Meet Maypop!
Maypop is founded on the idea that creativity enriches our ability to innovate, empathize, design, and grow.
At Maypop, we believe in the power of creativity, communication, and play to unlock joy, build community, increase empathy, and spark change. We know that creativity can create positive change in our world. And we believe creativity is for everyone.
We support dreamers, thinkers, doers, and makers to find inspiration, tap into creative forces, and build lasting skills that enrich their work and lives.

Maypop offers writing and creativity workshops, retreats, and coaching.

Maypop's core offerings include writing and creativity coaching, 2- to 8-hour creativity workshops, and the 2-day Writing for Startups retreat.
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Maypop supports professionals, creatives, professors, teams, entrepreneurs, students, and anyone who wants to unlock their creative power and spark change.
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Learn more about how we can help you build your team's skills for innovation, break through writer's block, fuel your passions, and communicate your vision.
The Cycle of Creativity is our research-based framework for the creative process.
Designed by Maypop's founder, D. M. Spratley, the Cycle is grounded in the work of the psychologists who define our modern understanding of creativity.
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At Maypop, we use the Cycle to guide coaching and build workshop offerings. Through the Cycle, we bring a holistic approach with a foundation in the psychology of the creative process.
We believe that when the Cycle is in balance, your creative power is in flow, allowing you to create joyfully, without strain or pressure.
At Maypop, we use the Cycle to connect our clients' goals to concrete action steps. By grounding ourselves in a research-based framework, we connect needs to process, helping you create lasting change.

Maypop offers coaching to enhance your writing and creativity.

Need to finish an essay? Taking your first steps to publish your work? Polishing the draft of your novel? Looking to expand your out-of-the-box thinking?
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Maypop offers one-on-one writing coaching to support your projects, and creativity coaching to bring your personal Cycle of Creativity into focus and balance.
Our writing coaching offering includes an additional hour of writing review by your coach between each session. Along with coaching, your coach will offer verbal feedback in-session.
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Coaching sessions take place over Zoom. Book your first session now.
Maypop offers workshops for groups and teams that spark creativity and connection.
Maypop designs workshops tailored to the needs and nuances of your team. We support culture-building, creative thinking, and memory-making through our standard and bespoke offerings.
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Standard offerings include:
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The Elements of Creativity. Learn more about the elements that comprise creativity.
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The Creative Cycle. Begin to map your creative strengths and cycles.
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Intelligence at Play. Engage in creative play and enjoy a facilitated, team-building reflection session.
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Writing for Teams. Build tools to support collaborative writing.​
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Creative Writing. Build your team's empathy, creativity, and reflective practice through guided creative writing.
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Want to schedule a workshop for your team? Get in touch!
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You can also schedule a 15-minute consultation to discuss your team's needs and what Maypop has to offer.

Maypop offers public and private retreats that bring creativity to life.

Maypop designs immersive, interactive retreats that boost creativity and connection. We offer retreats open to the public and design bespoke, private retreats for groups and teams.
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Our Writing for Startups offering is designed to help entrepreneurs develop the story of their vision for pitches and websites.
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Additional upcoming retreats include Landscape Your Life with UNC Botanical Garden Curator Becca Wait.
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Want us to design a retreat for your team?
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Want to know when our retreats launch?
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Meet the Founder
D. M. Spratley is the founder and CEO of Maypop Creativity Consulting.
D. M. studied creative writing at Princeton University and Hollins University, and has over a decade of experience supporting social innovation projects and startups as they move from idea to action.
Through Maypop Creativity Consulting, D. M. merges creative thinking with practical results, giving clients the tools they need for visionary, innovative creativity and writing.
D. M. is a William C. Friday Fellow for Human Relations ('14-'16) and North Carolina Arts Council Fellow ('19-'20). Her writing has received awards from Princeton University, Sundress Publications, Rattle, and the North Carolina Arts Council.