An intimate weekend for artists, photographers and creatives
Five people gather around my table in Margate for a weekend of good food, conversation, creative thinking and time dedicated to you and your work.
Saturday 11am – Sunday afternoon 4pm Shared room £485 | Private room £520 Five places only
There are times in a creative life when you can lose your way a little. You might be stuck in the middle of a project, coming back to your work after some time away, questioning what you're making, or simply finding it difficult to work out where to put your energy next.
And sometimes nothing is particularly wrong. You just haven't had the time or space to properly think about your work for a long time.
I wanted to create a weekend for those moments.
At The Table is an intimate gathering for five artists, photographers and creatives at my home in Margate. It's a chance to step out of everyday life for a couple of days and give yourself and your work some proper attention. We'll look at work, talk through what's happening in your practice, share experiences, eat together, get out into Margate and spend some time by the sea.
There will be strategy too. I've spent years supporting people with their creative practices, helping them think about funding, visibility, opportunities, audience and where to go next. I'll bring all that experience to the weekend, but I don't want this to feel like another professional development programme where you leave with an enormous list of things you should be doing.
Instead, we'll start with you. Where are you now, what are you thinking about, and what do you and your work need next?
Who is At The Table for?
You don't need to be in crisis or have a big problem to solve. This weekend is for people with an established or developing creative practice who would benefit from some perspective, conversation and concentrated attention on their work.
You might be:
returning to your practice after a period away
stuck somewhere in the middle of a project
at a crossroads and unsure which direction to take
feeling disconnected from your work
juggling too many ideas and opportunities
questioning what you want from your creative life now
doing well, but wanting proper time to think about where you're heading next
You might call yourself an artist. You might call yourself a photographer. You might work across photography, books, moving image, writing, drawing or other forms. You might simply describe yourself as a creative.
I'm much less interested in the label than I am in the fact that your work matters to you and you're ready to give it some attention.
What happens over the weekend?
There will be two main facilitated sessions, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, but I see the whole weekend as part of the experience rather than two workshops with some meals in between.
Before you arrive, I'll ask you to tell me a little about yourself, your work and where you are right now. I'll read this beforehand, so I understand what each person is bringing to the table and what you'd most value support with.
On Saturday we'll spend time understanding where everyone is now. Each person will have dedicated space to share their work and talk about what's happening in their practice. We'll look at what's working, where things feel difficult, what you're questioning and what might need more attention.
The conversations will be different for everyone. For one person we might be looking closely at a body of work that's got stuck. Someone else might be returning after a period away and trying to reconnect. Another person might need practical advice about funding, visibility or opportunities. Someone else might simply need five people to look carefully at what they're doing and ask good questions.
That's why the group is so small. I don't want to decide everything we're going to talk about before I know who's sitting at the table.
On Sunday we'll come back together and look at what has emerged. We'll think about what feels easier, what you want to protect or change, and what might help you move forward. Where it's useful, I'll bring in practical strategy around funding, visibility, opportunities, positioning, relationships and next steps.
You might leave with a plan, but that's not the only measure of a useful weekend. You might make a decision you've been avoiding, find a way through a project, reconnect with an idea, realise something needs to stop, or simply see your work differently after having other people give it their full attention.
Staying with us in Margate
The weekend takes place in our restored Victorian family home near Walpole Bay in Margate. It's filled with contemporary art, photography books and things we've collected through our lives in the creative industries.
There's a large kitchen table, a library, garden and log burner, with the sea a short walk away.
This isn't a hotel or retreat centre, and that's part of what makes the weekend different. You're coming into our home and, for a couple of days, we're sharing it with you.
Around the table
Food is going to be a big part of the weekend because it's a big part of our home. We love cooking and having people around our table, and I want this weekend to feel generous and nourishing rather than like a workshop that happens to include accommodation.
You'll arrive at 11am on Saturday, you’ll settle with hot tea or coffee and explore the house, then we'll begin with a homemade seasonal lunch. You’ll meet the other four people and begin hearing about the work and questions everyone has brought with them.
After lunch we'll move into our first session. Later in the afternoon we'll get out of the house for a while. Depending on what's happening in Margate that weekend, we’ll visit an exhibition or creative space via the sea – which is at the end of the road.
On Saturday evening we'll come home for a beautiful three-course dinner. We'll light the fire and candles, serve the first course and spend the evening around the table. I imagine some of the most useful conversations of the weekend will happen here, once the notebooks have been put away and we have time to talk without watching the clock.
After dinner, the night is yours. You might carry on talking by the fire, curl up with a book, take a late-night dip in the outdoor stone bath or head upstairs and settle into your thoughtfully prepared bedroom and comfy bed. We won't make it a late one - I want there to be space to wind down, let the conversations and ideas from the day settle, and get a proper night's sleep.
Sunday morning will start deliberately slowly before our next big session. There will be breakfast and time to walk along the coast, swim at Walpole Bay, do some yoga, read or simply enjoy a quiet morning before we come together again.
Finding your way forward
Our Sunday session will be about taking another look at the questions you arrived with after having had some space from them.
What has resonated? What feels clearer? What needs more attention? What do you want to take back into your practice when you go home?
This is also where we can get practical. If you need to talk about funding, getting your work seen, approaching opportunities, developing relationships, positioning yourself or deciding what to prioritise, we'll work through it.
But I'm not interested in sending everyone home with an identical 90-day plan.
The aim is to help you understand what you and your work need now and to leave feeling more connected to where you're going.
Before everyone leaves on Sunday afternoon, we'll gather around the fire one last time. We'll think about what we're ready to leave behind and what we want to take forward with us.
A weekend that nourishes you as well as your work
One of the things I want to do differently with At The Table is recognise the person behind the creative practice.
So much of our professional development focuses on output: what are you making, where are you showing it, what are you applying for, how are you funding it, how visible are you?
Those things matter, and we can absolutely talk about them.
But you matter too.
For the weekend, you don't need to host, organise, cook, teach, care for anyone else or make everything happen. You can arrive and let us look after you.
We'll feed you well. We'll put the kettle on. We'll give you somewhere beautiful to sleep. There'll be books to pick up, a fire to sit beside, a garden and the sea nearby.
I want you to have some breathing room.
Your investment
There are only five places at the autumn table
Shared room - £485
Three places are available in shared accommodation.
Private room - £520
Two private rooms are available.
The difference in price is purely for the sleeping arrangements. Everyone takes part in exactly the same weekend and receives the same food, support and individual attention.
Orientation and Goal Setting
We establish shared objectives, outline solutions, and set performance metrics that frame the comprehensive experience ahead.
Travel to and from Margate isn't included. But everything else is.
one night's accommodation in our Margate home
a pre-weekend check-in so I understand you, your work and what you'd like support with
two substantial facilitated sessions across Saturday and Sunday
dedicated individual attention on you and your work
strategic support around funding, visibility, opportunities, positioning and next steps where relevant
Saturday welcome lunch, afternoon treats and 3 course evening dinner
Sunday breakfast and lunch
tea, coffee and refreshments throughout
a Margate cultural experience, depending on what's happening that weekend
time for the coast and optional wellbeing activities
our closing gathering around the fire
station collection / drop off where possible
Come to the table
We spend a lot of time keeping our creative lives moving: making the work, applying for things, earning money, showing up online, meeting deadlines and dealing with everything else going on around us.
It can be surprisingly difficult to give our work our undivided attention.
That's really what At The Table is about.
A weekend to step away from the noise and spend some proper time with your work. To meet four other people who care deeply about their own creative practices. To have good conversations, eat well, walk by the sea and let someone else look after things for a little while.
You don't need to know exactly what you want from the weekend before you arrive.
Just bring yourself, your work and wherever you are with it right now.
We'll start there.
AT THE TABLE
An intimate weekend for artists, photographers and creatives
Five people | Margate | Saturday–Sunday
Shared room £485 | Private room £520
BOOK
Day TwoCore Skills Workshop
We implement interactive modules that demonstrate essential techniques, optimize retention, and embed practical competences through guided practice.
Check-In9:00 – 9:30am
Group Activity11:00am
Lunch Break12:30pm
Creative Workshop2:00pm
Dinner6:30pm
Day TwoCore Skills Workshop
Industry leaders present emerging trends, facilitating critical discourse on future challenges and collaborative opportunities.
Check-In9:00 – 9:30am
Group Activity11:00am
Lunch Break12:30pm
Creative Workshop2:00pm
Dinner6:30pm
Our methodology unites scientific instructional design with operational precision, delivering measurable return on participation.-
Pre-event diagnostics determine baseline competencies, aligning content with identified gaps.
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Module sequencing flexes to varying time horizons and sector requirements.
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Internal audits examine pedagogical coherence and logistical efficiency.
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Single-sign-on access streamlines user experience across devices.
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Multimodal content accommodates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic preferences.