The Brave Leap: From Seattle to Lisbon - Life in Portugal with Artist Lauren Springer

Can you decide to change your life? The answer is yes. You just have to take the big dream and break it into small steps.

- Brandi

What happens when you decide the life you’re living doesn’t have to be the life you stay in? Lauren Springer shares the brave journey of moving her family from Seattle to Lisbon and the lessons she learned about taking big, overwhelming dreams and turning them into small, manageable steps.

We talk motherhood, starting over in a new country, creative habits, sketchbooks, and giving yourself permission to experiment without needing everything to be perfect. Lauren’s story is a beautiful reminder that sometimes the biggest changes in our lives begin with one small decision.

1. Make the big dream smaller. Big life changes can feel completely overwhelming when you look at the whole picture. Instead, focus on the next small step that moves you in the direction you want to go.

2. Give yourself a playground, not another expectation. Lauren’s approach to sketchbooks is a great reminder that creativity doesn’t always need to produce something “good.” Use the space to experiment, play with colour and composition, and let the ideas develop.

If Lauren’s brave leap from Seattle to Lisbon inspires you to dream a little bigger, come make your own brave leap with us in Portugal. Join us and Uptrek on the Algarve coast in June 2027 for our Portraits Without Fear retreat: a week to step away from the everyday, reconnect with your creativity, and give yourself permission to imagine what’s next.

And here’s the amazing part: Lauren and her partner actually did a spreadsheet of the top places in the world, they landed on Portugal! And now we are going there Learn more about ourArt Retreat HERE