Art · Travel · Story

At 41, I'm taking a chance on my art.

One year to travel, create, connect, contribute, experiment, paint walls, draw animals, fill sketchbooks — and discover what happens when I finally give this part of myself a real chance.

Pia Aspee watercolor architectural sketch
Travel.
Create.
Connect.
My story

For most of my life, I followed the path that made sense.

I grew up in Chile in a conservative family: good grades, responsible choices, a stable career. I always loved art, but never really believed it could be a job. I became a physical therapist instead — work I genuinely loved because it let me help people.

An opportunity brought me to the United States. I built a life there and spent twelve years with the same company, eventually becoming a manager. Later, a move to the Czech Republic changed everything. I had already left my job with a quiet plan to finally give more time to art when my marriage ended.

Suddenly I was in Europe, unsure what came next. So I started drawing.

Not because I had a business plan. Because it made me feel good. Drawing made me slow down enough to really see where I was. House- and pet-sitting, which began as a practical way to stretch my savings, gave me quiet homes, companionship and time to create. After months of traveling and healing, I realized that beautiful places alone aren't enough for me. I need purpose, contribution and connection.

The experiment

Can I travel through creativity, contribution & connection?

I'm exploring murals and art in exchange for accommodation, pet-sitting and the animals that find their way into my sketchbook, volunteering where I can be useful, watercolor, travel storytelling and UGC that can help sustain the journey.

I don't know exactly where this leads. That's part of it.

Leave something.

A mural. A portrait. Volunteer hours. A photograph. A story. Help.

Take something.

A sketch. A lesson. A connection. A memory. A new way of seeing.

01 — Art

Places, people & animals.

Travel sketches, portraits, watercolor, commissions — and a new direction into murals as this year unfolds.

Travel sketchesPortraitsWatercolorMurals — beginningCommissions
Murals — a new canvas

Only much bigger.

I've wanted to paint murals for years but never had the space to explore them properly. This year, I'm changing that.

Open to

First mural collaborations

I'm looking for walls and creative projects where I can develop this part of my practice honestly, from concept and sketch to the finished piece.

Creative exchange

Art for stay

I'm open to thoughtful exchanges with hostels, guesthouses, cafés, retreats, community spaces and private hosts around my route.

Also available

Portrait commissions

People and pets remain part of the work. Some of the animals I care for along the way may find their way into my sketchbook too.

02 — Current chapter

Somewhere in Alaska.

Chasing the northern lights, mostly finding rain, and considering staying a little longer to volunteer.

This chapter is also about learning to leave room between places — time to draw, process, edit and turn experiences into something rather than letting them disappear into my camera roll.

CreatingSketches · watercolor · processing Europe
ExploringVolunteer opportunities · future mural exchanges
Location policyBroad chapters only — never real-time details
Pia Aspee traveling with a sketchbook
The travel journal

One place. One finished thing.

Not every destination needs an essay, a reel, twenty photos and a finished painting. A sketch, a portrait, five photographs, a short story or one meaningful contribution can be enough.

From the backlog

Europe, slowly becoming stories.

Three months of sketches, photographs and memories are waiting to be shaped. They don't have to be published in order.

Pet sits

A temporary home.

House sitting gives me something constant travel rarely does: quiet, routine, animals, sleep — and time to create.

Volunteering

Places with purpose.

I want part of this year to be about contributing, learning and working toward something alongside other people.

Pia Aspee traveling
03 — Travel UGC

Travel · Stay · Create.

Authentic visual storytelling for travel, hospitality and lifestyle brands — helping fund the journey while creating something useful for the places I experience.

Hotels & stays

Short-form video, photography and first-person storytelling for memorable accommodations.

Art + content

A distinctive combination: sketches, original art or future murals paired with photo and video content.

What's next?

The route isn't fixed.
That's intentional.

I'm leaving room for house sits, volunteer opportunities, mural projects, collaborations and the people who may change the direction of the journey.

Current chapter

Alaska

Aurora chasing, creating and possibly volunteering.

Next chapter

South America

Including Chile for my birthday and Christmas.

Exploring

Australia

Timing and route still open.

Then, perhaps

India · East Asia

Japan, China and South Korea.

And onward

Southeast Asia

Intentionally flexible.

For safety, this page shares broad regions and chapters rather than exact real-time locations or accommodation details.

Original Pia Aspee Art ginkgo business card
The ginkgo

A symbol that came back with me.

Years ago, when I first tried to make something of my art, I chose a ginkgo leaf as my mark — a symbol of memory and the ability to remember.

I'm bringing it back. Deep green for growth and the natural world; silver-gray as a quiet silver lining. The meaning feels different now, but somehow more fitting: this journey is about paying attention, making memories tangible, and seeing what can grow from a life that didn't go according to plan.

Why I'm doing this

I don't want this year to live only in my phone.

So I'm trying something different: make something in every place.

A drawing. A mural. A pet portrait. A video. A story. A friendship. A contribution.

Come be part of the journey

Maybe there's something we can create together.

Have a wall, a place to stay, a pet who deserves a portrait, a volunteer project, a travel story or a creative collaboration?