Retreat in Tuscany

CREATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE RETREAT IN TUSCANY

The programme is offering an inspirational physical space in beautiful surroundings, where like-minded creative professionals can reflect on values and topics of common interests and move forward with reinforced value frameworks, new ideas, and creative or altruistic passion projects. This is a retreat where the guests will become co-creators.

The programme focuses on four core elements

  • Experience & knowledge sharing
  • Creative/altruistic thinking & doing
  • Connecting & collaborating
  • The art of living well

  

Where

In Tuscany, 3km from Lucca’s 16th-century walls (and 30km from the Mediterranean Sea).

A beautiful Tuscan villa has a large lounge, 6 bedrooms, reading lounge, 2 kitchens, 4 bathrooms. It also has an external workshop space with a traditional big oven and barbeque space. The villa has an amazing terrace with far reaching views and a large garden with olive trees and a small vineyard.

  

  

When and how long

5 days, starting in the late afternoon on the first day. We always start on Thursdays. The programme will end on the evening of the fifth day (Monday) but guests can stay one more night.

Dates:

We had an amazing first season of the retreats, if you want to know more about the dates for the summer 2018 please send an email to daniela@hip.academy.

  

Participants

There will be up to 8 guests per retreat, all selected through professional networks and recommendations. The main ‘selection’ criteria is an interest in such an interdisciplinary, experiential and innovative programme, and willingness to share ideas, knowledge and time with other participants in a meaningful and creative way.

We like to mix people to create interesting discussions and interactions, thus helping each other in achieving elements of our personal and shared visions. Therefore, we invite participants from different creative industries, whether they are filmmakers, editors, journalists, digital and social innovators, freelancers, producers, executives, entrepreneurs, or investors. Also, professionals who are from different industries but ‘creative-friendly’ are very welcome to come as they can add an interesting viewpoint to our discussions.

  

The programme aims to provide a physical and intellectual space for:

Conversations & storytelling (sharing experiences and knowledge, debating on the industry and societal issues)

Discoveries and awakening curiosity (intellectual, creative and in the physical surroundings)

Co-creation and experimental collaboration (with the fellow participants and residents)

Self-reflective activities (including designing and planning of a personal passion project)

Programme highlights:

Combining visual stimulation, creative thinking, debating and sharing experiences.

Designing future collaborative and co-creating ideas/projects.

Sharing knowledge and vision of the professional and societal issues and future trends.

Defining new personal and professional challenges and how to progress with one’s own vision.

Recharging energy by appreciating the natural and cultural surroundings.

Connecting with other participants through interactions and activities.

Sharing professional stories and experiences with fellow participants.

Proving opportunities to stimulate creativity and analytical connections.

Being challenged to think outside the box, by a combination of ‘challenges’ and discoveries.

Sharing personal strategies on how to achieve a good work-life balance.

Debating on what is a contemporary understanding and the approach to a ‘good life’.

Exploring the ways innovative companies in Tuscany cultivate respect for biodiversity, local produce and cultural heritage.

Debating about alternative lifestyles, such as minimalism or ‘digital nomadism’.

Experiencing new concepts of travel, such as ‘microtravel’ and slow travel.

Enjoying relaxing activities, such as walking, reading or listening to the birds in the villa ’s garden.

 

  

Some of the working tools and methodologies:

Participant-led workshops

Using an innovation framework for personal “innovation”

Storytelling and visual storytelling

Connecting argumentative reasoning and creative thinking

Gaming & experimenting

Design thinking

Lean methodology approach

Ethnographic research

Curating societal trends using trend-spotting methodology

Observational analysis (environment, people, oneself )

Expected outcome:

Creating a community of like-minded individuals

At least one collaborative idea (e.g. to design and prototype experimental programs and interventions)

Design an individual or collaborative passion project

Personal reflection (recorded in an essay or personal notes)

Recharging energy, become inspired and inspire others, and have a good time

Follow up on the projects, ideas, and networking in pursuing professional endeavours

Stay in touch via online tools/platform(s), and possibly reconnect next year in yet another amazing location

  

What other participants said

You can read the reviews on a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/retreatintuscany/reviews/

For more information about the next season of the retreats (summer 2018)  please contact: daniela@hip.academy