Wow, just, wow! I’m still buzzing over the sheer energy that was felt over last weekend at the 3rd Creatives Weekend hosted at Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort in the Cape Breton Highlands. 30+ creative minds got together to network and explore and of course, bring awareness on how amazing Cape Breton Island is in the winter! We hiked mountains, explored the rugged coastline, skied, snowshoed, hit with freezing rain, high winds, heavy snowfall and played a game of pond hockey, but through the adversity we managed to create those unique bonds that will forever be burned into our memory for years to come.
There is sometimes something unpredictable that happens to ideas that no one could have foreseen. It takes a life of its own and grows from that small seed, into something truly amazing. Literally a year ago, I was standing in front of a room of entrepreneurs/creative minds/beauties at one of the first Halifax Social Network events telling them about this concept and project called the Creatives Weekend. We had just partnered with Destination Cape Breton Association and between being fired up about that and drinking one too many cold brew coffees (super potent stuff), I managed to drum up some interest in the weekend. We’ve now just completed our third event and I’m already getting emails and dms asking when we’ll be announcing the next one. How damn amazing is that?!
If you haven’t followed our social media over the past year (@livelifeintents) you might be wondering, ‘What is a creatives weekend?’. Trust me, I get it a lot, so you’re not alone. Don’t worry, I’m not going to go down the long-winded explanation of what a social media influencer is or what an ‘Instameet’ is, but if you’re interested in it check out this Cape Breton Post article.
The most amazing thing about these weekends in that we get to show people how amazing this island is and how much opportunity there is right here. For decades, it’s always been thought that we had to leave the Island to be successful, that there wasn’t much here, but that idea is slowly changing. These weekends are a way of helping change that mindset by leveraging the reach of social media to do so. We want to inspire people to come explore, visit, stay or hell, move here.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Paul and the amazing staff at Cabot Shores which is one of the only year-round accommodations in the Highlands. They’ve got everything from yurts to geo-domes to larger chalets available.
We hiked Franey Mountain for sunrise, or what we got of it and skied at North Highlands Nordic which is only $15 for a day pass if you have your own cross-country gear and Ski Tuonela.
And of course, we couldn’t end the weekend without playing some pond hockey on the Frozen Gypsum Mine in Cheticamp. Weekend goal complete.
In closing, I want to thank everyone who made this weekend what it is and have supported these from the start! You guys are the real heroes here! Thank you to all of our sponsors Breton Brewing, Fortress Rum, Country Liberty, Images of Canada, Halifax Social Network and of course thanks to Destination Cape Breton Association for believing in the vision. See you all for round 4!
Also thank you to Night Owl Coffee Roasters for providing all the morning pick up!
Full photo credit goes to Sean McMullen, Bernie aka chillinwithbernie & Jimmie Pedersen. Thanks guys!
Lee.