travel and the artist

[Brutillus]

I've been living in west Africa since september, and it has really opened my eyes. it's amazing how you can live almost your entire life in one country, one culture, one language, which for me was America, and think that that is it, that that's all there is to the world, except for maybe England and Canada and a few other places you've been to. and then you go to a completely new place, new cultures, about 40 new languages and suddenly America seems rather small and uninteresting and the rest of the world seems much bigger.

Things that most Westerners think only exist in movies or books or concept art ( ;) ), are part of everyday life here. it now seems to me that traveling, and experiencing (as much as a traveler can) new people and places and cultures, should go hand in hand with art and especially concept art, which largely consists of visualizing new people and places and cultures.

But it seems that many Westerners completely ignore the rest of the world, and act as if the entire universe and all of its extremes existed right in their little modern society, with its cell phones and suburbs and designer handbags.
looking at the work of some really great artists, I'm still puzzled that they limit the entire scope of their subjects to those that fit within whatever their immediate surroundings happen to be, and never seem to want to explore the rest of the world.

Don't get me wrong, people are people and places are places and they worthy of the greatest art wherever they are, but I hope you can see my point.


Cheers

Dan

[LaPalida]

I feel that way too. That's why I want to travel to a bunch of different cultures and check it all out. I could never understand how some people can spend their entire life in one place never even seeing or wanting to see some of what's on this planet.

[WillSchnevel]

Dood, that's cool that you're in africa, i'd love to travel the world, but alas, i'm too young for now.

[plsangel]

So how did you end up in west Africa? School, work? I've never been there so I wouldn't know first hand BUT I have some good friends that live in Australia and they say the very same thing. THEY'd often e-mail ME with comments on the hurricaines in Florida or about the State of the Union address etc. At least in Australia they have a bit of an advantage. From what I understand they're news papers and TV news casts regularly include international news...and not just disaster news...but day to day things like politics, weather, human interest stories etc. Personally I have to look at 6 different web sites to get my international news...it seems like here in the US we aren't offered any perspective in our media.

At the same time, since the US is kindof the modern day "Rome" it makes sense that the rest of the world is keeping tabs on us.

I'd love to travel and experience other cultures but it seems like it's so expensive. I can barely afford to take time off to take a road trip and I have many friends in the same situation. In Europe different countries and cultures are right around the corner...here in California you have to drive 100's of miles to even get to the next state.

So tell me more about the poeple and culture you're experiencing...I'm curious

[otis]

I COMPLETELY AGREE! We are so dam cynical here in the U.S. We forget that 90% of the rest of the world is so far worse off than us. But at the same time not so numb and removed by materialsm.

Traveling is somthing EVERY artist must do in order to remain creative. Or else you work in a vacume. :x

[drup]

Personally I love other cultures and exploring them. I hope to go to a very different culture this summer. As LaPalida, I don't understand people too who are not interested in any other part of the world.

It's very strange for me that Americans hardly have any international news, because I live in such a small country that almost nothing happens here, so most of the news is international. Which is good, of course :)

A solution for exploring the world cheaply may be making friends on the other side of the world, fly over there and stay at their house. And of course, let them be your guest too :)

It always makes me happy when I know everything is so relatively close here in Europe. I would get mad if I had to drive so far to get in another country..

[Brutillus]

I see I am not alone here!

plsangel- I moved here when my dad got a job a with peacecorps (he was a volunteer himself in the 70's ). actually I visited in august and then returned to Arkansas :yawn: and, faced with the choice of living there with my mother or moving to Benin, I got back to west africa as quickly as I could.

WillSchnevel- how young is too young? I guess it's more a matter of opportunity, but I'm only 15. my brother did a summer of humanitarian volunteer work in Paraguay when he was 15, and spent several months in India when he was 17.

I know it's true that travel is expensive, I just hope that I'll have the time and money for it in the future.

I recently visited the rural north of the country (with my sketchbook!) and had a great time. sometimes I feel I would rather live here permanently then go back to the US. who needs Mcdonalds when you can get heaps of delicious, homemade food for the equivalent of half a dollar?

[Molly]

Brutillus - my ideal job would have me living in well, 2 or 3 different countries a year... The only chances of travel I have had are to visit family or a ca.org workshop (for which I'm thankful) I wish I could travel more of my own accord

I agree with drup too. Make friends in various countries and go visit them...:)

Mollyx

[darth massacre]

Brutillus, you're very lucky to be living in Africa for so many months.

I agree with Otis on the importance of travelling. Creativity comes not just from thinking outside of the box but also it draws upon your personal experiences. So the more you see/feel/know, the easier it is to put cross cultural ideas together to come up with something new. Its excellent to see other parts of the world.

I haven't really travelled a lot. This being my first time in North America, I've been to Australia a few times. Its easier for me to experience 3rd world countries coz I come from Singapore and all around me are the "so called" undeveloped nations in the eyes of the western world. The funny thing is, if their politicians are less corrupt, if their country is in less of a rut....we'd all be having a lot more difficulty getting jobs >:D

I have places to be, still....Lets hope my money, or even better, my future jobs, take me where I want to go....and for a damn long time....:D

[jetpack42]

this one time I walked outside my apartment....sheesh! it was scary!

[darth massacre]

I know dude....but you're not supposed to take a walk on the exterior window ledge.

[troymcoy]

My biggest dream/urge is to travel and explore, hopefully getting a job in what i want to do, cg, will help me do this.

[WhizBang]

It all adds to one's make up. Travel lots, bring da shit back to what you do & you'll be that much richer for it.