You can make art, and I'll show you how to get your practice started.
I'm Alicia, your effervescent Peter Pan, helping you add a sense of color to your home or shop.
Join my FREE 30 day sketchbook challenge!
“Leap and the net will appear.” – John Burroughs
It’s a quote often seen on inspirational bumper stickers or printed on the cover of notebooks in gold foil, a reminder to take chances and deal with the outcome later.
But what is the net? Where does it come from? And who makes sure it actually appears?
Those were topics of discussion that took place as our group sat cozily by a stone fireplace at our hacienda in Ecuador. Hosted by Jackie Nourse (also known as Traveling Jackie) of the Budget Minded Traveler Podcast and blog, I was one of nine women signed up to be part of Jackie’s first women’s retreat focusing on taking leaps. The ten of us shared stories of past leaps, or ones we hoped to take in the future. Jackie shared her own personal experiences with life-altering leaps and how she created her own net when one never appeared.
But the retreat wasn’t all about getting deep and inspiring one another – Jackie also had plenty of adventure planned for us. From horseback riding along the slopes of one volcano, to hiking to an elevation of nearly 16,000 feet on another, we bonded and encouraged one another every step of the way. It was a refreshing break from the perfection porn world where every photo has to be taken “for the Insta!”. Makeup and hair tools were left thousands of miles away at home, and we dressed for function and comfort, not for looking cute or for brand recognition. I know that makes me sound bitter, but it was like a breath of fresh air – fresh, oxygen-deprived Andean air – to let go of faking it for social media and just living in the moment.
I have so much to share about this trip, so keep an eye to my travel blog to see a day-by-day breakdown of the incredible time I had in Ecuador. But for right now, I’ll let the photos do the talking:
Wanna travel with Jackie? Check out her upcoming trips here, and then go binge listen to her podcast.
Wanna travel with me? My current trip to Paris is sold out, but I’m planning another one! Read all about it and sign up for updates here.
Wanna visit Hacienda el Porvenir? You can, and you should!
A big thank you to Jackie for planning this retreat. And major hugs to Jackie, Brittany, Amanda, Jenn, Carley, Kiera, Miranda, Dawn, Jackie dos, and our guide José for such an incredible time!
Some of the iphone photos of myself above were taken by the other girls and airdropped to me at the time, so I can’t quite credit them individually. But thank you!
Interested in actually hearing about my experience on this trip? Visit my travel blog where I have daily summaries!
I've pulled together my favorite and most-used art supplies + tools to make the process easy for you!
I make whimsical art for color-lovers and California dreamers. I'm based in Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. where there are most decidedly no palm trees in sight.