I like these trees. I see them pretty much every day. They always look to me like they’re dancing, wild and free. I can almost hear the music, when I look at them.

Sometimes, I think, it’s important to take a step back and just observe the world around you. Art isn’t just about making or creating. It’s about seeing. I truly believe that it’s the ability to see what others do not that makes someone an artist, rather than their ability to draw or paint or create or recreate.

So for your inspiration this week, I’m not going to ask you to make anything. Though you can, of course. I’m certainly not going to tell you not to create! Instead, I want you to go out and find yourself a piece of the “everyday” and just observe. What do you see? What does it make you think of? How does it make you feel? This is an exercise you can do literally anywhere. No tools or supplies needed. No sketchbook? No problem!

If you’re feeling a little unsure about “everyday,” I’ll suggest “nature” as a topic—and that can be taken pretty loosely: it can be a forest or a lake or some other outdoor space; it can be animals at the zoo (that’s one of my major sources of inspiration!); it can be as simple as a dandelion growing in a crack in the pavement. But I’m not going to stop you if you want to use a different source for your inspiration. Feel free to choose whatever source of “everyday” you’d like.

What I really want you to do is focus on “seeing.” See the shapes, the colors, the emotions. What do you observe around you that you see as “art”? What everyday scenes can you find “art” in? Tell me what you saw; I’d love to hear from you.