French Artisan Makers, and Why Technique Matters

It’s medieval cosplay.

Visiting a summer festival in rural western France is like traveling back in time. As if you opened the door of Dr. Who's Tardis and walked straight into a medieval village.

It's a cheery world of artisans, many in costume, making useful things by hand the same way they did centuries ago. You got clog-makers, blacksmiths, leather-workers, wood-workers, basket-weavers, and bread-bakers. Watch this video of a French bread baker in action. Everyone's working away, yet not too busy to stop for a wink and a chat. (Did I say wink? I meant drink.) Pineau and beer are flowing. The atmosphere's super cheerful and very rustic.

Old men plane wood out in the open on the green. In makeshift huts, silver-haired ladies in black dresses make bobbin lace. They wear glasses and bonnets. They shuffle the bobbins with such dexterity, it's impossible to keep up.

Without these artisans, ancient techniques and traditions would be lost and forgotten.

For sure, my life as an urban farmer in Los Angeles, and the maker community that sprung up around it, inspired me. But seeing and then meeting French artisans is what lit up my desire to create our makers retreats. What's more sustainable than transforming local, natural materials into useful things?

I reached out to a few artisans that work with natural fibres and asked them to teach.

Myriam Roux and Lauren Back agreed to lead two of this year's makers retreats. Myriam on sculptural basketry, and Lauren on multi-shaft loom weaving. Both retreats focus on teaching Technique with a capital "T."

Before I talk about Technique, let me back up a minute.

At their core, Mill on the Rock's retreats are ALL about personal growth. From this cornerstone, our makers retreats layer in a combination of workshop, retreat and vacation. So let me tell you about this layer cake before I talk about Technique.

The workshop component is an immersive teaching program.

It involves 33 hours of learning from master artisans like Lauren and Myriam. They’ll teach you Technique. You produce pieces as you learn. The emphasis is on technique as opposed to style. You learn how to manipulate, fashion, shape, work, and understand your materials.

The retreat component of our makers workshops is you far away from regular life.

No distractions or nagging to-dos. It's you focusing on yourself and the craft you’re passionate about. If you love nature, gardening, farm life, and France, then you'll love it here. Between classes, wander the 12-acre grounds. Ours is a secluded, peaceful and natural environment. Journal, read, be present, process, watch farm animals, the river, the trees. Chill in a hammock. Listen to the water wheel turning. Retreat from everyday life to reset and re-energize.

The vacation part of your 10-day stay at Mill on the Rock is about visiting castles and feeling sand between your toes.

Fun and culture. Two things France has in abundance! You’ll tour gothic and medieval architecture, country landscapes, and fishing villages. Your stay includes a visit to the chic island of Île de Ré. On the weaving retreat, you visit one of France’s last wool transformation schools. On the basketry retreat, you visit one of France’s last remaining basketry cooperatives.

OK. Back to Technique. Why do I put so much emphasis on it? Because this is how Mill on the Rock differs from style-driven influencer workshops. We teach you Technique so you have a solid foundation upon which to develop your own style.

Style is personal to you. You were born with it. It’s how you express yourself.

But as a maker or artist, expressing yourself with confidence comes easier when you know Technique. The more techniques you have in your repertoire, the more confidence you’ll have to express yourself. And we want you confident. We want you to grow and be your best self!

If you already know some techniques and have a personal style, it's a good idea to keep learning Technique. It boosts knowledge and confidence. It’s how style develops and grows. As an artist or maker, it’s important to keep learning. So you become timeless and everlasting, not the flavor of the month.

Speaking of timeless artistry….

Myriam Roux is teaching the sculptural basketry retreat.

She's a well-known local installation artist. Wherever she creates, she involves local communities, people of all ages and backgrounds. She teaches them how to weave and shape forms using foraged plant materials. It brings them back to nature while instilling community pride. She teaches basketry techniques she's practiced and learned for more than 30 years. Techniques from France, Spain, and Burkina Faso.

Lauren Back is teaching Mill on the Rock's weaving retreat.

She's been weaving all her life. Now she’s on 8 and 12-shaft looms. She spent 2020 on the small French island of Reunion, out in the Indian Ocean. Sounds glam but it was no vacation. She was there to help build a cottage industry from scratch. She taught a community how to weave and transform the island’s sheep wool into useful material. She empowered people to become micro-entrepreneurs. She's a freakin' hero.

I'll tell you more about Myriam and Lauren when I interview them later. Meanwhile, head to the basketry retreat page to read Myriam’s teacher bio and the weaving retreat page for Lauren’s. And please stay tuned!