HAPPY 2017: LAUNCH OF ART ADVENTURES

Hello! A year late, but wanted to share the exciting new launch of my travel photos and art workshops in a new online home: www.ourartadventures.com

2016 was a whirlwind year of adventure. From sewing in a Tokyo farmhouse to exploring local California sites, the ever present wanderlust beckoned. The best part of the year involved the people I met and the art we made. I wanted to share the process and the stories with you in a new way.

A little preview about Art Adventures:

I like to make art and travel. I like to travel to beautiful places and capture their inspiring, colorful moments. From small craftsman villages only an hour outside of Tokyo, to far flung desert fortresses a day's journey from the nearest airport, I have been lucky to travel to the world's most beautiful places and capture their incredible creativity. Beauty is found in vibrant colors swirling around in giant metal pots. It is found in brightly colored cotton woven into kaleidoscopic tapestries. 

Art Adventures are private studio visits and impromptu lessons from skilled artisans. They are behind-the-scenes invitations to different cultures passed down from generation to generation. Art Adventures shares these colorful and creative art playgrounds, showcasing a world connected through Travel and Art. Hope you enjoy the journey.

WHAT'S NEXT

My travels to India were definitely insightful, and I realized what's important in my life and my everyday. Things like running water took on importance, and it quickly made me see priorities. I loved all the experiences, and think it toughened me up. I definitely want to share stories about the adventures, but realized that this blog might no longer be the best format for this.  I want bigger photos and better stories. I will focus on photography and capturing moment of color and pattern.

So, I have started working on a new website, one that is a portfolio of my favorite sights. I hope to launch it in the New Year. I've had BigBrightBold for almost 5 years, and think it's time for a change. I will keep this here, and create a new link I will post about when it's live. Hope you will come along, when it's ready.

LIFE IS HOW YOU SEE IT

Everyone always says that India changes you. That seeing a world so different than the one we are familiar with makes an impact on how you see the world. I went to India looking for color, focused on blockprinting, taking beautiful photos and shopping in vibrant bazaars. I wasn’t living in an Ashram and looking for a spiritual journey, but I do think that being thrown into Indian life did somehow lead to a transformation.

On the way back from my journey, on the long 22+ hour flights from Jodphur/Delhi/Dubai, I had more than enough time to reflect on what I had seen and all that I had experienced in the whirlwind adventure. India IS another world, a powerful, beautiful country full of extremes and contradictions. It was beautiful and eye opening and intense and captivating. Total anarchy and chaos yet things worked out. The simplest things were so enthralling.

We had met some Aussie travelers early on our trip, and inquired if going to the Taj Mahal was worth it, as it definitely got mixed reviews from being crowded, touristy, and crazy despite being a wonder of the world. The older Aussie summed it up perfectly. He told us, “The Taj is what you make of it. It is crowded. It is full of thousands of tourists. You can focus on that, or you can turn around, hire a guide to take you to the perfect spot at the perfect sunrise moment, and you can experience the splendor of the splendor in total awe.” Yes, that summed it up. Traveling with our wonderful tour guides and getting a chance to have a curated tour of India allowed us to appreciate the marvels with minimal difficulty and survive the craziness. We tried to have open minds to new adventures and experienced so many special moments as a result.

So, what did I learn? 

Life is now you see it.

It’s your perspective on the world.

It’s a contradiction.

It’s chaotic.

It’s captivating.

It’s heartbreaking.

It’s heartwarming.

It’s making the impossible possible.

It’s walking on glass and not getting cut.

It’s charming a cobra and not getting bitten.

It’s making the most of your situation and appreciating what you have.

It’s appreciating the small moments.

The candy given to a child.

The laughter and the kindness of strangers.

The ritual that’s intriguing and scary.

It’s the belief that things will work out.

The good fortune of traveling with a total stranger and sharing so many incredible moments.

The gratefulness for tokens of hospitality like unlimited snacks and water.

Be positive and things will work out.

Believe the best in people.

The world is good if you see the good.

Anything IS possible.

SAYING YES TO INDIA

I went to India at a crossroads in my life. A new career move, a birthday coming up, all somehow made me more introspective, analyzing where I have been and where I wanted to be going. I had planned the trip at the beginning of the year, at a time of some uncertainty, and the timing somehow worked out perfectly. I had left one job, went to Spain with my family, got a new job with a very understanding boss, and was still left wondering "what next?". I signed up for a block printing workshop in Jaipur, packed my super heavy, medicine cabinet filled suitcase and was off.

Going to India was a definite shock to the system. I had been warned and cautioned, "You will LOVE it or HATE it." Even my (normally very relaxed) Indian doctor spent a long time cautioning against malaria ridden mosquitoes, dangerous men and unfiltered water. 

Now that I'm back, I am still processing everything I saw and all the adventures I went through. It's not Spain (more on that after the India journey, as I want to share what's vivid in my mind). It was both invigorating and slightly terrifying. I can't say I loved every moment, as it was overwhelming, hectic, dirty and super hot. I developed a constant hacking cough from the polluted air and suffered from splitting headaches due to iced coffee withdrawal. I feel like I had run an intense, grueling mental and physical marathon, but I survived.

Nevertheless, I LOVED the experience as it shook up my comfortable Los Angeles self. We usually dined in somewhat fancy restaurants and stayed in relatively luxurious hotels. We had a private driver and attentive tour guides. Even then, I came to appreciate having hot water, or even having water. Having constant electricity and eating fresh salads without worrying about food borne parasites. Driving down the road without playing constant chicken with crazed motorists and fearless cows. I would definitely do it again, but bring more sanitizer, extra bug repellant and enough cough drops. 

In the next month I will share some of the moments that defined the experience. The colorful people and the places - from grand monuments to intimate moments - that we stumbled upon. It was all so inspiring and so different. We learned about bearded 7 foot cobras and stealing lucky Ganeshe statues to find true love. We learned to say yes to every proposed adventure (except the slurping Opium one) and it was very freeing to trust others and literally not know where the road would take us. Yes, to sunrise flower markets and flaming motorcycle temples. Yes, to tuktuks, elephants, and camels named Michael Jackson. Yes, to traveling hundreds of kilometers through Rajasthan's questionable roads with a girl I had just met. 

I hope you join me for the bright, wild ride. 

OFF TO INDIA!

Back from Spain, and now off to an adventure that's a 26+ hour flight away! Join me on instagram to follow along with my travels in Rajasthan!