Sketching My Way Through The Rockies

This is a follow-up story to How I Escaped the Cubicle.

This summer I had the opportunity of a lifetime to go on a two week trip to British Columbia, Banff National Park, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Colorado. For most of the journey, I travelled with the guys from The Outbound Life and we worked on several content projects along the way.

I love going out West and feel so inspired when I’m in the mountains. I also love going on adventures and pushing my limits both physically and mentally; this trip was no exception. Over the course of my travels, I went mountain biking, via ferrata style mountain climbing, rafting, did a helicopter tour, camped in several National Parks, drove an ATV through the mountains and went horseback riding. All that to say, I was on the move A LOT.

Managing emails, creating new content at each location and meeting deadlines for current projects was quite challenging as we spent most of our time in wifi free areas in the wilderness or inside a rental minivan driving across Canada and the western US. However, the difficulties of living on the go were far outweighed by its perks. I’ve never experienced more inspiration in such a short amount of time than I did while on that trip. Each day was a brand new adventure, filled with one breathtaking view after the next. The whole trip was invigorating from a creative standpoint. I really felt like I was living in a dream.

For each new place I travelled to, I tried to at least do one sketch. I needed to capture the moment and memory that was in front of me. When more time would allow, I would be able to break out my watercolors and start a painting. I even worked on a painting of Emerald Lake during a 6 hour flight delay at Denver International Airport.

I think art is the best way to document and journal your travels. I love photography, but it seems like a photo can’t quite capture a scenery with the same emotional connection a drawing can. Studying the mountain ridges and the trees causes you to sit down for a while and really take in the beauty around you. It forces you to connect with your subject matter on a personal level. Being able to have these quiet moments to sit and draw and paint the landscape surrounding me made this trip even that much richer.

Lisa is a freelance artist and designed based out of Chicago. When she’s not working on her art or traveling to the mountains, she can typically be found eating sushi with friends, training for a half-marathon or longboarding with her dog, Wrigley. Follow her work on Instagram or website.