For a long time I wondered how to make the art come.

I didn’t have a problem creating from a design brief or making beautiful visuals for others back in my design studio days, but I struggled when it came to making the kind of art that lit me up. Drawing and painting from imagination didn’t come easily to me like they do for the artists I admire, and like it did when I was a little girl.

Why?? How?? I pondered this for years.

Eventually, following a period of soulful wonder-seeking in the Labyrinth of Enchantment, I realized what blocked the art. I had stopped looking.

I inhabited the world but I wasn’t in it. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, I stopped paying attention to the world around me.

Yes, there were moments I would stop and admire a beautiful sunset like anyone else, but mostly I walked around with my mind’s eye shut. I was asleep to a beautiful world that hummed around me daily. Realizing this dramatically changed my art-making.

There are many stories to tell about how I woke up to wonder, and the creative flow that followed, but the lasting legacy of it is that it completely changed the way I inhabit a place.

A walk is not just a way to get to where I want to go, a walk is many hidden splendors if I cared to look.

A place is not just somewhere where things happen, but full of secrets, lifetimes, and untold magic.

With this awakening, it’s as if the entire world is enchanted before me. And these days, in our new Upstate NY home, where the seasons show off the best of nature’s abilities, I am in constant enthrallment.

The painting is easier now, my inner and outer worlds have finally collided.

Everywhere I go, I’m noticing the colors that change throughout the day, the textures of the leaves and the rocks, and the shape of trees and buildings. I see portals to fairy worlds hiding in gardens, and faraway storybook lands in misty locales. These marvels pour into my watercolor papers and intertwine with my personal symbolism, emotions, and thoughts.

It feels to me like alchemical magic.

I also discovered that sometimes, we need a little help with the seeing. When we’ve been in one place too long, we stop noticing and the quickest way to wake up to wonder is to introduce disruption.

I like to call them creative adventures - here’s a free guidebook you can download to get you started. My wonder-walking cards and guidebook (Kickstarter is coming for reprints!) are perfect for this as well. They disrupt the usual way you process the world around you and introduce little moments of magic you might otherwise miss.

But if you can manage it, by far the quickest way to shake up your everyday and unleash your curious inner child is to visit a marvelous place you’ve never been before, or haven’t been in a long time. The art flows easily whenever I’ve been lucky enough to experience this - photos, writings, sketches, ideas, they appear out of the misty magic of enchantment.

So naturally, I’m giddy about what’s coming up next Spring!

We’re heading to the beautiful region of Tuscany, to a gorgeous 16th-century Italian villa with vineyards and a 200-year-old garden to mood paint and wonder-walk!

I can’t wait to see what creative magic will emerge from this! I’ve been excitedly soaking in its sense of place from afar, watching videos, looking at photos, and preparing for a magical adventure of art, wonder, and creativity.
If you’ve been wanting to rekindle your creative spark and reconnect to your aliveness all while on vacation, here are some resources to get you inspired too:

The incredible villa we’re staying at.

A list of books and movies about Tuscany I'm shifting through!

Monumental trees in Tuscany (for all fellow tree-lovers!)

Some ways to be on retreat.

Want to join me? I’d love to meet you in person!

Register for the retreat, spots are limited to around 18 wonder-seekers.