I’ll be honest: Typically I don’t write about what the future holds, because, well, you just never know what’s gonna happen.
But when I sat down to write this, I couldn’t help but let myself look forward.
And here’s what I see:
🌿 Me, stepping into a bigger arena… one I can’t even yet imagine the depths of.
🌿 More than 1,200 plein air artists, putting brush to canvas, feeding off of collective energy.
🌿 Mountains that stretch for miles, reminding me that I’m part of something much bigger than myself.
And here’s what I feel when I think about that:
✨ Energized, and ready to welcome in whatever presents itself.
✨ Confident, knowing that I do belong on a bigger stage.
✨ Grateful, for everything that’s led me to this place and everything that is still to come.
This is all top of mind for me as I excitedly pack my bags for next week’s trip to Denver. I’m heading there for PACE, the Plein Air Convention + Expo — the Woodstock of plein air painting.
It’s the 10th year of PACE, but the first time I’ll be attending.
With over 80 painters teaching and more than 1,200 people attending, we’ll be setting the record for the largest gathering of plein air painters in one place. (Thank you, Eric Rhodes, for making plein air more well known in the world!)
And as I envision myself there, among the mountains and my fellow artists who are deeply in love with painting just as I am, I can honestly say I feel a sincere sense of belonging.
I’m not just stepping into a bigger arena…
I’m walking into a stadium of my people; my artist family.
While I’m carefully selecting the supplies I’ll need to pack to capture the beauty of Golden, CO, the nooks of El Dorado Canyon State Park, the light in the Garden of the Gods, and the colors of Rocky Mountain State Park, I can tell you what I’m not spending time doing:
Arguing with the inner voice in my head, who, for years, had the audacity to tell me I’m “less than.”
This time? She’s rooting me on.
She’s reminding me that this is just the first of many grand experiences to come.
That the arena will keep expanding.
And not only am I ready for it all…
I belong here.