think that has ever happened before. I can honestly say that even the “duds” have at least one redeeming quality. 😆
My “job” has been to eat and gain weight. I gained a little at the end of August. I’ve been eating every two hours or so—three meals & three snacks a day. I’m even getting up early enough to have a snack before breakfast. (And I am a night owl!)
I’m now just three pounds away from my former base weight. I won’t mind gaining a little more, either. Having a cushion would be a good thing. Just in case I have to be admitted to the hospital again.
This month, I’ll be catching up on some much-needed rest. I had a dozen appointments last month—some of them home visits, along with PT and wellness checks. A few were in Phoenix (An hour and a half away). Those are all-day events, and especially tiring.
Lord, I lift up my friends to You today. Please bless them with vibrant health and strength to carry them through each day. Fill their homes and hearts with deep, lasting happiness and a peace that guards their minds. Wake up their spirits with fresh inspiration and creativity, flooding their days with warm, gentle colors and rich textures. Keep them safe, protect their steps, and let them always know how deeply they are loved. Amen.
A global community of artists exploring new mediums while starting the year with creativity, curiosity, and connection.
As we begin the 8th year of The Creative Gathering, we’re celebrating another inspiring season of creativity, dedication, and community. This month, our artists collectively created and shared 588 pieces of art. This is a wonderful reflection of the passion and commitment within our global creative family.
Throughout the gathering, artists worked in a wide range of mediums. These include pencil, pen, watercolor, gouache, inks, and oils. They also used photography, mixed media, nature art, colored pencil, assemblage, and journaling. Each piece reflects a unique voice and perspective, with artists of all experience levels sharing their creativity and vision.
What makes The Creative Gathering so special is that it’s truly international. Artists from around the world come together to share not only their work, but also encouragement, ideas, and support. Beyond the art itself, the gathering fosters camaraderie and connection, reminding us that creativity thrives in a supportive community.
Artists often spend long hours working alone, which makes these moments of connection especially meaningful. We share our work and cheer one another on. We witness each other’s creative journeys. By doing so, we build relationships that enrich and reward the creative process.
Each year, participants challenge themselves to try new mediums, experiment with unfamiliar tools, explore new techniques, and learn new approaches. The Creative Gathering isn’t just about making art—it’s about growing as artists and embracing curiosity and exploration.
The gathering is also a wonderful way to start the year on a positive note. By committing to create daily for one month and sharing that work publicly, artists celebrate both discipline and courage. While some complete the full month, we believe that even showing up for part of the month is worth celebrating. Every sketch, photo, journal page, or painting represents a moment of creativity and intention.
You will want to have a seat to view the video. It is over six minutes long! Enjoy!
To everyone who participated this year—whether you created every day or joined in when you could—congratulations. Your creativity, dedication, and willingness to share help make The Creative Gathering such a special community.
We look ahead to gathering again in September to continue our shared creative journey. Together we’ll support one another, explore new ideas, and celebrate the joy of making art. Let’s see where our creativity takes us next.
Congratulations, everyone! And thank you again, for sharing your exceptional work with us all.
