Preorder your copy today
Nurturing Creativity releases April 21st!
Nurturing Creativity
A Guide to Building Your Artist Residency and Cultivating Creative Community
Are you an artist, creative, or community-builder dreaming of starting your own artist residency or creative program? Nurturing Creativity is a practical and inspiring guidebook that helps you turn that dream into a sustainable reality.
Drawing from her real-world experience founding The Verdancy Project, a multidisciplinary, nature-based artist residency in the Pacific Northwest, artist and creative entrepreneur Shannon Amidon offers step-by-step guidance, heartfelt insights, and stories from the field.
This book covers everything you need to know about:
How to start an artist residency program
Different residency models and structures
The business basics of running a residency
Marketing and attracting artists
Lessons learned from running The Verdancy Project
Real stories from residency directors and artists
Maintaining your own creative practice while leading others
Nurturing Creativity goes beyond logistics, it’s a book about connection, generosity, and the courage to create something bigger than yourself.
This Book Is For You If:
You’ve dreamed about starting an artist residency
You want to build a creative community in your town
You are an artist exploring new ways to support other creatives
You want to create spaces where creativity can flourish
You are curious about how artist residencies actually work
Released April 21st! Pre order now!
Book Launch Celebration
Join us for the launch of Nurturing Creativity: A Guide to Building Your Artist Residency and Cultivating Creative Community.
We’ll gather for an evening of conversation, creativity, and community to celebrate the release of the book.
Saturday April 25th, 6:30-8:00pm
Antler & Talon Gallery
2714 NE Alberta St
Portland, OR 97211
What to Expect
A short reading from the book
Conversation and Q&A
Literary-inspired crafts
Treats and refreshments
Books available for purchase and signing
Attendees will receive a sticker sheet inspired by the book
RSVP HERE if you would like a reminder before the event
“Every artist knows the transformative power of uninterrupted time and space—away from the demands, the emails, the endless to-do lists. Shannon Amidon understands this deeply. In Nurturing Creativity, she offers a practical roadmap, based on lived experience, for building the kind of spaces where artists can truly breathe. A generous, necessary resource for anyone who wants to create sanctuary for fellow creatives”.
Alyson Stanfield - Author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio and host of The Art Biz podcast
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Learn more about Shannon Amidon—artist, author, and founder of The Verdancy Project. Shannon is a visual artist, writer, and creative entrepreneur who has spent the past five years building an artist residency and creative community in Oregon. -
RESIDENCY INTERVIEWS
Explore in-depth interviews with artist residency founders and working artists featured in Nurturing Creativity. These conversations share real experiences, lessons learned, and insights into building and participating in artist residencies around the world. -
RESOURCES FOR READERS
Access downloadable templates, worksheets, checklists, and reflection prompts designed to support artists and organizers who want to start an artist residency or creative program. -
CREATIVE MENTORSHIP
Work one-on-one with Shannon Amidon to gain clarity and guidance as you develop your artist residency, creative space, or community arts program. Consulting sessions offer practical insight, strategic support, and encouragement for turning your ideas into reality.