Community. Creativity. Resilience.
Join our first ever Created Creative Podcast experience in Amsterdam May 1-9, 2025.
Community.
Creativity.
Resilience.
Join our first ever Created Creative Podcast experience in Amsterdam May 1-9, 2025.
Unleash Your Inner Artist.
Join the hosts of Created Creative Podcast, Dawn Trautman & Ruth Hetland, for a journey to the Netherlands and to your own deeper creativity!
We will explore Amsterdam and the surrounding area – an energetic crossroads for art, architecture, tourism, transportation, technology, and history PLUS have time each day to nurture our creativity and spark growth in our various projects we are each working on!
Exploration.
Experience sites such as the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, the world-renowned Tulip Festival, and nearby Delft, known for its pottery and picturesque canals.
Inspiration.
Collaborate with other spiritual artists, interact with new surroundings, get coached by Ruth & Dawn on your next project, and attend a live taping of the podcast!
Education.
Our brief evening interactive sessions include "How to Get Paid Well for Your Art," "Effective Time Management," and "Getting Unstuck."
A New Creative Adventure Each Day.
Each day flows from a morning gathering with a word of inspiration followed by exploring in community. Late afternoon allows time to reflect or create, followed by an evening interactive activity to support you in your creativity.
Our morning questions and evening activities are a combination of the questions that co-host Ruth Hetland asks in every podcast episode and the themes in co-host Dawn Trautman's newest book, "Parables of a Resilient Nomad: 10 years. 500 Kitchen Tables. No Map." releasing September 17, 2024.
Thursday, May 1 ~ Depart the U.S.
Daily Question: What do we bring into this new creative experience? What is best left behind?
Fly from your nearest airport to arrive in Amsterdam the following morning.
Please note: Much of our transportation on this trip will be using the public transportation system of Amsterdam and a train to Delft. This trip requires good mobility and will involve much walking. We also encourage (and challenge) you to pack light. This allows easier movement on and off of trains and buses.
Friday, May 2 ~ Arrive in Amsterdam.
Daily Question: How did you get started on your current type of art?
Arrive in the morning in Amsterdam. Once everyone has arrived, we will travel by public transportation to our hotel to leave our bags until check in. Then we head out for our first day of adventure (but not too much adventure after the long flights!) We will celebrate our first lunch together and make a stop at the Amsterdam Tulip Museum to learn a bit about the history of this beautiful, iconic flower in the Netherlands. We will head back to our hotel for check in and rest. Dinner will be together with time for introductions and getting to know the rest of the people in the group. Hotel Amsterdam Amstel.
Saturday, May 3 ~ Tulips and Windmills.
Daily Question: What object symbolizes your culture of origin? What lessons did that culture teach you? How do they affect your art?
After breakfast and a morning gathering to set our intention for the day, we head out to the Keukenhof Gardens to see acres and acres of thousands of varieties of tulips. The Keukenhof traces its roots back to the 15th century as a hunting grounds for the Teylingen Castle. In 1950, the castle gardens became a place for leading flower bulb growers to exhibit their spring flowers. Today, the park features 7 million spring-flowering bulbs for the public to enjoy. On our way back to Amsterdam, we will visit some of the area windmills and learn about their significance to the landscape of the Netherlands. Tonight, we enjoy dinner out. Hotel Amsterdam Amstel.
Sunday, May 4 ~ Resilient Nomads of Yore.
Daily Question: How do you usually create? What is your process? Do you need music or quiet?
This morning, you have the opportunity to practice yoga with our trip leader Ruth Hetland. We will head into the central part of the city to go to worship at the Westerkerk Church at 10:30 am. After church and a bit of lunch, we will visit the Anne Frank Museum House and take a Walking Tour to learn about the life of Anne Frank and the impact of World War II on Amsterdam. After dinner, we gather as a group at our hotel to process our day and to dive into Effective Time Management and How to Create Art in Difficult Circumstances. Hotel Amsterdam Amstel.
Monday, May 5 ~ Visual Artists at the Crossroads.
Daily Question: What is your most enjoyable creative experience?
After our morning intention meeting, this is museum day. We will visit both the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum today with the option to spend plenty of time in each or to head out and explore the area on your own. If a quick trip through the museum is your thing, there are plenty of sites to take in within a few minutes of the museum area. Dinner is out. We gather for group time around the question of How to Get Paid Well for Your Art. Hotel Amsterdam Amstel.
Tuesday, May 6 ~ Adventure in Resilience.
Daily Question: What does it mean to be resilient? How does creativity function as a path to resilience?
This morning includes an option for yoga with Ruth. After breakfast and our intention for the day, we learn about the details of our Resilient Nomad Adventure Day. Amsterdam is a resilient city with a spirit that has helped it thrive through the ages. We learn about that resiliency through some tour options that speak to our sense of learning and exploring. After dinner out, we gather to share some of our experiences of the day and everyone has a chance to be coached by Dawn & Ruth about how to Get Unstuck and move forward on your next project. Hotel Amsterdam Amstel.
Wednesday, May 7 ~ Delft.
Daily Question: How do creativity and spirituality connect?
Today after our morning intention time, we move to the lovely city of Delft. We will travel by train to the town and spend the day exploring. Our first day includes a visit to the Vermeer Centre Museum, lunch together and then an option to visit the Botanical Gardens. Tonight we gather for a live taping of the Created Creative Podcast, with extensive group involvement in the episode. Hotel de Plataan.
Thursday, May 8 ~ Closure and Celebration.
Daily Question: What do we want to bring home from this new creative experience? What is best left behind?
For our last full day in Delft and in the Netherlands, we begin the day with setting our intention. Then we head out for a guided city tour of Delft, including the Neuwe Kirke, Oud Kirke, Prinsenhof, Oostport Gatehouse and the Molen de Roos 1679. In the afternoon, we see the city from a different perspective by taking a tour by boat through the canals. Tonight, we celebrate our time together with a farewell dinner and our final night of reflection with our leaders Ruth and Dawn. Hotel de Plataan.
Friday, May 9 ~ Depart for the U.S.
After our final breakfast together, we travel by coach to the Amsterdam Airport for our flights home.
The countdown to creativity is on.
Don't miss out - the countdown is on! Reserve your spot by November 25, 2024. Join us for an unforgettable experience. Tick-tock, secure your place today!
Meet Your Hosts.
The Created Creative Podcast is a weekly series launched in 2023 to explore the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Guests range from Rob Bell, one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People, to Jeff Hiller from HBO's "Somebody Somewhere" to Pastor Andrea Roske-Metcalfe, a MOTH GrandSLAM Champion, to Bishop Brenda Bos, who found her calling while working on a sit-com. Within weeks of its launch, the podcast entered the top 10% of podcasts worldwide and has remained there consistently.
Dawn
Trautman
Co-Host
Dawn Trautman is the visionary founder of Big Picture Big Purpose, which helps leaders of churches and nonprofits reimagine their relationship to their institution, or imagine a life outside of it. Her next book, "Parables of a Resilient Nomad: 10 Years. 500 Kitchen Tables. No Map." releases September 17, 2024, exploring the themes of community, creativity, and bravery. She has been interviewed about her adventures by ABC, NBC, NPR, and The New York Times. She is also a professional actor, certified Macy's Giant Balloon Handler, and former MainStage Producer for the ELCA Children, Youth & Family Ministry Extravaganza. She and her daughter volunteer most weekends at their church's food pantry in NYC. Discover more on Instagram @DawnTrautman.
Rev. Dr. Ruth Hetland
Co-Host
Rev. Dr. Ruth Hetland is the creator of the wildly popular ConseCrate Subscription Box and her ConseCrateBox shop on Etsy is the best place to go to find slightly irreverent gifts to make your favorite ministers smile. She is a certified yoga instructor and was a cast member on the award-winning Norwegian Reality show "Alt for Norge” in 2014. She is the author of two books, The Power of Place & Story in Preaching (2016) and Writing with a View of the Graveyard ( 2018). She has served as pastor of congregations in New York, Colorado, Texas, and Minnesota and currently serves as interim pastor at First Lutheran (ELCA) in Mahnomen, Minnesota. She lives in Detroit Lakes, MN with her two teenage sons. Follow her work @consecratebox on Instagram.
Rev. Sarah Raymond
Sunlight Tours
Rev. Sarah Raymond is passionate about travel and the way it opens us up to the world. Learning the stories of other people and places broadens our own perspective and understanding. Sarah has been leading trips for almost 20 years, but in 2019, she made the leap out of parish ministry and started her own tour company. Sunlight Tours has taken groups to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Belize, Italy, Ireland, Wales, Greece and Turkey. In 2025, Sarah and the team are thrilled to add Scotland, Turks & Caicos and now Amsterdam to the list. Sarah lives near Grand Forks, ND with her children and a lot of plants. Learn more about what we have brewing in our travel mugs (brains) at www.sunlighttours.org.
Got questions?
We’ve got answers!
How much does the trip cost?
The experience in Amsterdam costs $3450, which includes ground transportation, hotel, activities, all breakfasts and dinners, experiential learning, and fun giveaways. It does not include airfare or most lunches.
What are the hotel room arrangements?
We'll be staying in two wonderful hotels: one near Amsterdam and one near Delft. You will be paired with a roommate for the entire trip. Don't want us to pair you with a stranger? Either invite a friend to be your roommate or let us know you want a single room. The extra charge is $800.
Is this really for me?
This trip is for creative people with a spiritual openness, ranging from yoga instructors who sell healing balms to pastors with an Etsy shop to writers and poets of all sorts. The majority of our audience are female-presenting people in theirs 30s, 40's, and 50's who are church-adjacent, but everyone is welcome. The more diversity we have, the more creativity can happen!
What if I want to know more about Sunlight Tours and their travel policies?
No problem! You can read the fine print at https://tri.ps/qQVcL.
Ready to get creative?
This is not just a tour, this is a community of people exploring the spiritual side of creativity and how it is enriched in a new context. We won't be the same without you. Grab your spot to have an adventure with us May 1-9, 2025.
Ready to get creative?
This is not just a tour, this is a community of people exploring the spiritual side of creativity and how it is enriched in a new context. We won't be the same without you. Grab your spot to have an adventure with us May 1-9, 2025.
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