TRAVEL, EXPLORE, GROW

I have been fortunate to have been exposed to travel and foreign cultures early in my life. I am a first generation American, my parents had many loved ones and relatives overseas, and our family ties to Europe were closely bound. We had limited financial resources, so trips to Europe for our family of 6 were creatively planned complete with journeys on ships and such, and were often combined with my parents business trips as they established their import company. As a child, I did not appreciate these trips….I felt lost in a bizarre world, stuck with strange relatives, surrounded by languages that I did not understand. The food was different, the houses were different, the streets, cars, clothes and sounds were different. And therein, lies the beauty.

I now understand how enriched I was by these childhood adventures overseas. While I may not have appreciated it at the time, these early experiences opened my eyes and my mind to the wonderful, irreplaceable and energizing dynamic of being a part of a prism of life, seeing the world through a new lens.

Over the years and throughout my life, I have acquired a love of travel and have been able to visit scores of countries and cultures. Every trip is stimulating and thrilling in its own way, and the memories of the journey add texture and depth to the soul. These travels importantly open hearts and minds and help us to better understand people who live life in a way different than we do, but who share the fundamental emotions, desires and aspirations that we all do as human beings. Seeing how people live in other parts of the world encourages compassion, empathy and respect for different cultures, beliefs and traditions. At the heart of it, we learn through traveling and meeting people in their homesteads that there are many ways to live life, but we are bound together, in a way that supersedes language, money and trappings by our common frailties, desires and dreams.

In my work, I strive to maintain a creative energy and vision so that I can channel into this the products that I create. Every time I travel, either somewhere new, or revisiting a favorite spot, I see people, places, colors and environments that spark new ideas that translate into the creative process. Some of my most memorable trips have been those that took me the farthest from the familiar…..a Russian Orthodox church in St. Petersburg, the bazaar in old city in Jerusalem, the pyramids and tombs in Egypt, the Taj Majal in India and the awesome alps in Switzerland. These are just a few of the spectacular destinations that live on in my heart and in my minds eye. And it is the people I have met along the way, that have fulfilled me the most.

Also important to think about is that sometimes I find that at the time and in the moment, the power of the journey is not always evident. Our expectations and impressions can be opaque, and it can take time to feel the full impact of seeing, doing and simply being alive in these mesmerizing places with clarity. Often it is upon reflection, looking back, that I think of things that I hardly noticed at the time. So be forgiving with yourself, and try not to overload the expectation scale…..try to just be in the moment, and take the time to simply feel where you are. It is not about seeing every site or landmark…..it is about letting the unique magic of where you are permeate your body and soul.

Travel, explore, grow…and I hope you will find joy.