art in the wild
IMMERSIVE CREATIVE EXPERIENCES IN NATURE
When I’m connected to nature, I feel alive — the purest version of alive. And I think it’s because I am nature. I’m coming home.
creativity + nature —
creativity + nature —
what is art in the wild?
Simply put, Art in the Wild experiences are immersive, creative experiences inspired by the natural world to get participants out of their thinking brains and into their creative brains — to bring to life the creativity within. There is an emphasis on letting go of control and end-product expectations, combined with space to truly play, try new things, connect, and experiment.
These experiences are open to ANYONE that wants to explore creativity while being inspire by nature, whether it’s your first time with expression or you have experience.
The experiences all range from a few hours to multi-day events, so whether you’re in need of a dedicated day of connection and art, or perhaps an overnight in the wild, you can find what you’re looking for. The itineraries vary, but typically:
There will be guided moments to get you into your body, into your creativity, and deeper into connection with others as well as self.
We will often do some creating, visualization, reflection and sensory experiences, using the wild setting as inspiration.
The art tends to be a tasty sampler of different mediums and play. Examples include guided art collabs, drawing, collage, painting, mixed media, and more.
Not knowing exactly what to expect is where the magic happens. The unexpected. The wonder. It’s available to all of us, and I am here to be an ally in igniting that magic, so long as you want to discover it.
a word from past participants
how it came to be
Where to begin other than at the beginning?
“Laying on a blanket outside the campervan, I was free to create a paint sketch of the desert while actually being in the desert. It’s moments like these that I feel disconnected from time and find myself curious about what lives beyond each cactus instead of what’s next. It’s an exchange that feels equal while it’s happening, even though when it’s over, I know mother nature gave me more.”
I wrote the above on a solo-camping trip during the pandemic, when creating art in nature was the only thing that seemed pure. And it was one of the first times I realized with desperate clarity that creating in the wild is what I would do more of in this life. So, the next thing you know, I had purchased a short bus with the intention of turning it into a mobile art studio. Her name is Big B, and although I didn’t know exactly what would become of her, her purpose was always to be shared – a vehicle for creation and community.
This dream evolved, and Art in the Wild workshops became a reality.
Big B + Little B
the essence of art in the wild
While traveling, I’m ignited by the wildness of art and nature — the magic in discovering the painter on a lake trail, an artist in an alley, a sign that says “art this way” through cobblestone curves and corners. Chiang Mai, European cities, old hilltop towns dotted throughout wine country – these places aren’t made with straight lines and 90-degree angles.
You’re following one path, and the next thing you know, you’re winding your motorbike through a road-less-traveled where farmers are carrying massive loads of grass through the rice fields, and around the corner is a sweet woman picking mangosteen with a hand outstretched to share one with you. Or you’re following an alley and ducking under an archway, then meandering around a centuries-old pillar being devoured by magenta-flowered vines and it’s broken off at the top so the light shines just right on the cobblestone in front of you.
It’s this perpetual unfolding that creates so much magic. The unexpected. The wonder.
That’s what it is for me; I want to be an ally in uncovering magic in the world. We all crave it – this sensation that awakens a little flame somewhere deep in our bones, something so dense that we feel it everywhere and nowhere in particular. A bond is created by way of this magic, between humans and nature and whatever exists in between. All the feelings that don’t quite have names, the depth that isn’t contained in measurable quantities, the notion that sparks could arise out of the air and even though they’d seem to come from nowhere, we’re not surprised because we know they came from the purity of everywhere.