Donna came to my Women’s Art and Serenity Retreat in Venecia, Costa Rica in January 2026. She’s an avid traveler and friend of my sister and decided to join us for the retreat. She said she really didn’t do much art but she was along for the adventure.
Donna struggled in the beginning. The steps and techniques were completely foreign to her and she found herself getting frustrated with the process, something I have seen many times. But she hung in there. She continued to practice and experiment with what I was teaching her, she began sticking to just her favorite colors and by the end of the retreat…she had created gorgeous pieces of art in her study book that she was over the moon about! In fact, there may have been a few tears (for all of us).
Her study book was literally a story of her creative transformation. As she turned the pages from the beginning to the end and talked about her journey, you could see her art more and more elevated on each page. It was very exciting and a true testament to persevering! I’m not sure if Donna has done any art since (last I saw her, she was on a 60’s cruise!) but I hope when she looks back at her creative progress during that week, she’ll be inspired again!
For more inspiration, be sure to check out one of my favorite pages on my website, The Student Gallery!