THE HATCHERY
Give shape to that creative practice or project closest to your heart—without the strain of keeping it alive all by yourself.
A small group workshop for deep, creative people to go from a beautiful (but maybe underripe!) idea to a practice in action—without losing your connection to the heart of it!
If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to finally give that project (you know the one) the time it deserves…I’ve got you.
Your heart is full of yearning when you think of having a kitchen filled with foraged herbs you could use for homemade tinctures…or when you imagine a studio all to yourself, covered wall-to-wall with paintings in progress and sketchbooks stacked on a desk. Yet somehow, it’s October already and you still haven’t gotten any closer to the creative life you imagined for yourself at the beginning of the year.
You took a painting class this year thinking it’d translate into more art-making at home…but you still spend most nights scrolling.
You were on a roll with a new writing ritual…but then some family obligations popped up (again) and you haven’t opened your notebook since.
You told yourself you’d start hosting a cookbook club this year, but when it came time to send out invitations, it just felt too vulnerable.
Even though you finally let yourself acknowledge that creative project that quietly feels like your Soul’s work… it still is on the backburner and you’re scared you’ll end this year having abandoned it (and therefore yourself)…again.
Imagine reaching the winter solstice and feeling like you gave this year all you had—not because you worked yourself to the bone, but because you finally got in touch with that creative life force inside of you and took it seriously—not just in theory, but actually through creative action this time.
Imagine getting to the end of the year and…
You’ve built a writing practice that grounds your mornings and makes you comfortable calling yourself a writer again.
The interior design business you began earlier in the year doesn’t just technically exist, it is holding space for both your clients’ dreams and your own creativity.
All the notes you’ve been making for the workshop you want to lead one day have actually been stitched together, and you’re ready to invite people!
At the end of long, cold days, you’re reaching for your art journal instead of your phone, and you’re finally back in touch—not just with your creative practice—but also with yourself.
The Hatchery is designed with a process-oriented, anti-perfectionist, anti-grind, and very human approach to incubating creative practices or projects—so your creativity stays grounded in the ultimate goal: a richer, more connected, and aligned life.
When you sign up, expect to hear from Carter soon. You’ll receive a short questionnaire to fill out so that the workshop is as customized to your needs as possible!
WHAT YOU'LL GETEight two-hour meetings led by Carter, an artist and therapist—so your process is expertly held by someone that knows how to navigate the vulnerability and deep blocks that creativity can bring up…while still grounding you in practice, action, and creative risk.
A rich community of other creative folks, to help build accountability and collective effervescence around your practice.
Sessions will offer space to share about your creative process, custom writing prompts to go deeper into it, and structure to both identify next steps and the space to take those steps—so we’re not just talking about the creative process, we’re in it.
A week off while we’re part way through—yes, this is because of the Thanksgiving holiday…but what it means is that we’ll have room to discuss the experience of stepping away from your project and then returning—so when this continues to happen in life, you’ll know how to enter back in.
A secure group chat (platform TBD), so there’s a regular place to check in, be accountable, and receive encouragement from the group between sessions.
Discounted access to 1-on-1 sessions—so you get the most out of The Hatchery through custom 1-on-1 attention…if you want! Get deeper into the minutiae of your project, the emotional blocks surrounding it, or simply book time to explore your creative life. Book a single session, one a month, or even schedule one up to a month after we end, so the support and accountability continues!
Caring about your creativity can feel lonely.
When you feel a near-intolerable yearning at the thought of having a studio all to yourself… or when you feel a pang of jealousy when your friend starts hanging dried herbs from their kitchen ceiling…it can be hard to explain why living more creatively feels both VITAL and SO IMPOSSIBLE, all at once.
I have felt that pain many times, and truth be told, while it feels like such a particular and individual ache, it’s only when I’ve committed to creative containers that I’ve found the structure to make, and make consistently.
But I’ve also signed up for groups before with the best of intentions to make progress on a creative dream…but when I was able to slip through the cracks, it was easy to let myself off the hook and stop feeling clear on what I wanted to make and why I wanted to keep pushing when it felt hard.
Where we may find ourselves saying “Maybe it doesn’t matter that much anyway…” there is usually some inner part of us just desperately waiting for our creative practice or project to finally take up space. In the Hatchery, that tender part is given a place to exist, to incubate, and come into existence before apathy or perfectionism snuffs it out.
The Hatchery welcomes all of you. It will be a space for you to learn how to return to that emotional center of your work—the reason why you yearn for that creative practice to begin with. Through the accountability of a small group, you’ll practice saying it out loud…and then getting to work—so that the heart of it all stays at the center, and the group is there in order to help you stay focused on that north star.
Why I made The Hatchery…
I’ve gone through this process of re-remembering and re-connecting to my creative practice over and over again. Whether it’s the writing ritual I’ve maintained for twenty years through many ebbs and flows—or the running practice I keep returning to even when it feels impossible—I know what it feels like an artist that’s “just barely making art,” but I also know how to mine my own psyche for the reasons why and bring myself out of it. I’ve done this for myself, and I love getting to be a doula in this process for others.
What past workshop participants have said…
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"Having a group to be accountable to, while maintaining a low pressure environment was the perfect intersection to ignite personal creativity. I really valued the safe space throughout…”
—Lansing O.
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"Coming together each week and sharing our insights, struggles, joys, questions, and hopes – it made me realize how much of my experience with my creativity is actually quite universal. This group very quickly became a beautiful community that I looked forward to being a part of each week."
— Zoe
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“I'm just feeling really freaking grateful for the connections, the commitment to the space, and the mutual desire to take our creativity seriously and tenderly.”
— Anonymous
THE DETAILS!
Class meets Thursdays* at 11-1pm EST via Zoom
from October 22nd to December 17th
Need a sliding scale spot? Just reach out and we’ll make it work for you!
Thursday, October 22
Thursday, October 29
*Wednesday, November 4
Thursday, November 12
Thursday, November 19
Thursday, December 3rd
Thursday, December 10th
Thursday, December 17th
Dates
$500, with 3-part payment plans available
Pricing
It can feel like a risk to carve out time and a budget for your creativity…especially when it’s felt like whatever you’ve tried before hasn’t made enough of a difference. But in the words of Julia Cameron (creator of the Artist’s Way), we all need a “safe hatchery” for our creative selves to tenderly come into being. The Hatchery is that space, and your inner artist has been begging for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
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You don’t need to have some huge vision or massive project to be part of The Hatchery. It is recommended that you have some clarity around your desire though. (“I want to paint more…I want to get to the end of the year having tried my hand at making a zine…I want a walking ritual in the evenings…”) If you want to talk it out, book a discovery call and I can help you see if this is a good fit.
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Sometimes the only community available to us is online, and that kind of sucks. I felt that when I took my therapy practice online in 2020. But since then, I have made my way hosting all kinds of spaces online—from therapy sessions, to movement classes, to creative workshops akin to the Hatchery. I promise I’ll use my expertise to make it engaging, fun, and warm…even through the screen.
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Not at all! That word ‘artist’ can be tricky and—for some—hard to claim. A lot of my clients actually fear that they’re not “artist enough.” We will talk about that concept, taking the pressure off the label and focusing on how you want to be in your life, not what you’re called. This class is for anyone wanting to devote themselves to a creative process or project, no matter the label.
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This is about process and progress, not perfectionism. I assure you, you will have gotten somewhere by December. Part of what we’ll focus on is reframing progress itself, and reimagining it in relationship to your actual life, and your actual self—not some idealized version of you.
You’ve been wanting to come home to your own creative center.
Despite all the space you know how to make for other people and other “more important” projects, there’s still that one thing that’s calling to you. Join The Hatchery so you can finally carve out the space you’ve been meaning to—but now with a community that will not only hold you accountable to making, but remind you of why you wanted to create to begin with.
"Carter led and facilitated such a fun, open, and supportive group space. I was feeling really vulnerable attending a group but with Carter’s guidance I was able to [my creative process] in a more meaningful way. The group space led me to deeper reflection while also feeling witnessed and supported by the group."
-Emily
Still have questions?
Shoot me an email: hello@carterumhau.com
Or, book a 15 minute chat so we can talk it out and see if The Hatchery is a good fit for you!
Carter Umhau, MA, LMHC is a therapist and artist that works at the intersection of healing and creativity. Through 1-on-1 work, workshops, and her podcast, How to Be Alive, she loves helping blocked, creative folks inhabit their loves more deeply so that their life feels like their own.