Vacation. Dictionary.com defines it as:

 "NOUN. A period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest,
recreation, or travel; recess or holiday. Freedom or release from duty, business, or activity."

Our visit to the west coast starting in Seattle and ending in San Francisco was definitely a great trip. We ate, drank, and engaged in sightseeing for 14 straight days. Vacations, for me in the past, have pretty much been just as the Dictionary.com's definition says, especially the 'suspension from work' part. But on this trip, I knowingly went into it looking for 'rest, recreation, and travel', but I also viewed it as a rather grand-scale Art Adventure.

What is an Art Adventure? Funny you should ask.

An Art Adventure (notice that I capitalize it, as a legitimate title) is an activity that is done simply for enjoyment, which can (and hopefully does) allow a person to use that experience and what they have found there in future art-making. It is meant to inspire. For instance, one might take an hour or two and visit the local art museum. This works only if you enjoy museums. Let's say you do. Depending on how long you were there, you would choose 1 or 2 exhibits to focus on and really look. Maybe just look at one exhibit. Or only one painting if time was really short. Whatever..there are no rules. The "rule" is that you do what you like, see what you want to see. As you look, there are no "goals". You just simply be in the moment and discover things.

I first created Art Adventures when I was living in Brooklyn. I wanted to take advantage of what the city had to offer, so each week (and sometimes several times per week) I would take a 'formal' exploration somewhere that I wanted to go. An Art Adventure doesn't need to be art related necessarily, but if you like looking at art and you are trying to be more creative, looking at professional art can be extremely inspirational and enlightening. So when I was in NYC, I went to a lot of museums. But I also went to the art supply store and looked (yes, and bought) things that looked fun to use. I walked around and took iphone photos of things. I went to a shop that makes string instruments and had a look around. An Art Adventure doesn't need to be "cultural"; the botanical gardens, fabric store, the corner market to see labels and colors, and even Target would suffice if you thought there might be something there just to enjoy looking at and wondering about.

So my vacation was really lots and lots of mini Art Adventures rolled into an ongoing progression of inspirations, ideas, and motivators for future art projects. More about my Art Adventure fodder from this trip later. Meanwhile, try carving out some time (even 15 minutes!) for your own AA. I would love to hear about some in the comments section:)