A few weeks ago I was driving five hours from Reykjavík alone and just getting over a cold. It was early August and so I held out hope the weather would be nice in the Westfjords when I arrived. It had been a while since I'd done much driving and I was unsure how I'd cope, but as it turned out the drive was pleasant – even thought-provoking. Something about travelling through the Icelandic countryside untethers me from my normal ways of looking at the world. My creative mind feels a little freer, and I can imagine new ideas and new stories. On that drive, I came up with a few interesting ideas worth pursuing.
If the journey itself sparked a few ideas, this was nothing compared to my destination. I was
very fortunate to be invited to vist List og Land, an artists' residency in the Westfjords of Iceland. Run by author Leslie Schwartz and her partner, Greg Littlewood, List og Land (Art and Country) is based at Laugaból Farm in a beautiful and remote fjord in the north-west of Iceland. It's in a fjord valley, so there is a deep inlet of water, mountains seemingly on all sides, and thousands of acres of land belonging to the farm. On the waterfront you'll find seals, and during certain times of the year whales swim up into the fjord. There's barely another house in the whole valley, the closest neighbour being the Jón Sigurðsson Museum.
To arrive at the farm you first drive to the stunning Dynjandi waterfall. From there you follow a farmers road – not much more than a dirt path – along the length of the fjord. Eventually you see the farm house sitting seemingly alone. Nearby are the old horse stables, where the residency has now been installed.
I had met Leslie at an event with Reykjavík Poetics and she'd been kind enough to invite me along. Though it had taken me several months to find the time, I'd finally made it. She and Greg wasted no time making me feel extremely welcome, but they also gave me plenty of space to work and write and live at my own pace.
My stay at List og Land was shorter than planned – getting sick several days before leaving meant I was arriving a few days later than planned and I wasn't able to make up time. But even four days was such a gift for my creativity. I'll admit I did very little writing. I was too busy hiking along the valley, and exploring the waterfront. But there's a lot more to creative writing than just the writing itself. While I was there, I worked through a few issues in a story I was already working on. Then, on a long walk, I developed a rough plot for a whole new novel.
In the weeks since I left, I've been struggling to find time for my own writing. It's been one thing after another, with work, research, and other responsibilities. Even writing this post took much longer than I expected. And this is why a retreat can be so valuable. Getting away from all those responsibilities and taking a break from the everyday, venturing into a place that feels somehow special to you – this is such a powerful privilege for creativity. It can be hard to carve out a few days, but having been to List og Land as my first residency, I'll be trying to go back as soon as I can.
Residencies are great not just because they give you a chance to disconnect from the everyday. A good residency or retreat also offers unique experiences. I believe that the most important fuel for creativity is experience. The more you experience, the more you have to draw from. By hiking through the valley at List og Land my mind was popping with thoughts and ideas for my writing.
I can't describe how great my time there was, so I'll just let my photos speak for themselves.
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