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  • Travel Journal: Meandering on Miyajima, Japan

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Teacher, Illustrator, Author

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My impression of our local Friday marché. I am so My impression of our local Friday marché. I am so happy to be playing with paint again. I have to admit, for me the process is perhaps more invigorating than the end product! I find I like the palette and the mess in the middle the most! 🖌️🎨🖍️💛. #makingart #messinmiddle #palette #impression #marché #paris #anvers
I’ve been a little quiet here as I’ve been settlin I’ve been a little quiet here as I’ve been settling into our new city life and must admit- je suis tombée amoureuse de Paris ! I can’t believe it’s been a month already. So much has happened. In many ways this past month has been like an extended vacation, with lots of exploring and moving fast here and there, and seeing all sorts of new things. All of it incredibly exciting and energizing but I am definitely ready for slowing down and savoring each moment through art and creativity! I have carved out a routine and am pretty much living my dream “semester” as I am taking 3 different classes, one French language, one fashion illustration (very different for me) and the third painting (my true ❤️). The classes are all in French and I’m working very hard on perfecting it as well as learning more and more everyday. I am absolutely loving the change in seasons and have already gotten out all my scarves and sweaters well before the cold has truly set in. Ha! I have loads to share and promise to get my routine going as I definitely want you along for there ride. There is so much to discover and learn! À bientôt #lifeinparis #paris #expat #1month #semesterabroad #tomberamoureux #france
Another day of sketch walking in Paris… this city Another day of sketch walking in Paris… this city could keep me and my sketchbook occupied for years! #flâneuseart #artonthego #paris #placesofparis #lifeinparis #sketchwalk #exploreyourworld #everydayadventures
Mornings in Paris… ☕️🥐🇫🇷 I have settled into a wo Mornings in Paris… ☕️🥐🇫🇷 I have settled into a wonderful morning routine here in Paris. Coffee first of course, and then I wrote in my journal intime (in French!) I’m sure it’s riddled with errors, but it gets me starting the day thinking in French ! Then I move on to my daily to do list and my sketchbook/journal I am keeping. This one is all about collaging, photos, notes and quick sketches. My goal is to capture the daily experiences as they fly by. I will definitely share some pages as I continue. Then, it’s time for a little breakfast and my outing for the day. Do you have a morning routine? Doesn’t it ever change or evolve? #morningroutine #journaling #morningjournaling #morningsinparis #journalintime #sketchbook #collage #miniphoto
A little tour of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 1 A little tour of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th from my walkabout yesterday. Loads of people out enjoying the weather- fall is definitely in the air! #ptittour #paris #parcbutteschaumont #dimanche #sundaywalk #explore #alwayswalking #walkabout
Jules Chéret was born in Paris and lived from 1836 Jules Chéret was born in Paris and lived from 1836-1932. He created iconic advertisement posters that were pasted on to walls, columns and much more throughout the city. Inspired by his work, I had fun creating this minisketchbook of faces seen in his posters. #inspiredby #juleschéret #minisketchbook #faces #facedrawings
The sketching of Paris has started! We spent the m The sketching of Paris has started! We spent the majority of last week setting up our apartment with a spattering of ultra touristy outings (aka the Louvre, a long walk along the Seine) and now with my husband back to work I’m figuring out my daily routine. It’s clear it will involve a lot of walking, museums, exploring, reading (in French of course) and ART! Soooo much to draw!! Here are a few sketches from yesterday at le Jardin du Palais Royal, one of my favorite spots! What’s your favorite site in Paris? Let me know so I can create a draw-a-long video to share! #art #paris #lifeinparis #artistinparis #sketchbook #jardindupalaisroyal #paradis #laviedartiste
Mon rêve est ici ! We’ve done it- we’ve moved to P Mon rêve est ici ! We’ve done it- we’ve moved to Paris. I can hardly believe I’m finally here after a few intense weeks/months of preparation, getting our house ready to rent in CA, packing, and dreaming of this moment! I’m ready to put my Wanderlust Designer mantra to the test - explore creatively- and I want you along with me. Let the adventure begin! (Photos are of my new Paris nest.) #paris #france #livinginparis #expat #dreamscometrue #wanderlust #adventure #explorecreatively
I've been quiet again over here as I've been spend I've been quiet again over here as I've been spending all my time packing up for our BIG MOVE TO PARIS and prepping our house to rent!! Who knew one could accumulate so much stuff- even when you clean and clear out your house seemingly on a regular basis. 15 years in one spot can do that, I guess. I have found that clearing out - essentially staging - is very liberating for the mind. I'm kinda thinking this should be my new look- a minimalist environment really has given me renewed creative energy! Has anyone else experienced this? #packingup #packinguplife #bigmove #parisbound #declutter #creativity #openspace
Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated I just returned from an easygoing week exploring the cheese, brat and BEER loving midwest state of Wisconsin and visited MILWAUKEE for the first time. The question I asked myself before I left, was what are the best ways to explore a new city creatively? I came up with a list of 10 heuristics, but for this trip, I focused on one of my favorites- discover a city's personality - through its history. You can start your investigation with a simple Google search, “the history of [cityname]” and see what you get. I do peruse Wikipedia, but also love browsing lesser known sites, blogs and/or content local to the area as I find the writing is honest and more insightful (especially when not sponsored by a brand!) It doesn’t take much reading, and in a few articles, I’m amazed at the overall sense of place you can feel through its historic past. With that knowledge, I then love to plan our trip, the neighborhoods and sites to see. My eventual list of possibilities inherently include touristic locations - monuments, famous buildings, etc. - but I always want to put in a few off the beaten path spots to try to see the everyday. Touring through any theme can become an entertaining scavenger hunt game. With the key historic points in mind (i.e., MKE = BEER), my creative lens is focused on all thing relating to that topic. So, as we walked around Milwaukee, I was always on the look out for references of the cities long beer brewing history - from street signs named after famous brewers, to beer references or images. It’s amazing how much more you will see when you have just a few historic facts in mind! Have you ever explored a city through a historic lens? I'd love to hear about it - let me know in the comments! #MKE #Milwaukee #wisconsin #beer #brewery #schlitz #pabst #blatz #explorecreatively #creativewanderlustadventure
Bye bye Karl the Fog and hello to MKE via Chicago Bye bye Karl the Fog and hello to MKE via Chicago (no, not Nashville like the song says…)😂 Looking forward to exploring tomorrow. #sfo #ord #mke #milwaukee #wisconsin #explore #thunderstorm
Who's up for a little Creative Wanderlust Open Hou Who's up for a little Creative Wanderlust Open House - this THURSDAY, July 14th from 5:30-7pm, in San Carlos California. Given my last post, I of course had to continue the French theme-- this month at the open house we will be celebrating by creating art with a little bleu, blanc et rouge + Matisse inspired theme! Come make art or just relax outdoors and enjoy the summer evening with friends! DM or email me for details and directions. Hope to see you there! #creativewanderlustcommunity #creativewanderlustlife #creativewanderlustliving #bastillday #france #bleublancrouge #openhouse
I just shared some BIG NEWS in my newsletter today I just shared some BIG NEWS in my newsletter today... it's really happening... I'm moving to PARIS! My entire adult life I’ve wanted to live abroad. In college I sadly dismissed the opportunity as I did not want to double major in a language (present me doesn’t quite understand that choice, but as they say, education is wasted on the youth!) Throughout married life my husband and I have chatted many times about living abroad here or there with our kids, yet the timing has never clicked. Now, over 30 years since college, I’m finally getting my semester abroad! No, not with a college but with my husband. Our nest is empty and we are ready to FLY! Starting September 1st we will officially have an apartment in Paris, France and begin our 6 month abroad adventure as Parisians! Yes, this is a dream come true. Of course I’ve heard the stories - it’s grey, it rains, people are not friendly, there is crime, it’s dirty, etc., etc. If you look at any location you can find negatives but I’m not that person. I am confident I will face challenges, but I am up for it all - the good, the bad, yet mostly the EXPERIENCE! I can’t wait for all of you to JOIN ME on this adventure. In true Betsy style, my goals are to hit the streets of Paris creatively everyday - I want to stare at masterpieces in the Louvre and discover small wonders hidden in corners of my neighborhood. I want to embrace shopping on my local street for meals everyday, and sitting at the cafe people watching. I want to explore the same streets the masters (Matisse, Monet, Van Gogh, etc.) walked upon as well as take a dive deep into understanding the long history and culture of Paris. We of course have plenty of side trips we want to take. It’s clear we won’t have enough time, but again, seeing this as our diving board moment, it’s exciting to imagine what will come next. I look forward to inspiring you to find these creative details in your own city or where ever you may roam. And, of course, if you happen to be in Paris this Fall and early Winter, please reach out! I’d love to see you in the City of Light! #dream #paris #france #movingtoparis #creativewanderlustlife
Another day, another walk in the burbs. Being a ci Another day, another walk in the burbs. Being a city girl at heart, I’m always looking for something different… today I ventured out with a hand made view finder. I had trouble without my glasses (which I don’t wear walking 🤣) but otherwise enjoyed the experience. Next time I’m going to head to my downtown to capture a different view. Give it a try in your neighborhood! I’d love to see what you find. #frameyourview #creativewalk #everydaycreativity #creativewanderlustadventure #theburbs
For over 30 years I’ve had a fascination with capt For over 30 years I’ve had a fascination with capturing water in my art. I spent much of my undergraduate fine art degree painting it in some way or another, and today I found myself once again trying to capture the nuisances, this time with watercolor. As I was painting this and getting more frustrated by the moment I recalled the advice my senior year thesis professor gave me in regards to capturing water— He reminded me that much of what I wanted to capture had to do with the movement, the feeling and ultimately my impression. A photograph of water is a snapshot in time. Still and not moving. I inherently was more fascinated by the motion, thus I needed to let go of what a photo of water looks like and try to embrace the process… and the impression. Such sage advice that now 30+ years later I’m still needing! #advice #artadvice #impression #water #laketahoe #fascinationwithwater #artistlife
Sketching the scene from the dock with my fav blac Sketching the scene from the dock with my fav black pen and Caran D’Ache water soluble wax pastels. They are my absolute fav art supply these days!!🌈🖍🖌🎨
And the irony is I’m actually having a productive And the irony is I’m actually having a productive day! Lake life does the mind some good…
My office this week….🚤🏔🛶🌲 My office this week….🚤🏔🛶🌲
Let's get creative inspiration from the sun! Here Let's get creative inspiration from the sun! Here are 3 simple activities to do today now that summer is here. 1. Get mesmerized by heat waves on the horizon. Find a cool vantage point and spend a few moments just watching the heat rise and create a distorted view of the world. How could you artistically capture this effect? A quick video? A wet-on-wet simple watercolor of wavy lines and colors bleeding together? 2. Photograph your shadow. I always forget about shadow play-- remember making shadow animals when you were young with your hands and a flashlight. What other fun gestures and movement can you do to create interesting shadows on a sunny day? Start with abstract shapes, and then see what comes next. 3. Write as many quotes as you can think of that talk about the sun. Put them in a jar and save them for a grey day. There are so many song lyrics and sayings about the sun. Spend a few moments on a sunny afternoon, sitting on the grass and jotting down all that you know. Tear into little sheets and place in a jar to warm you up on a cold or grey day! #creativeinspiration #creativeactivities #sun #sunactivities #creativeprompts #creativity #buildcreativity #artprompts #artideas #summerideas #summeractivities #wanderlustdesigner #creativewanderlustprompt
Does the sun give you creative energy? I can defin Does the sun give you creative energy? I can definitively say YES, it does for me. A sunny day fills me with loads of fuel - to explore, get outside, make things, and PLAY. This is not to say a grey day doesn't provide me creative energy it's just a different type, a different mood. So, now that summer is here, let's harness those rays and share our creative endeavors. Happy Summer everyone!! #summer #creativity #sun #creativeenergy #suninspiration #getcreative #maker #summersolstice
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  • Creative Wanderlust Community Open House – July 2022 Recap: Bastille Day Collage
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  • I’m Moving to Paris!!!
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