INSPIRATION

Have you ever stopped to think about the difference between wondering and asking a question? The difference between wandering and going somewhere?

Wondering doesn’t require an answer, where as a question does. Wandering has no destination, where going somewhere does. We live our lives always needing to know and wanting to go. We lose touch with our sense of spontaneity leaving little room for the magic that comes from serendipity. Why not take some time to stop, relax, ponder, wander, wonder.

It is this concept that inspired this series of artistic maps. Before beginning this project over a decade ago, I spent 10 years wandering around the world. I visited and/or lived in all but one of the seven continents (Antarctica is still on my list, though!). Travel provided me with a sense of adventure and freedom. It allowed me to open my eyes to other cultures and to experience some of the most beautiful places on this planet. There came a point, though, when I found myself wanting to settle down… to fall in love and stay in love forever… and to stay in one place for a while. Now, I call Colorado home — and although my husband, daughters and I continue taking trips to foreign countries — I am no longer the vagabond that I once was. Still though, deep down inside, there will always be this wanderlust that keeps me curious about the world… and that is the driving force behind these maps. Every hour that I spend drawing or painting, I also spend lost in that area of the map – reminiscing about past travels or dreaming of places I have yet to see; thinking of friends who live oceans away; and experiencing a whole new world of creativity.

My world maps can bring you similar joy, but more importantly… they’ll inspire you to wander + wonder.