Lawless Lessons

Bold Blooms & Creative Storytelling—A Colorado Retreat with Gina Schley & Tj mcGrath

June 8 & 9, 2026

There’s a moment in early June when Colorado feels almost unruly—
when peonies open like they’ve been waiting all year to be seen,
when iris carve their silhouettes into the morning light,
when allium lift themselves skyward, delicate and defiant all at once.

Lawless Lessons lives in that moment.

Day One

Design as Story: Hands-On Statement Piece Design & CREATING REELS FOR INSTAGRAM

Day one sets the tone: intention over urgency.

You’ll begin with Gina Schley, who will guide you into a clear framework for modern visual storytelling. Together, you’ll explore how image and narrative connect and how to share your work in a way that feels grounded, honest, and aligned with your voice. You’ll also receive a gentle, practical introduction to Instagram—learning the basics of filming video for Reels, experimenting with natural light, and finding angles and framing that feel authentic. Gina will also cover when and how to use Reels, Posts, and Stories, and how each format can help you build meaningful connections with your audience. This short, hands-on orientation is designed to give you confidence with the tools before diving into your own hands-on design work.

From there, you’ll move into hands-on statement piece design with guest teacher TJ McGrath. Known for his sculptural, foam-free approach, TJ will demonstrate how to design with instinct and seasonal awareness using hairpin mechanics and late-spring blooms. As we walk the gardens, students will be encouraged to develop their own floral “recipes,” thoughtfully selecting one or two additional blooms to layer seasonality and narrative into their arrangements.

Designing, Capturing & Editing Your Process
As TJ demonstrates design, Gina will share how to capture the process on a phone. You’ll learn his sculptural design techniques and how to film the process for movement, light, and framing shots that feel authentic. Then you’ll put these skills into practice, capturing your own design in real time. Finally, you’ll translate the footage into a complete Instagram Reel—selecting clips, trimming sequences, adding text, and refining the final edit. By the end of the day, you’ll leave with both a finished statement piece and a polished Reel that reflects your process and creative voice.

You’ll Leave Day One With:

A completed statement piece design
Confidence using hairpin mechanics
Practical skills in filming and editing for Instagram
A finished Reel documenting your process
A stronger understanding of how to tell the story behind your work

Day 2

Building Scale: Foam-Free Installation & capturing scale with images

Day two expands the conversation into large-scale, foam-free installation work.

Under TJ’s guidance, you’ll collaboratively build a broken-arch ceremony installation paired with aisle markers, often referred to as ground gardens. This full-day, hands-on class centers on reusable mechanics, structural problem solving, and designing with scale and proportion in mind.

You’ll learn how to read a site, adapt mechanics in real time, and think through installation challenges rather than relying on a fixed formula.

Building on the storytelling foundation from day one, Gina will guide you through documenting installation work using still imagery. The focus shifts to composition, clarity, and capturing structure, scale, and detail using only your phone. You’ll practice photographing both wide environmental shots and tight structural details so your portfolio reflects not just beauty, but capability.

We’ll conclude with a walkthrough of the completed installation and a group discussion around design decisions, mechanics, and how both the build and documentation can support future installation work.

You’ll Leave Day Two With:

Hands-on experience building a foam-free installation
Practical structural solutions for large-scale work
A stronger understanding of scale and site-specific design
Confident iPhone photography skills for installation work
Portfolio-ready imagery that communicates professionalism and expertise

Day 1 Registration includes:

A working lunch of sandwiches and wraps
A locally made artisan bowl
Hairpin holder (yours to keep)
All seasonal flowers and botanicals used in the class

Day 2 Registration Includes:

A working lunch with seasonal farm soup and salads
Access to all foam-free mechanics used during the class
All seasonal flowers and botanicals for the installation
Guided discussion and open Q&A throughout the day

All students should have a phone camera for capturing their story in video and still life forms. Visual storytelling will be taught for the Instagram platform, using the program Edits for creation.

**All experience levels are welcome.

Dates & Times

Day 1: Monday, June 8 from 9-4

Day 2: Tuesday, June 9 from 9-4

Location

SHEGROWS | 7491 Kline Drive, Arvada, CO

COST

Flexibility and movement is what the flowers teach us—so come for one day or come for the full retreat. The full retreat package is $1300 for two full days of instruction ($300 savings), or come for one day for $800 per day.

Travel recommendations: Students should use the Denver International Airport (DIA) if flying in from out of state. The farm is located between Denver, Boulder, and Golden (30 min from each). Hotels or rentals can be found in Arvada or the surrounding cities.

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