Grace for Everyday: Free Gifts of Encouragement and Creativity

September 24, 2025

This time of year can feel like a stretch. Budgets are tighter after summer vacations, back-to-school schedules are in full swing, and the holidays are just around the corner. That’s exactly when we need little gifts of encouragement most.

Life is a lot sometimes—even when it’s good. We juggle family, work, health, creativity, and all the unexpected twists that show up uninvited. Some days feel like a sprint, others like a slow uphill climb. Either way, it’s easy to forget to pause, breathe, and remind ourselves: we’re doing enough.

That reminder has been on my heart lately, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve been creating resources that feel more like community gifts than programs. They’re not meant to add more to your plate, but to meet you where you already are—with a little encouragement, a little color, and a lot of grace.

15 Days of Grace, Grit, and Getting Through It

This season, I’m offering a free mini-course and booklet called 15 Days of Grace, Grit, and Getting Through It. It’s not a full book (though I am working on one). This series, instead, is more like a refillable cup of coffee—short sips of encouragement you can come back to whenever you need them.

Each entry includes three small pieces: a thought to lift you, a reflection to ground you, and a simple journal-style prompt to nudge you forward. Not heavy. Not another task to check off. Just a gentle way to reset and remember that some of life’s best moments happen right in the middle of the mess.

You can take them one at a time, stretch them over two weeks, or binge them all in an afternoon. And when you’re finished? Start over. These reminders don’t expire.

Think of them as a steady companion on the days you need a hand to hold or a reason to smile.

The series is available as both a PDF booklet and a course version. The booklet is great if you want something you can download and keep on your device.

The course version is paced out one day at a time, almost like a daily check-in that greets you right where you are. Either way, you’ll have access to all 15 days, free for a limited time. And please, pass it along to a friend who might need a little reminder that no matter where we are in life... it is good.

Click the button to get your free copy (it includes one of my favorite cookie recipes!):

Free Copy

Bayview Brush & Bar: A Free Gift of Creativity

Encouragement doesn’t just come in words—it comes in color, in brushstrokes, in the joy of creating something with your own hands. That’s the heartbeat behind Bayview Brush & Bar.

It began as a proposal from Whitecap Living NPI, who invited Padre Island Art Gallery to bring art experiences to their beautiful outdoor spaces.

Together, we’ve shaped this series into a creative partnership. The result is a free, seasonal program designed to be beginner-friendly, inspiring, and a wonderful way to connect with our coastal community.

Due to limited space, registration is required.

If you RSVP and can’t attend, please let us know so someone on the waitlist can join.

Registration is available here:

Class Registration

We are offering the community a gift: free seasonal painting sessions where anyone can pull up a chair, pick up a brush, and create something beautiful. You don’t need to be an artist. You don’t even need to bring supplies—everything is provided. All you need is a willingness to try, to laugh, to share space with neighbors, and maybe discover a little creativity you didn’t know was waiting inside.

Our fall schedule is already lined up with coastal-inspired classes taught by local artist Susan Balbin, ranging from watercolor card-making to acrylic paintings. Each class is an hour long, lighthearted, and designed to remind you that art is in all of us—not just professionals or galleries.

For us, Bayview Brush & Bar isn’t just about the paintings we create. It’s about connection. It’s about setting aside the hurry of everyday life to do something simple and soul-filling. It’s about gathering together and remembering that creativity is one of the best forms of encouragement we can share.

A Season of Community Gifts

That’s what these offerings are meant to be: not programs to keep up with, not another obligation, but gifts. The kind you can unwrap on your own time, return to as often as you’d like, and share with others.

So join us for Bayview Brush & Bar, download 15 Days of Grace, Grit, and Getting Through It, or simply take a deep breath and let today be enough—know that you are part of a community that believes in the power of encouragement, creativity, and connection.

Click the schedule image to download

Because some of the best gifts aren’t wrapped in paper or tied with bows. They’re found in words that steady us, in colors that brighten our day, and in the spaces we share together.

The Art of Island Life will return next week with more stories and inspiration from our coastal community. Have a story to share or an upcoming event? Reach out to me at melissa@padreislandartgallery.com.