The Five Stages of Travel and Art-Part 2

The last blog discussed the first two stages of travel and art. You may view the blog here. I find travel to be my greatest form of inspiration for my art. There seem to me to be five stages of combining travel and creating. These stages can occur over different time frames. You may take a long time to dream about a place before you actually have the means to move to the next phase. Or as Picasso said when someone asked him how long it took him to make a simple sketch, he replied, “ten minutes and forty-five years. Let’s look at how these phases work for travel, art and life.
The five stages I identify are:
Dreaming or Visioning-this is about identifying your desires by listening to your inner muse. Try journaling, vision boards or keeping a sketchbook to identify your vision and to clarify your voice.
Planning-Deciding what you want to do and see and taking the necessary steps to ensure this happens such as bookings, research and organizing. For your art this may be keeping a sketchbook, color ideas or visiting museums and galleries for inspiration.
The Present Moment-This is the doing process, going on the trip, making art, and being in the moment. Take it all in, create or record your experiences. I find posting a visual photo log or vlog helps me be aware of the history and culture of the moment.
Returning-This is the immediate time after you get home. Reviewing your photos, unpacking and looking over your treasures and creations.
Consolidation or long-term remembering-This is how your experiences change you. Sometimes this isn’t apparent until you look in the rearview mirror.
Today we will begin in the present moment. When you are in the midst of your journey, whether it is on the road or in the middle of creating, time slips away, and you become a part of the creative process. First when you are creating outside your usual studio or table, you have already taken a step toward change. Your normal supplies are not available, and you are sharing a small space with many others. I find that when I am working like this my art is very different. There is the usual resistance to change, but when I let myself flow into where I am, I make use of the differences. Struggle is the mother of invention and change. Workshops are a wonderful way to learn not only from the tutor but from everyone else in the group. Day trips for us resulted in treasures being brought back to our shared table of materials and everyone used them in their own unique way. I found myself drawn to creating in ways that were new to me. Let go of the idea that the work made during travel has to be a finished work of art. Think of it as a beginning for a new series. Don’t let your inner critic ruin the fun of the adventure. This is equally true for when you are back home in the comfort of your space. Allow for experiments and explorations. All work doesn’t need to be finished art. The power of play will propel your art just as much as your travel explorations.
Returning
This next phase has to do when you are home and unpacking. You have had a little time to settle back in and now you can look at your work, your photos and your treasures that you brought home with fresh eyes. Your mind will recall the experiences as you look at your work and your photos. You may have acquired a beautiful souvenir that you place where you see it often and the memories will come flowing back. Your art can be like that as well. That is why I love to make travel books. They contain both art and memories. Look at your sample pieces, the play pieces, or the studies you made while traveling. Use these to spark inspiration and every once in a while, try working with limited supplies like you did on your travels. I find this very liberating.
Consolidation
This occurs when a sufficient amount of time has passed for your memories and experiences to form new neural paths. The length of time passed I find influences how I recall events. Something that may have seemed painful at the moment can be seen as a gift many years later. With your travel memories you tend to remember the highlights and push the annoying aspects of travel to the back of your mind.
When working in the studio I find that I may have some pieces that don’t feel finished, but I am uncertain as to where they need to go. This is when I send the art on a little vacation to the closet. I put it away for a week, a month, or even longer. When I pull the piece back out, I am seeing it with fresh eyes and possibly I have a new direction in mind for it. I recently pulled a piece from the depths of the racks. It hadn’t been out in a few years. I looked at it and exclaimed, “what was I thinking!” I painted it with the best experience I had at the time, but after hundreds of more paintings under my belt, I knew much better. I redid it and it sold right after. Experience and consolidation help.