A Travel Log // The Active Journey.
PHOTO: Imagination | D. FLOREZ
Suffice it to say, I’ve never not travelled – as an artist and writer – and found that the event of doing so, wasn’t a tangible blessing to either craft. I have this need to travel – it is, my need to to breathe – my need to operate and live in … breathe in … the very gifts that I’ve been blessed with.
It isn’t so much a desire to escape; although, the desire to capture a new feeling often times reveals itself as a rather alluring and appealing find. The need to make space and time to nurture my writing, nurture my creativity, my painting, comes with travel. As one travels, one releases oneself in an elevated state to create – removing yourself and senses from the mundane reality of rigidity and scheduled to-dos; placing your attention on you: what you love to do, what you see in the evening sky, what watercolor painting you envision will bring that moment to life…. the words that drip off of your lips and on to paper.
When the artist travels, he or she positions their passions as priority: no one and no thing standing in the way- keeping you from focusing on this craft.
PHOTO: “Amsterdam” | D. FLOREZ
This act of the ‘active journey’ also removes any potential distractions and excuses we create in not investing our time and attention on our creative passions and gifts. It puts us in the right state, where the only variables involved are our gifts, our time and attention - that’s it. In a long time – for the first time – I activated this conviction as part of my routine.
Solitude with your gifts and creative thoughts, produces a window into how to create and nurtures the vision we have to do so. So how do we do it?
First, identify the location or place that optimally nurtures the focus & cultivation of your passions. If that’s a town, a room in your home, your favorite spot near a park – identify the location that provides peace to your process of activating your gifts.
PHOTO: “Santa Cruz” | D. FLOREZ
Secondly, identify and schedule the moments you will invade that selected space with your gifts and talents. This will require intentionality and reality: balancing both what you can feasibly commit to, and what you know you need to commit to. For example, if you can’t travel to a remote off-shore location once a month – rather every 6 months – mark an alternative for your monthly/weekly moments to create.
Lastly, go. Do what you’ve identified and resolved as the solution to creative cultivation. Be intentional, be proactive, be persistent. Don’t give up on yourself or your gifts – someone needs to see and experience your gifts. If not doing it for yourself, please do it for them.
In love + beautiful things,
~Lindz