Dreaming of Road Trips Past: Creative Entrepreneurs in Rural Iowa

Sometimes you just need to get out of town. I've been feeling that way for a few weeks. It's gray and cold--hard to feel inspired. When my studio was a big mess, the itch to get in the car and drive was even stronger. Have you had that feeling? The one where everything is unorganized and chaotic and the very thought of doing something about it is absolutely overwhelming. I must admit that in those times I have often chosen to flee--I am a messy artist and cleaning is NOT my thing. But sometimes you have to practice discipline, to find a way to push through and make it different. This was one of those times. That was about two weeks ago. I can now proudly say that I can see the floor and the top of my desk. Everything is back in its place.

And I was grateful (again) for the realization that discipline, like courage, must be practiced. It's really not a "you have it or you don't" situation. I would still like to get on the road, but winter in the middle of Iowa is often unpredictable, so I'll wait and watch and think about a road trip I took last May. I've been meaning to tell you about it...


Four of us piled into my car. We'd planned this for some time--a day off, a beautiful, sunny day off together to explore. We were wondering how creative entrepreneurs in Iowa's rural areas were making their businesses work. Our first stop was Conrad, Iowa. Conrad is a very small town pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  But it has the Hen and Chicks Studio, a lovely little quilt/scrapbooking shop and retreat center in an old storefront. It was eye candy. I wanted to take a bed upstairs and stay awhile with Heidi. I hope you check it out, maybe take a class sometime. http://www.henandchicksstudio.com/

Next on the list? Zearing and the Threshold Learning Center. We arrived right after we got lost--again, it's smack in the middle of nowhere. TLC is a non-profit with hands on math and science programs. The enthusiastic leader, Gretta, took us on a hike and showed off the awesome renovated barn. Find out more about this organization here: http://www.thresholdlearningcenter.org/index.html

I'd like to say we got things figured out, but of course, we mostly found we had more questions. But we had a day of sunshine, laughter, and some pretty lively debates. And we found innovative people making their ideas work, even in the middle of nowhere. Not bad.