GROUNDED IN TEXTURE
THE PRESERVE, HOLLYWOOD
For the fourth year in a row, Crave Workshops was invited to facilitate a creative wellness experience at Camp Minted, Minted’s annual gathering of artists and creatives from across the country.
Hosted alongside keynote speakers, educational sessions, and community programming, the conference celebrates creativity, entrepreneurship, and connection. Amid a full schedule of learning and inspiration, our goal was to create something different: a moment to slow down.
Through personal storytelling, hands-on making, and reflection, participants were invited to reconnect with their creativity in a more mindful way. Many attendees later shared that the session was one of the highlights of the conference—not because of what they created, but because of how the experience made them feel.
THE APPROACH
We introduced Grounded in Texture, a mindfulness-based art experience designed to shift attention away from outcomes and into process.
Using plaster, simple tools, and wooden panels, participants explored texture through touch, repetition, and experimentation. Rather than focusing on creating a finished masterpiece, attendees were encouraged to embrace curiosity, presence, and play.
The experience invited participants to step away from screens, deadlines, and the demands of creative work and reconnect with the simple act of making.
THE EXPERIENCE
In a room filled with more than 50 artists and creatives, participants gathered to slow down.
As hands moved across plaster surfaces, conversations naturally emerged. Some participants worked quietly in reflection, while others connected over shared experiences as artists, business owners, and creatives navigating an increasingly digital world.
The tactile nature of the process encouraged a different kind of engagement—one rooted in touch, rhythm, and sensory awareness. The room became noticeably calmer as participants settled into the creative flow.
The result wasn’t just artwork. It was a collective reset.
THE OUTCOME
Grounded in Texture provided attendees with an opportunity to experience the benefits of creative wellness firsthand.
Participants left with a one-of-a-kind textured artwork, but more importantly, they left with a renewed sense of presence, inspiration, and connection.
The experience reinforced an important reminder: creativity is not only a tool for producing work—it is also a pathway to wellbeing.
KEY TAKEAWAY
In a world increasingly shaped by technology, AI, and constant digital stimulation, hands-on creativity offers something deeply human.
When we slow down, engage our senses, and create with our hands, we reconnect not only with our creativity, but with ourselves and one another.
Sometimes the most valuable thing a conference can provide isn’t more information—it’s space to pause, reflect, and create.
