Travel

the same ups and downs as creating

 Going places is often an important part of our creativity. It’s not required, so if traveling is not your thing, don’t fret. 

For me, the anticipation and excitement about going somewhere make my alive-o-meter zoom high. 

Making things can mimic the experiences of travel. When I travel, I enjoy a sense of the new, discovery, and the thrill of exploration. There’s also the random synchronicity that happens when I eject myself out of my everyday routine. 

I experience this when generating ideas, writing scenes for my novel, and filling sketchbook pages. 

Stimulating and challenging 

When we leave home, we take in so many new impressions and sensations than in our home space. I started keeping an illustrated journal while traveling to process all the input. The journal also serves as a seed bank for my art and writing projects later. 

Travel isn’t all just jolly vistas and fun experiences. Travel can be like boot camp. Our patience is tested. Our sense of safety is challenged. We learn a lot about ourselves when we’re confronted with delays, unexpected situations, and difficulties. Our bodies are pushed to their limits from schlepping, trekking, and tasting all kinds of new flavors. 

Of course, there are many kinds of trips. Family trips, solo adventures, trips where you take a course or workshop, and work trips. Your artist won’t be the lead or even invited to all of them. But they will always be available to help you see things and experience life in new ways. 

Same with our creativity. The best art surprises us as we make it. Happy accidents drive us in new directions. We’re pushed to the limits of our skills and patience. I love how both travel and making art invite me to be a better person. I’ve written several books about creativity and travel because I see so many parallels and sources of inspiration from travel. 

You might not be a traveler at all - don’t worry about that! Just move to the next section. Perhaps you get your travel jollies by encountering your home environment in fresh ways. 

INVITATION

Consider how travel impacts your creativity. If you do love to travel, first, explore yourself as a traveler. Get to know what pings your alive-o-meter. Some love discovering new things. Others like to return to the same place again and again. Maybe like me, you’re both. 

Write on the prompts: 

• My travel style…

• My artist loves travel because…

Look at how your travels impact your creativity. 

Now that you know what travel does for your artist, see how you might get some of those things in your life at home. I love Julia Cameron’s concept of Artist Dates. Make a list of things that evoke travel for you without leaving your home place. For me, I get a sense of travel from: 

• Going to a different neighborhood

• Visiting a museum 

• Shopping in a global food market where I don’t know what most of the things are

Affirmation: The world around me inspires my artist in unexpected ways.

In the comments: What’s different for you as an artist when you travel near home or afar?