Lessons from Greece on joy, freedom, and letting go of “getting it right

͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Gayle Kabaker is a painter, writer, teacher and visual storyteller Breakthroughs, color, and creativity in Greece Lessons from Greece on joy, freedom, and letting go of “getting it right Gayle Kabaker Oct 20   READ IN APP   Greece 2 My demo of face studies I learn so much when I teach—about myself as both an artist and a human being. People are complicated! Everyone is going through something: recently widowed, divorced, wanting to be divorced, retired, adjusting to an empty nest, finishing cancer treatment, returning to painting after many years… Some are painting for the very first time. Others are artists with a vision of what they want to put on paper—they can see it clearly, but their hand won’t make it happen. That can be incredibly frustrating. It’s not unusual for tears to come during these weeks. But in every single workshop, by midweek, we begin to see, hear, and feel the breakthroughs and this makes me and Jennifer Orkin Lewis SO happy! Paint What You Love is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Upgrade to paid We don’t teach people to draw or paint what they see—we teach them to be inspired by and interpret what they see in their own way. This brings huge relief to many perfectionists who struggle with “getting it right,” and it opens up so much freedom. Yes, we talk about finding joy in painting, but the truth is—it’s not always fun! That’s why it’s important to find a “happy painting place” you can go to when struggling—a place to take a breath. Painting flowers, or water, or just anything that makes you happy. Then come back to the thing you want to finish. Painting women in big fun dresses is a happy place for me! Painting water is also meditative and fun for me. Since many people feel intimidated or even scared of drawing people, when painting and drawing Bora, the only instruction was to be inspired by her—it didn’t need to look like her at all! The variety of interpretations of her, and of all our prompts, is so wonderful to see. I did something I’ve never done before in a workshop—I painted the sunrise! On a few mornings, some students and I gathered for silent sunrise painting. I painted the colors of the sunrise into paintings I had already begun. I had planned to stay five days on Zakynthos, not far from our retreat venue, in an Airbnb after the workshop—to paint just for myself. But the weather turned chilly and rainy. My Airbnb might have been fine if it had been warm and sunny and I’d been painting outside on the covered patio with its ocean view—that’s why I chose it! But being stuck inside there wasn’t appealing at all. But I did manage to make one painting that I love. I’m not embarrassed to admit that a few things are really important to me: a great bed with nice sheets and a good shower. This place had neither. So, I left early! I booked two nights at a hotel with a vegan restaurant instead. I’m writing this now on my last day in Athens, where I’ve drawn a ton. I also rested a lot in a super-comfy bed, and taken many gloriously hot showers. And honesty - I have been VERY creatively inspired. AND I am so ready to be home! It’s been a good time of detox from the news, I am sure this allows more brain space for creativity. The photos from the No Kings marches are incredible. I’ll be back to figuring out how I get more involved when I get home. On Friday we’re announcing our next open retreat though our newsletters. Jennifer and I are thrilled to go back to Morocco for the fourth time. Our past groups and Patreon have gotten access and it’s selling fast. If you’d like to get the link before Friday you can join our Patreon. We’d love to paint with you in Morocco! Join our paint with G&J Patreon As always, I love hearing from you. XO Gayle Paint What You Love is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Upgrade to paid Invite your friends and earn rewards If you enjoy Paint What You Love, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe. Invite Friends   Like Comment Restack   © 2025 Gayle Kabaker 13 NORMAN RD, Ashfield MA 01330 Unsubscribe