We’re living in a time where everything is speeding up.
Technology is getting smarter, content is endless, notifications never stop, and AI is changing how we work and create in real time. It’s exciting - it can be scary to some and it’s an exponentially growing technology and world that we live in. Whether you’re an artist or not, when life is going well, but things are changing quickly, it’s easy to feel scattered. Like your attention is being pulled in ten directions before you’ve even had breakfast.
I know that feeling personally.
I highly recommend exploring AI and questioning your beliefs, whether good or bad about it. I’m currently building AI Apps, tools and models (with safety and ethics prioritized) and on my own. I’m developing, experimenting, solving problems, pushing forward. I never thought that it would be a creative outlet for me similarly to when I paint or when I jump on my DJ deck and make music. I genuinely love all of these worlds, but I also know something important: my mind needs an anchor. A place where time slows down, my senses wake up, and I remember what “real” feels like.
For me, my main anchor is painting - especially plein air oil painting, outdoors, on location, here in Santa Barbara, California.
Plein air painting isn’t just how I make most of my landscape paintings. It’s how I ground myself.
Why painting outside works when your brain feels overloaded:
When you paint outdoors, nature doesn’t let you stay in your head.
You can’t fully “multi-task” a sunset. You can’t negotiate with shifting shadows. You can’t scroll past a breeze, or fast-forward the way the light moves across the landscape. The moment is happening whether you’re ready or not.
That’s the gift.
Plein air oil painting, or any type of art done on location, forces your attention into the present, and it does it in a practical way - not in a “try to be mindful” way. Your brain has a clear job:
• Notice the biggest shapes.
• Compare light and shadow.
• Observe color temperature.
• Respond to what’s changing.
And while you’re doing that, something else happens: your nervous system settles. Your breathing slows. Your shoulders drop. The mental noise gets quieter - not because you fought it, but because you replaced it with focused observation.
In a world that constantly demands attention, plein air gives attention back to you.
The “screens vs. senses” reset
A lot of modern life is lived through screens. Even when we’re creating, we’re often creating inside rectangles: phones, laptops, tablets, timelines.
Painting outdoors flips the order of things.
Instead of consuming more inputs, you start noticing your senses:
• The temperature of the air
• The sound of wind or birds
• The smell of salt, eucalyptus, chaparral
• The way distant forms soften
• The way bright sunlight turns shadows into bold shapes
It’s not anti-technology. It’s balance.
AI can be powerful. Tech can be beautiful. But your brain still needs nature. Your body still needs real light. Your attention still needs a place to land.
What plein air painting has taught me about life in general
Painting outdoors teaches lessons that are useful beyond art:
1. You don’t need perfect conditions to begin
The wind might be annoying. The light might shift faster than you want. You might feel rusty. Start anyway.
2. You can’t control everything - so focus on what matters
Light will change. Clouds will move. That’s not a problem. That’s the point. Choose what you’re trying to say and commit.
3. Progress is built by showing up
A short, consistent practice beats occasional “perfect” sessions. This is true in painting, and it’s true in life.
That’s part of why I keep coming back to Santa Barbara landscapes again and again. The place is familiar, but it never repeats itself. The same view becomes completely different depending on the hour, the season, the marine layer, the mood of the sky.
It’s a reminder that being present is a skill - and nature trains it.
How to use art to ground yourself (even if you’re not an artist)
You don’t have to paint like an oil painter for this to work. The grounding comes from the act of paying attention and making something with your hands.
If you want to try a “nature + art” reset, here are a few simple exercises that anyone can do:
The 20-Minute Outdoor Sketch
Bring a sketchbook or paper outside. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Draw only what you see, not what you think you see. Keep it simple. You’re training observation, not perfection.
The Three-Value Challenge
Look at a scene and break it into three value groups: light, medium, dark. That’s it. This instantly calms the brain because it turns chaos into structure.
The “One Color” Study
Pick one color you see in nature - just one - and try to match it with paint, pencil, marker, or even digital swatches. You’ll be shocked how much variety exists inside “green.”
The No-Phone First Minute
Before you take a photo or post anything, give yourself one minute of pure looking. It sounds small, but it changes everything. Let your eyes adjust. Let the scene arrive.
If you do nothing else, do that last one. It’s the easiest way to shift from “scroll mode” to “presence mode.”
Why I keep painting, even while building with AI:
I’m deeply involved in building with AI right now, and I’m proud of that work. I love the problem-solving, the creativity, the momentum.
Painting is what keeps me human.
Painting slows me down in the best way. It gives me a relationship with place. It reminds me that my mind isn’t meant to live at maximum speed all day. And it helps me reconnect to nature - not as a concept, but as a lived experience.
That’s what I hope people feel when they spend time with my work too: a sense of calm, light, and connection. A reminder to look up, breathe, and notice the world again.
Because as technology gets faster, grounding becomes more valuable - not less.
If this resonates, share it with someone who’s been feeling overwhelmed lately. And if you’ve been thinking about starting a creative practice, consider this your sign to begin. Go outside. Keep it simple. Make something small. Let nature do what it does.
The point isn’t to be perfect. The point is to come back to yourself.
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I hope this helps some of you and inspires some of you to embrace the world we’re in today. This is your reminder to do just that, and this is your reminder to get outside and connect with nature, Whether you leave your paintbrush at home or take it with you, There’s nothing better than connecting with mother Earth.