What Happens When We Let Go of the Plan?
A story about paper, paint, and the kind of magic we can’t schedule
It’s been three weeks since I returned home from my art retreat in France 🖌️
While I’m still catching up on sleep and filling pages in my sketchbook, there’s one moment I keep coming back to — a moment that wasn’t in the plan I lost, but stayed with me in the deepest way.
It was mid-retreat, and the day had that dreamy, quiet rhythm — people moving gently between painting, tea, and time outdoors. Then someone asked, “Could you show us how you add collage into your portraits?”
It wasn’t on the schedule.
But I smiled and said yes.
I borrowed matte medium, pulled out some brushes, and began with what I had. There was no plan — just a quiet nudge to follow. And what unfolded… felt like a kind of shared magic.
There was smudging and scribbling. Torn paper. We laughed as the windows filled with soft light and the scent of rain drifted in. One by one, we started layering pages into our paintings — pages from a magazine gathered on a day trip when a few of us wandered into town, grabbed coffees, and felt, just for an hour, like locals.
The room loosened. The energy lifted.
It felt like painting in the truest sense — not striving, not performing, just… being.
By the end, every demo painting I created found a home with a guest.
They were donated to support a local cause, but somehow it felt like they still belonged to all of us.
Because sometimes, the best art happens when we stop trying to control it.
Since coming home, I’ve been painting more slowly. Making mocktails inspired by our dinners in France. Noticing how the colors of that trip — soft greens, honeyed pinks, the grey-blue of early morning — are already whispering their way into my new work.
And it’s reminded me of something I often forget:
Art doesn’t just happen in beautiful places or at planned times.
It lives in us. It waits.And when we let go of how it’s supposed to look… something soft and real often arrives 🌿
I wonder if you’ve felt that too?
A moment that came out of nowhere — unexpected, unscheduled, but just what your heart needed.
If you’re feeling a little tired lately, a little out of rhythm, maybe this is your gentle reminder:
You don’t have to have a plan.
You just have to begin.
With love from my studio,
Juliette
P.S. If this kind of loose, joyful creating speaks to your heart, I’d love to welcome you to my Wisconsin Painting Retreat this July. We’ll gather in the peaceful hills near my studio — painting, connecting, and soaking up the beauty of summer.
💌 If this story resonated with you, feel free to forward it to a friend — or hit subscribe to get future essays straight to your inbox.
One day I will attend your live event! There I wrote it, thus manifesting it to be.
I like this: Because sometimes, the best art happens when we stop trying to control it.
Good morning!
I really enjoyed reading this and I’m glad you had such a magical time. It sounds wonderful. I can’t paint for toffee but I’d have loved to experience it!! 😆 Also, apparently I learnt to walk in Milwaukee when I was 1, we were on a trip from the UK to visit my mums sister. I’m sure Wisconsin is enormous, but there we go, I have actually been in your state 🤩😂