I believe all artists should travel. Heck, all people should travel. Travel can make us better artists and better people.
By challenging ourselves to reach new boundaries and expose ourselves to new experiences, travels can lead us to a better understanding of the world but also a better understanding of ourselves.
Today I want to share three important ways traveling has helped me, emotionally, physically, and creatively-
Leaving the Comfort Zone:
It is all too easy to get stuck in a rut, isn't it? Sometimes it's even difficult to tell when we're in one. We go along through our daily lives and drift into our routine. It's human nature, I guess. You know that saying, "We cannot see the forest for the trees." It's true. Artists of all sorts should climb those trees, break out from conformity, meet new people, try new things and explore more of what this world has to offer. How are we as artists going to be able to do that if we are in our own ruts? That is where traveling comes in. It helps us leave our comfort zones and get a better perspective of our surroundings, near or far. It helps shake things up a bit, and that's exciting!
As artists, we rely a lot on our sensory input to help formulate creative ideas. The things we see form a large part of our inspiration. Everything we see helps build our imaginations to bigger and better. From that beautiful sunset over the clear ocean, to that breathtaking mountain view, to the high cityscape, to that warm smile on the face of a stranger, everything we see becomes a feast not just for the eyes but for our minds, our sense of belonging, and our very beings.
This is a given, but you'd be surprised how many people travel and don't interact with the locals or the surrounding people. Every time I travel, I make sure to ask random people passing by, "What's the best coffee shop around here? Between these two restaurants, which would you recommend? How late does this area stay open?" It could be the extrovert in me, but it's really nice and interesting to see just how helpful people really are. In my experience, people are always willing to help, even if there is any type of language barrier. Just by interacting and meeting new people, it can help us as artists to expose new ideas, perhaps new approaches, and help us to see the world from a whole new perspective. Heck, just by me getting out of my own comfort zone and being open to meeting new people, I was fortunate enough to connect with Midori store owner, Seong Joon, and creative journaler, @nudobamnamoo from Instagram. You just never know. A chance encounter could change the course of your creative life.
"Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you've traveled." - Mohamed
"Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind." - Seneca
"The more I've traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends." - Shirley MacLaine
"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it's lethal." - Paulo Coelho
Great post! Traveling is a great way to get inspiration.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Here's my favorite travel quote by Mark Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to travel. But my husband didn't. I am now almost 60 yrs old and I want to start, but am a little nervous about travelling alone. Do any of you go it alone. Would love to hear your stories!
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