A Weekend of Dreams, Plans, and Creative Connection
Reflecting on the first Blank Spaces team retreat
We arrived at the Grey Rose Inn, a boutique hotel in the heart of a small town. The building was framed with flowerbeds and topped with an iron weather vane, while inside, high ceilings and large windows flooded our room with light. This lovely location was the perfect setting for what turned out to be one of the most meaningful weekends in Blank Spaces' nine-year journey.
For the first time, much of our passionate volunteer team gathered in person. These women—Michelle (bookkeeper and kitten rescue worker), Heidi (finance), Haley (PhD student), and Joanne (marketing)—have been collaborating with me for years through emails and Google Docs. This weekend brought us face-to-face, cozied up on a deep couch and spinning purple armchairs, ready to dream and plan around an overflowing charcuterie board.
The weekend began slowly, with careful conversations about goals and strategies. But as the hours passed, something beautiful happened. The more honest I became about my really big dreams for Blank Spaces, the more affirming and energizing our discussions became. There’s something so powerful about saying your biggest dreams out loud—and it’s even more powerful to admit your fears to people who truly understand the work.
In that spirit of vulnerability, I shared something I’d been carrying: my fear that as Blank Spaces grows, it might invite ugliness—particularly online. I’ve worked hard to protect our community from the negativity that can come with visibility. The thought of someone looking at a Blank Spaces Instagram post and seeing rude or ugly comments breaks my heart. That’s not the environment I want to cultivate. In some ways, keeping us smaller has felt safer, but it’s also worked against our goal of building community and supporting more Canadian creatives.
Saying this fear out loud was transformative. My team didn’t dismiss it—they walked me through it. Joanne shared wisdom from Brené Brown about standing in our own power and refusing to engage with negativity. We talked about amplifying the positive and de-escalating (or blocking) the negative. Most importantly, they reminded me that our community is worth protecting AND worth expanding.
We talked about the relationships that have been built through connections made in our pages—how past contributors have become authors I now work with directly, how our community continues to grow and support one another. Some team members even shared memories of the very first time I pitched this magazine as what I thought was a “crazy idea”—and there was such amazement and celebration over the fact that this vision has not only survived but thrived, now entering its 10th year in print. The consistency of the original vision with where we are today felt like a beautiful testament to staying true to what matters.
Most importantly, we discussed how Blank Spaces operates as a reciprocal community: we rally around Canadian creatives, and they rally around us. We can keep going because people keep showing up. We can go further, harder, and longer if more people show up.
We also spent significant time celebrating what makes us quintessentially Canadian—and how we can leverage that identity at a time when Canadians are feeling deep pride and loyalty in our country. We’re committed to the Canadian arts community in every way: our printer is in Markham, we use Canada Post, our passionate volunteer team and all our brilliant contributors are Canadian. We welcome voices from Newfoundland to the Vancouver Island and everywhere in between, championing quality over qualification in true Canadian fashion. We believe in accessibility over profit, community over competition, and giving platforms to emerging voices when others won’t. In a media landscape often dominated by international content, we’re building something uniquely ours—and at a time when arts communities are closing down, we carry on with that distinctly Canadian spirit of perseverance and mutual support.
My team didn’t try to shrink my big dreams—instead, they worked together to help me find realistic, measurable goals that will bring Blank Spaces closer to where I envision it. They affirmed that my pride in what we’ve created is well-founded and celebrated the fact that in a time when arts communities are closing down, we carry on.
Nine years later, our mission and values haven’t changed since day one. That integrity and stick-to-it-iveness is something I’m deeply proud of, and it won’t change as we grow.
left-right: Haley, Michelle, Alanna, Joanne, Heidi
What will change? We’re making big plans for our 10th anniversary year, and we want you to be part of it. The ideas that emerged from our weekend together are exciting, ambitious, and rooted in our commitment to championing Canadian creatives in ways we’ve never done before.
We left the Grey Rose Inn energized, aligned, and more committed than ever to the beautiful community we’re building together. Hours of brainstorming, lots of food, and genuine connection reminded us why we do this work and reinforced our excitement for what’s ahead.
Our retreat wasn’t just about planning—it was about reconnecting with our core identity and values, which happen to be beautifully, authentically Canadian.
One of the most beautiful moments came when Haley, who had been taking diligent notes throughout our planning sessions, closed her computer and said, “I just want to get to know everybody better.” As we transitioned from business to personal, everything shifted. We shared stories from our lives, laughed together, and deepened our connections as people beyond just colleagues who collaborate through email.
As Joanne reflected afterward: “Getting together with the Blank Spaces team was so inspiring. It reminded me why it’s important to follow our passions and what can be accomplished when you consistently show up and keep your larger goals in mind.”
Stay tuned—we can't wait to share how you can be involved in making our 10th year the most impactful yet.
