Painting en Plein Air: Creating in Community
I can’t fully explain it, but creating near other creatives is ten times better than creating alone.
Picture this: you’re painting en Plein air, in a cute little harbor district, containing restaurants, boutiques, and a coffee shop! There is a lighthouse next to the docks you decide to paint. As you paint, you watch children play, families enjoy the sun, and musicians play with guitar cases open. Now imagine painting in a studio by yourself. While painting in the studio can be fun and is practical, there is something about being in a community setting that changes everything.
Rockwall Harbor District
In this episode, I am painting in the Rockwall TX Harbor District. As I mentioned, it was SO CUTE! My whole family went to enjoy the day. While my dad and I painted, my brother read The Day the Angels Fell and my sister listened to A Tale of Two Cities. My mom had fun filming my painting process.
As Christians, we follow Jesus' example as a road map for our lives. An undeniable aspect of His life is how He lived life in a community. He speaks numerous times about this community-style life, such as being part of the body of Christ, being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and the entire heart behind why we have church.
Creative in Community
I come from a highly creative family, so I have seen what that looks like—people being creative in a community. I have seen fruit from being in a community of creative people. A community doesn't mean existing together, but being known by people and open to what they have to say.
I think sharing one's art is really vulnerable—especially face to face. The creative people that gathered in Rockwall were openly sharing their art for people to see and hear—my dad and I included, however, what we experienced was unexpected. People who would normally walk by, content in their day, came up to me and my dad and interacted with us. There is something about a street guitarist that draws people in.; something about seeing the painting in progress.
Opportunities to Share
Trust me, if you go out and create, people will want to see what you're doing. It doesn’t even matter if you think your piece is turning out well or not. People just want to see. God created us for community, and art and creativity have a special way of bringing that out.
If you ever decide to go out to be creative, don’t be shy, share your creations, and I think it’s a perfect opportunity to share the Creator through your creativity.
Alyssa is a high school senior, who has been homeschooled her whole life. She spends her time in things that are creative and unexpected. She loves painting and drawing. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. You’ll find her curled up with a book and an oat milk latte! Above all, Alyssa loves her God, and strives to be more like him every day.