Learn to see.
Slow down.
Make art.
Three days of seeing, sketching and making things in the hills — hosted by Samarth Srivastav at goSTOPS Clock Tower, Mussoorie.
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You Too Can Artled by Samarth SrivastavOnly 15 seats for the entire retreat. Once they're gone, they're gone.
THE RETREAT
Learn to see. Then make.
Three days at goSTOPS Clock Tower, Mussoorie built around one idea — creativity starts with attention. Day 1 you learn to see through a camera on a composition walk through town. Day 2 you observe and sketch your way from Mall Road to the pines of Landour. Day 3 you show what you made in a closing circle, write letters, and leave when you are ready.
No prescribed medium. No rankings. No school timetable. Arrive as strangers, leave as a creative community — with a fuller sketchbook and a reason to keep making.
Sept 26–28, 2026 — arrive by noon on the 26th, leave after the closing circle on the 28th.
THE CREATIVE JOURNEY
See → Observe → Create
Day 1 · Learn to see
A guided composition walk with your phone or camera — framing, lines, light & shadow, negative space. Not to take beautiful photos; to understand why an image works.
Day 2 · Sketch the hills
Mall Road with an artist's eye, then Landour's pines and quiet roads — putting composition into practice, in whatever medium you love.
Day 3 · Show & say goodbye
A full circle in the common area — every sketch shown, progress acknowledged, a memory captured. Then letters of gratitude and contacts swapped.
Every evening · The Baithaks
Photographs on the big screen, a bonfire with music and stories, and a closing circle — conversations that go deeper than small talk.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Anyone who wants to pay attention
If you think you can't draw
That's rather the point. Day 1 starts with seeing, not skill — no prescribed medium, no rankings.
Photographers
Framing, lines, light and negative space — walked through town, not lectured in a room.
Sketchbook keepers
Mall Road, then the pines of Landour. A place worth filling pages for.
Creative professionals
Three days of making something with no brief, no client and no deadline.
Art & design students
Practice outside the classroom, with a working artist, and no marks attached.
Solo travellers
Arrive as strangers, leave as a creative community. The baithaks do most of the work.
The outcome
What you'll
take home
Creativity starts with attention. Three days in, you don't just look at the hills — you leave with work of your own, a habit of noticing, and fourteen other people who make things.
THE 3-DAY FLOW
Three days, hour by hour
Structured sessions and sketch walks, with plenty of unscheduled mountain time. This shouldn't feel like a school timetable.
Arrive · See · Compose
Day 1 · Learn to see
🧳Arrival & check-in
Breathe, unpack, get comfortable.
Break🍽️Welcome lunch
The place, the plan, the people.
Break👋Welcome Circle
Who are you, what do you make? No presentations — just a conversation.
Welcome📷The Composition Walk
- Framing & lines
- Perspective
- Light & shadow
- Negative space
Free time
Rest, explore, chai, sketch, or absolutely nothing.
Free🍲Dinner
Break🎬Mussoorie on the Big Screen
Everyone's photographs projected and discussed — then the first Baithak.
BaithakExplore · Observe · Sketch
Day 2 · Mall Road to Landour
🌄Morning ritual
Optional.
OptionalSlow morning
Tea, coffee, a little wandering, optional sketching.
FreeBreakfast
Break🛍️Mall Road: Shop & See
The town as visitors — with an artist's eye. A postcard, a book, a curious object.
Experience✏️Mall Road Sketch
Choose a subject, frame it, simplify it, draw it.
Outdoor StudyJourney to Landour
Pine trees, old homes, quiet roads — the visual character changes completely.
Experience☕Lunch at Café Ivy
A slow group lunch — no rushing to the next activity.
Break🎨Landour Sketch Walk
Find a place that makes you stop. Any medium you love working with.
Outdoor StudyArtist's Choice Walk
An hour of independent creative time.
WorkshopChai & conversation
What did you see, make, notice?
FreeDinner
Break🔥The Bonfire Baithak
Music, stories, sketchbooks. No agenda — just good people and a mountain evening.
BaithakClose · Share · Remember
Day 3 · Show & goodbyes
Slow morning
No compulsory wake-up. Sleep in, walk, sketch, have tea.
FreeBreakfast
Break🧳Checkout
Break🖼️The Closing Circle
Everyone gathers in a full circle in the common area — a moment to display each sketch, acknowledge our progress, and capture a memory together.
Baithak✉️Letters & goodbyes
Writing letters of gratitude, sharing contacts, and saying our goodbyes.
ExperienceThe time is yours
Stay to sketch until your ride comes, or take your leave with a warm goodbye.
FreeWHAT'S INCLUDED
Everything except your art supplies
One price covers the stay, the food, the commute and every session. Bring the materials you love working with.
Stay & all meals
2 nights at goSTOPS Clock Tower, plus every meal — including the Café Ivy group lunch in Landour.
All local commute
Mall Road, Landour and every walk on the itinerary.
Every guided session
The composition walk, both sketch walks, and every guided session with Samarth.
The evening baithaks
Big-screen photo review, the bonfire night, and the closing circle.
The Closing Circle
Every sketch shown on Day 3, and a group photograph. No competition, no rankings.
A letter from YTCA
Handwritten, for your sketchbook. Not a certificate.
Not included
Reaching Mussoorie: train or flight to Dehradun, then a 1.5-hour drive up the hill. The hostel sits near the Clock Tower, a short walk from Mall Road.
YOUR HOST
The artist leading it
Samarth Srivastav
Samarth is a visual artist, creative strategist, and founder of You Too Can Art (YTCA) — an independent initiative dedicated to strengthening the Indian art market ecosystem and fostering a deeper relationship between art and society.
He believes art resides everywhere and within everyone, yet its value has long been overlooked. Through YTCA he builds initiatives, experiences and conversations that make art more accessible and challenge the perception of art as an uncertain career — opening up its opportunities in education, professional practice, entrepreneurship, collecting and cultural participation.
Alongside YTCA, he is Creative Head at Delhi Collage of Art, leading creative strategy, branding and visual communication at one of India's leading institutions for art education.
His long-term vision: art as an essential part of Indian society — a respected profession, a cultural asset, and a vital contributor to the nation's creative economy.
Pick how you stay
Same retreat,
your choice of room
Only 15 seats for the entire retreat. Once they're gone, they're gone.
Shared Dorm
- 2 nights stay (Sept 26–28)
- All meals + the Café Ivy group lunch
- Full 3-day flow, walks & baithaks
PRIVATE SHARING
- 2 nights private double, twin sharing
- All meals + the Café Ivy group lunch
- Full 3-day flow, walks & baithaks
PRIVATE SINGLE
- 2 nights in a room that's yours alone
- All meals + the Café Ivy group lunch
- Full 3-day flow, walks & baithaks
Early bird prices include ₹500 off every option. All rooms get the same sessions, walks and meals. Taxes will be applied at checkout.
WHERE YOU'LL STAY
Life at Clock Tower
NEED HELP?
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about our services and offerings
I can't draw — can I still join?
Do I need prior art experience?
What should I bring?
Where will I be staying?
How do I reach Mussoorie?
What exactly is a Baithak?
What if my plans change?
Come make things
in the mountains
15 spots, Sept 26–28. Bookings are open — and a fuller sketchbook doesn't wait either.
See pricing