Back in the Spring, a few of you might have heard me whisper - “I got into Milkwood” to myself while re-arranging books at the shop. I truly couldn’t believe I was actually going until Selina Alko picked me up in Harlem. Maybe I still didn’t believe it until we got out of the car nearly 3 hours later and laid eyes on the building itself, and then were greeted by Sophie + Ed and their most amazing staff.
For anyone wondering, Milkwood is a magically converted barn + surrounding farm property run by Sophie Blackall and Ed Schmidt. I got to be there as a part of a “Peer Retreat”, and my goodness, what peers I had. My roommate for the week was Selina Alko, who I had the pleasure of meeting online through the shop a few years ago, and then in person this spring when she came for a visit. Getting to know her better (along with Nancy Johnson on our car-ride there and back) was an extra bit of delight that I’m still so filled up by.
Milkwood has been described as a picture book come to life, and I can back that up in spades (and little brooms, and collectable mirrors, and all the other treasures that line the walls of the barn). The property served as the inspiration for Sophie’s “Farmhouse” book, based on the dilapidated house that stood just a few steps from the barn. The rescued white doorway was used in rebuilding the barn, and each time I stepped through I couldn’t help but smile. Sophies drawings for “Farmhouse” line some of the walls, I could have spent half my time there looking closely at all the intricate details and rescued paper bits that became the collaged drawings you’ll all recognize from the book.
Alongside being so very well fed and nourished and cared for, we also had a couple of workshops; this one was led by Deborah Stein and Pooja Makhijani. I was a bit overwhelmed by the opportunity to just sit and paint again, it's been a long time since I did this, and even while at the retreat it took a moment for me to really allow myself to play around again. I'm delighted to tell you that while I didn't produce any art-work at Milkwood, I do feel inspired to get back to drawing and painting again for myself, and to see where/how it might bring something back to the shop. Deborah and Pooja made it easy and safe and fun to mess around with materials, and the "Calf Barn" that we set up our workspaces in where brimming with supplies. Invitations to remember your creative self were literally everywhere, it made me think of the shop.
One evening, we sat around a campfire and tried to set a few more fears aside, and give ourselves to permission to wish + dream again. I have been revisiting this over and over again in my head, as it's really something that's at the top of my mind. Keeping a retail shop and studio alive (since even before the pandemic if I'm being honest) has been big hard work. I still very much believe in what the shop is doing, but the day to day hustle to make ends meet can leave little room for the creative dreaming and wishing that the store was built upon. It's still very much about getting the bills paid, but perhaps changing our focus, standing our ground, and really looking at how small shops can not just survive, but thrive in these wildly difficult times.
I've got so much more to share, but for now, thanks for reading. Thanks for listening to this part of the story, it's only just begun.
