Crave: A Creative Experience Company with Agnes Pierscieniak
Photo credit Amy Thompson Photography
Meet Agnes
Agnes Pierscieniak, founder of Crave, is one of those lucky humans who spends 90-95% of her time doing things that she loves. Her story is one of the “silver linings” of the pandemic, where losing her job as a Creative Director was the impetus for transforming her hobby into a full-time gig.
She has since taught creative workshops, both in-person and virtually, for thousands of participants. Her specialties are corporate retreats and private gatherings, and her workshops allow those who do not consider themselves to be “artistic” to try something creative and fun. In the process of painting with alcohol inks, making block prints or dyeing fabrics, participants connect on a deeper level and learn something about themselves — and each other.
Creative Travel & Happy Accidents
Agnes always loved making art, but originally did not consider it a viable career. Instead she got her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Southern California, and her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. She then entered the workforce as a branding and design professional. However, she was drawn to include artistic expression in every facet of her life, and found connection at every turn.
Agnes would take “creative travel” trips, using her vacation time to learn global crafts hands-on. In Japan she lodged with other students in a centuries-old farmhouse while studying with a master of ancient fabric dyeing techniques. Other trips took her to India, Mexico, Portugal and Morocco where she learned crafts like block printing and marbling. Rather than just buying souvenirs, Agnes got her hands dirty because she found that her life was enriched by the experience of slowing down and making something.
Back in LA, Agnes rented a space in an art studio complex. “I crave art and creativity. I need to make something with my hands so I can turn off the thinking brain and do something that’s process-driven, rather than results driven.” Rather than set out to make highly detailed illustrations, which would tap into the same purpose-driven skills that she used on the job for designing a brand or logo, Agnes would make collages or set up an experiment and see what would happen. “It’s all about the process. I like to allow for lots of happy accidents. To play and let loose.”
This process-driven mentality was something Agnes learned at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she was encouraged to explore different media and begin projects without necessarily having the answers figured out, in order to unlock the power of the process.
In her studio space Agnes would experiment with the techniques she learned on her creative travel trips, and collaborate with her artistic co-tenants. She found that creating with others forged a unique bond, regardless of cultural differences. And it is through her creative travel and art workshops that she has met most of her mentors, collaborators and friends.
This idea of connecting by making art together was something Agnes learned as a child. She grew up in San Francisco after her family moved from Poland as political refugees in 1985. When her grandmother would visit from Poland, they would take the bus to iconic destinations such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Lands End, to sit for hours painting together en plein air.
“Sitting on a bench, painting with someone you care about, it doesn’t matter if the painting is good — it’s about the experience. And you appreciate the world around you because you are giving it more focus.”
Crave Workshops: A Creative Experience Company
In 2017, Agnes began hosting workshops to share her love of international crafts with locals in an approachable and hospitable setting. Not surprisingly, she called her workshops “Crave” after her yearning for artistic expression and the connection that she finds in making art with others.
Photo credit Utkan Kocaturk
Her workshops were successful, but remained a fun side-gig until her contract was not renewed during the COVID pandemic. This unexpected turn of events gave Agnes the courage to try making her workshops her profession, and she updated her website to include virtual events.
Agnes gained a reputation for her virtual team-building experiences, and her business took off. Crave Workshops is now her full-time gig, and she has led workshops for over 4,500 participants in multiple countries, designing custom experiences to help connect and inspire employees. She recently taught a 50+ person event for Ebay for the third year in a row, sharing creative and mindful practices with the company’s summer interns.
Photo credit Tina Swain
Most of the time Agnes’s participants are hardworking executives and staff at large companies who don’t think they need what Crave has to offer. But the workshops give them an opportunity to be in the present moment, and to explore and be playful. Their feedback is always “amazing” — they are more relaxed, and creating together has allowed them to shed their boundaries and connect on a deeper level.
Chief Creative Officer + Artist Liaison at 100 Coombs
The freedom of hosting virtual workshops allowed Agnes to leave Los Angeles, where she had lived most of her professional life, and move back to the North Bay closer to her parents. An avid hiker, she decided to settle in Napa. As an architecture student she had taken a trip to visit Opus One, and had been inspired by the abundant nature surrounding the Napa Valley.
The one hitch for Agnes was saying goodbye to the artist community where she rented her studio. As soon as she arrived in Napa she began looking for studio space to rent, but to her dismay there was nothing comparable.
At a summer solstice party in 2022 Agnes made connections that led her to Jennifer Owen, the Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Napa’s “Napa Makes” initiative. The City has identified the need for workspace and networking opportunities for local artists, makers and creative businesses. Jennifer in turn introduced Agnes to Linda Parks, a local business woman and owner of Lixit Animal Care Products. Linda was considering answering the call of Napa Makes by converting one of her commercial buildings into a shared artist space.
Agnes and Linda found they shared a vision, and partnered to launch the 100 Coombs Creative Collective, a community of creative studios at Tannery Bend on the south end of downtown Napa. Agnes has rented one of the studio spaces, and will operate the collective as the “Chief Creative Officer + Artist Liaison.” Although the space is not as big as the art complex she left in LA, it will allow her to connect some of Napa’s creative community and support other local makers.
The 100 Coombs Creative Collective will be up and running in September, and will include a shared community space for workshops.
Crave in the Vineyards
The newest feature in Agnes’ portfolio of workshops is “Crave in the Vineyards.” These in-person retreats allow Agnes to come full-circle, using the skills she developed leading thousands of participants in virtual and in-person workshops while enjoying the beautiful outdoors like she did on painting excursions with her grandmother.
These workshops are in partnership with local wineries and venues for corporate events such as company retreats and wine club gatherings, as well as private special events.
What do you Crave?
Agnes continues to take creative travel trips, with a two-week art residency in France scheduled for 2024. By investing in these enriching experiences abroad, and passing on her discoveries through playful and interactive workshops, Agnes serves as a reminder to lean into our cravings and to allow more magic in our lives.
Photo Credit Amy Thompson Photography