When I step out of the car, the sea air surrounds me. My body softens, and I’m filled with a warm, fuzzy feeling. I’ve returned to Portugal, and the light has waited for me. I go to the beach and wade into the ocean. I watch the surfers play and set out a plan to take a beginner’s surf lesson, inviting myself to step out of my comfort zone.

A few years ago, I attended a 10-day meditation retreat. On the eighth day, at the close of a morning session, I opened my eyes. The room looked new. Although I had been sitting in the same spot for over a week, it was as though I was seeing it for the first time. Something shifted, and I felt more deeply attuned to my surroundings.

Experimental Photography is a 4-week course exploring new ways of seeing. Over 28 days, receive daily photo prompts to stretch your idea of what a photograph can be. This course will help you look again.

The creative process often involves setting an intention without knowing the exact outcome. We might know that we want to make a drawing (or a painting, a photograph, a poem, a piece of music, or something else), but we’re not sure exactly what it will look like, feel like, or sound like when it’s finished. We can begin with an idea, a color, a shape, or a rhythm, and see where it takes us.

Life is full. I’m writing to you from my desk near an open window overlooking Lisbon. The sky is the softest blue. The breeze is sweet and warm. I can hear a gentle mix of voices and nature, punctuated with the sounds of a city that likes to take it slow.

Experimental Drawing is a 4-week course exploring unconventional approaches to mark-making. Over 28 days, receive daily drawing prompts to stretch your idea of what drawing can be. It’s a space to be curious, imperfect, and alive.

Develop your drawing skills through playful exercises and thoughtful experimentation. Overcome barriers to self-expression and embrace the joy of mark making.

Stop hesitating and make your mark

A single line can become an expressive journey

Learn to see shapes rather than objects—a critical perceptual shift

Use negative space to improve accuracy and composition

Simplify what you see into geometric forms

Create depth and dimension through light and shadow

Bring drawings to life through textural variation