How to Paint on Vacation
What I often hear from people as an excuse for not painting or doing their art is that they don’t have the time or the physical space in their home.
On vacation, you hopefully have given yourself free time. Of course, having a loose itinerary makes it possible to see some of the sights you don’t want to miss. However, leaving free time that can be whatever you want makes it a true break from everyday life. You’ll need that free time to relax and recharge your batteries.
I recommend taking some of that free time to paint. Not in a “this must be good so I can sell it” way, but in a “I want a break from everything else. I want to use my hands and create. I want to take a break from consuming,”
Painting has been prescribed as therapy before, ie. art therapy. So it’s no wonder it’s a relaxing way to spend 30 minutes of your vacation. If you give yourself that time, you will be grateful you did.
So how does one carve out 30 minutes on vacation. Here are three ways to do it:
At an Airbnb
Do it Outside. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to have some outdoor space at your Airbnb, like a back or front yard. Go outside and cover the outdoor furniture with paper towels or paper bags or plastic trash bags.
If you are traveling solo, this could be an extension of the self-discovery journey you may be on. Perhaps you’ve been meditating or journaling, and now it’s time to let out some of your creativity and find out new things about your feelings. Painting is super helpful for processing feelings. A lot comes up for me when I paint, and passes. The physical experience of dipping brush into paint and creating brushstrokes on paper allows you to have an activity to occupy yourself in a fluid way while the emotions flow through you. Rather than sitting still getting stiff in your body while glued to a phone or computer, which creates a lot of resistance in the body, you are literally moving your hands and arms and eyes in a different way and loosening all that up.
If you are traveling with a partner, they may want to take time to quietly read or journal or take a walk. Sometimes we just need our space from each other while traveling. It’s really healthy, respectful, and generous to give each other that time. When you come back together you’ll be more refreshed or have things to report on to talk about. OR you could both be doing art together or they can talk with you as you paint. It’s a great way to have a different conversation. It can be soothing for them to watch you and you can be a great listener as you focus your visual attention on the paper and your listening on them.
Do it Inside. No outdoor space? Too hot or too cold outside? No problem. Set yourself up on the kitchen counter or a table if you have one inside. Same deal, cover the area so you don’t get paint on it. It’s important to be a considerate Airbnb guest. If you still want to give your traveling partner space, you can move to a different room like the kitchen if they are in the bedroom, even the bathroom if there’s only a bedroom and bathroom.
Find a Local Art Class or Workshop. Look it up on Meetup. Figure drawing is a particularly fun type of class or workshop. If you’re traveling solo, this is a great way to meet and talk to the locals. If you’re traveling with someone, they might want to join you. When traveling, we often try new things, and this could be a really valuable memory to you both as you look back, particularly if it’s something one or neither of you have never done before.
Visiting Family
Do it in the Quiet Moments. If you are visiting family during your time off, particularly if you are staying with them, you know there lulls when people are not interacting with each other. Some are watching TV, some are cooking, some are running errands. And there are sometimes moments when everyone is on their phones or computers. After dinner and watching a movie together or playing a game. It’s in those moments of nothing to do, where you can set yourself up at the dining room table or a desk.
Cover it with paper towels or newspaper or brown paper bags and get painting.
You’ll be amazed that your family will come over and want to chat with you while you paint. When I was in Ohio visiting my mother-in-law and my husband’s aunt and uncle during labor day weekend, I made the family some lunch, and afterward when the table was cleared off, I sat down and painted. My husband’s uncle sat nearby and asked me questions about my art. I let him look at pictures on my phone. His wife came over, and they also just sat and watched me paint. When we were a smaller group, I recall my mother-in-law siting down at the table to talk while I painted. It was nice to have company. Getting past that little pinch of vulnerability and oh their watching me was easy. I had painted in front of them before. And that first time wasn’t hard either. It’s a lot easier to talk to someone painting than someone looking at their phone. I was actually amazed and how it doesn’t have to be an isolated, anti-social activity.
In a Hotel. Hotel rooms are often a single bedroom with a bathroom. Sometimes they have a balcony. The same principles of Airbnb apply here. If sharing, choose different spaces if you want a solitary experience. Or paint while you’re both talking.
On a recent vacation I painted before and after dinner and the next morning before we checked out. I packed the night before so I would have the time to paint in the morning while my husband packed. It doesn’t have to be a long stretch. You can do 20 minutes at a time, again in those lulls or in between times on vacation.
Painting in the garden of the Airbnb we stayed.