Plan Your Fabulous Art Staycation!!
You want one, you need one, and darn it, you CAN have one
Recently, I hit a bit of a wall, like you do when life is being all life-y. I knew I needed something, like a retreat where I could draw and paint in some gorgeous locale, be all plein air and urban sketcheresque, perhaps even sport a beret worn at a jaunty angle. But there were a few obstacles: needing to stay close to home, low batteries, existential angst. Well, what a perfect time for an Art Staycation!
What’s an Art Staycation?
I am so glad you asked! An Art Staycation is the reframe of what was formerly known as sitting on the couch until you ran out of stuff to watch on Netfix, or looking wistfully out the window like a person in a pharmaceutical ad. An Art Staycation is you indulging in the most excellent time of drawing, painting, or whatever creative art thang you want to do, all from the convenient comfort of your own home. What. A. Great. Idea.
How do you know if you need an Art Staycation? See if any of these apply:
You need a break, but, for various reasons, you can’t get away
$pending no longer provides a thrill, or even temporary relief from feeling shva
You have a bunch of art supplies in your closet that weep at night from lack of use
Your breathing could best be described as “undecided”
You are mildly to moderately intrigued by this “art staycation” concept
You are a human being doing too much human doing.
If you checked any of the boxes above, you’re ready for your Art Staycation! If you, like moi, ticked all the boxes, well, something’s going on in your life, and you need to get some ART in your something’s-going-on life.
Why art, and not, say, more Netflix or gluten-free coconut cake? Because making art is magical. Drawing can get you out of your head and put you more in touch with what’s in your head—either way, that’s good. Drawing is a meditation. Drawing is moving your hand, which is better than not moving. Drawing is everything you need it to be, with no emotional trans fats.
What you’ll need for your Fabulous Art Staycation:
Some art supplies—nothing fancy, just something to draw with and something to draw on; watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or food coloring optional
A little time
That’s it.
What you don’t need for your Fabulous Art Staycation:
Lots of money, a passport, a super-fancy sketchbook and artisanal inks made from the tears of fairies
Art lessons from the world’s most respected and/or snootiest teachers
The “ability” and/or “talent” to draw.
That’s right, friends; the fabulousness of your Art Staycation is not dependent on any kind of artistic ability or talent. To be literal: You can draw if you can put a pen in your paw (or mouth, or feet, as differently abled artists do) and make a mark on a page. The point is not to create frameable, gallery-quality results; the magic of drawing is in the doing.
Pick your A-Staycay
Okay! Now that you know you can and should have an Art Staycation, it’s time to design your program (ooh, that sounds so actual art retreat-y). There are two ways to do this: Freeform Jazz and Super(ish) Structured.
Freeform Jazz Art Staycation Program: You are a creative leaf blowin’ with the wind. You’ll go outside and draw what you see. You’ll stay inside and draw what you see. You’ll draw from imagination. You’ll listen to music and draw that. You’ll do a series of selfies. (#Selfietember starts soon, and you can get in some practice!) You never know what you’ll do—but you’ll make art every day of this fabulous staycation, and probably every day after that, because this drawing thing is amazing.
Super(ish) Structured: You already have an art project, and you want to finish it, or start it. You bought a set of online drawing lessons, but you haven’t watched them, or you’ve only watched and you want to actually do the art-ing. You have a book you’d like to work through (here are some of my faves!). Pick one and do that through the time of your Art Staycation.
The Only Rule of Art Staycation
No, it’s not “You do not talk about Fight Club.” The only rule for your fabulous art staycation is forget about results. You’re doing this for the doing, not for what you get at the end—aside from some amazing ahhhh time.
Ready, Set—Draw!
And paint, and sketch, and storyboard the movies you’re watching, and knit, sculpt, strum that ‘ukulele—whatever comes up. Add them all together, subtract the inner critic, and have yourself a fabulous Art Staycation. You want one, you may need one, and darn it, you deserve one. And so do your art supplies. So c’mon—don’t bother packing your bag, just start making some art!
Xo,
S
PS: Did you see that #Selfietember is starting soon?? Prompts for a month of self portraits drops next week—make sure you’re subscribed!
And share this post with someone who needs an Art Staycation!
What are you doing on your Art Staycation? Which plan did you pick? Tell me in the comments!
This is so fun! (And funny!)
I love seeing your drawings!! They're so lively 💜
I'm not doing well. My staycation is 3 weeks FMLA and in week one I got covid. I'll be okay eventually haha