May nearly broke me this year. Between end-of-year awards, last-minute costume days, and two children moving on to new schools, I was a wreck—in complete sensory overload and often on the brink of tears. Something about rushing everywhere while trying to savor every sweet moment left me in a state no hot bubble bath could fix. That’s when I remembered artist Carrie Pittman Hill’s invitation to a creative retreat at her studio on the gorgeous grounds of Selwood Farm, which is run by her husband, Alan.
I first heard about Carrie while furniture shopping. I mentioned that I was looking for artwork to hang above my couch, and two women immediately lit up. They told me all about her whimsical abstracts and insisted I look up her work. Not long afterward, I commissioned a piece. Somewhere along the way, I learned she was beginning a new venture: one-on-one retreats designed to help people reconnect with their creativity. By May, the timing felt providential.
Driving down the gravel road, with fields and trees unfolding around me, I felt some of the weight I’d been carrying begin to ease. Then I stepped into Carrie’s studio, where she had prepared a completely personalized experience. Art supplies were arranged just for me, a thoughtful gift awaited, and she had even created a presentation built around my responses to a pre-retreat questionnaire. Before we ever picked up a paintbrush, she made me feel seen.
Carrie opened our time together by reading a devotion from Streams in the Desert. Then we warmed up my creative flow by painting pastel florals. From the start, she made it clear that her goal was not art instruction. She wasn’t there to teach technique or critique my work. Instead, she wanted to help me reconnect with creative expression and joy.
We chose colors and painted blooming stems side by side as sunlight streamed through the studio windows. For the first time in weeks, I wasn’t thinking about schedules, deadlines, or the thousand small responsibilities that usually occupied my mind. I was simply making something.
One of the things I appreciated most was that Carrie let me guide the day. Every retreat is shaped around the person who walks through the studio door.
Next, I chose a nature walk. Carrie joined me for part of it, sharing stories about the farm and pointing out details I might have otherwise missed before encouraging me to venture farther on my own. For others, the afternoon might include a personal training session—another of Carrie’s gifts—but that day I was craving fresh air, sunshine, and room to think.
I spent a while beside the sparkling pool before making my way back to the studio apartment, where I curled up with a stack of books on creativity and enjoyed my favorite lunch: an acai bowl Carrie had thoughtfully prepared for me.
Throughout the day, faith was woven into every part of the experience. Carrie prayed with me and told me she had spent much of the previous day praying over every aspect of the retreat before I ever arrived.
By the time lunch was over, I felt lighter and ready to get my hands in the paint, stop worrying about whether anything turned out perfectly, and enjoy the pleasure of creating something from nothing.
Carrie had queued up a playlist of ’80s hits—my favorite—and pulled out larger canvases. Using the colors from my bedroom as inspiration, we painted complementary abstracts side by side. By then, I had stopped worrying about whether I was doing anything “right.” I was choosing colors I loved, making bold marks, and enjoying the process.
Then Carrie rolled out a giant sheet of canvas across the floor.
Feeling bolder and freer, I reached for brighter colors. Bright pinks, teals, and golds swirled across the canvas. My hands soon matched the painting. I smeared, layered, splattered, and experimented while Carrie cheered me on.
I lost track of time.
Somewhere between the music, the color, and the freedom to create without an agenda, I found myself feeling delight—the kind children seem to access so easily. For an afternoon, I wasn’t trying to produce something. I was just playing.
Today, the paintings are hanging on my walls. Not because they’re masterpieces. (I assure you they are not.)
But because every brushstroke reminds me of that day. They remind me of sunlight pouring through studio windows, The Power of Love playing in the background, answered prayers, and the sheer joy of creating without worrying whether I was good at it.
I arrived at Carrie’s studio exhausted. I left with several original creations, paint under my fingernails, and a reminder that adults need permission to play every now and then.
And next time, I’m staying overnight.
Explore Carrie Pittman Hill’s artwork and learn more about The Art of Rest, her faith-based creative retreat experience, at carriepittman.com or on Instagram at @carriepittmanart.
About Carrie Pittman Hill
A self-taught expressive artist, Carrie Pittman is known for abstract paintings that explore vulnerability, authenticity, and the beauty of letting go. Working intuitively, she creates pieces filled with color, movement, and the unexpected.
Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest and Cottage Living and included in collections and collaborations with brands such as Neiman Marcus, Horchow, and John-Richard. Through her creative retreats, she encourages others to embrace curiosity and to rediscover the joy and freedom of creative expression.