Travel and creativity often go hand in hand. Isn’t it always the art students who take a gap year before buckling down? Don’t we all love the idea of writers like Hemingway, living in hotels and moving from Spain to Paris with ease? However you look at it, there’s something romantic about the idea of an artist’s life on the road.
Of course, in many ways, this a matter of practicality. Artists of the past often had no choice but to keep moving because of limited funds. Besides which, they were in the position where they could do it. Most didn’t have an office to turn up to every day.
But, in the modern age, it’s possible that travel could be what it takes to turn your art into an enterprise. After all, creative individuals also often move around due to their craving for new experiences. Us creatives soak experience like sponges, and many would say the quality of our work depends on it. What’s more, even a brief time spent traveling could open a whole new set of doors you never considered. Of course, there is one major flaw in this plan. Travel takes money, and you don’t have any as it stands. But, it might be worth taking a part-time job and saving what you can, or even working while you’re on the road. Don’t believe it’s worth your time? Read these possible benefits to find out just how wrong you are.
A fresh perspective
You don’t need to be a genius to work out that the chance for fresh perspective is one the best things about traveling as an artist. In many ways, your art is your experience. Would Van Gogh’s art have captured us the way it did if he’d lived in one city instead of twenty? Would we have loved Orwell’s ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’ it we eliminated the Paris part? Of course, these individuals still would have been incredibly talented. But, they would have struggled to create half of the work they did if they hadn’t moved around. And, the same rules apply to you. You could be a talented artist, but you can only paint the views around your hometown so many times. Eventually, you and your viewers will get bored. By comparison, even a brief time spent traveling could give you an unlimited supply of new perspectives to try out. A weekend in that remote Italian town could lead you to meet a local character who gets your fingers tingling. That boat ride might provide the perfect scene for your next landscape. What’s more, these will be sights the people back home haven’t seen before. As such, they’ll be fresh, new, and exciting. When all the locals have bought a painting of the town harbor, wow them with the French Riviera. Even better, take your camera with you and store those photos for when your well runs dry. Get this right, and one year of travel could provide material for years.
A new audience
It’s also worth noting that travel provides you with a new audience everywhere you go. If you live in a small area, you may struggle to make cash from your passion. After all, even if everyone buys something, it’s unlikely you’ll have more than pocket money. Of course, you could try inner-city areas with more scope, but you’d be among millions of others. Instead, traveling to new areas with new audiences increases your chance to make at least some ripples. Visiting lesser known areas of favorite countries means you could still be the only artist on the block. Move around often enough, and you might find that you’re turning over a decent profit on your art alone. After all, you’re sure to sell at least one or two prints everywhere you go. In some areas, you may even bring something entirely new to the table and clear up. And, when custom goes dry, you can just pack up and start again. Ahh, the joys of a traveling artist. Being able to say you’ve supported yourself with your art will impress galleries and anyone looking at your portfolio down the line. And, of course, this will all be a fantastic experience for you at the same time. This way, you’ll adjust to selling as much as you can to incredibly varied audiences. It’s difficult to imagine a better creative opportunity than that.
Cheaper access to materials
It’s also worth noting that travel has the potential to provide access to cheap materials. No matter how you look at it, starting out as an artist can be pricey. You’ll need endless supplies, all of which may cost a pretty penny in your hometown. As such, you may have no choice but to stagger your purchases and damage your progress in the process. After all, no one’s going to commission you twice if you have to turn jobs down because you don’t have the rights paints.
Admittedly, cheap materials aren’t a given when you travel. In some areas, you’ll find even paintbrushes would break the bank. But, in others, you might see that artist materials don’t have the same worth as at home. As a result, you’ll have the chance to stock up for less than you would ever dream. Equally, visiting second-hand stores and sales could see you bagging bargains in any area you visit. Sure, these are an option at home, too. But, the number of deals available will be much smaller. When you travel, there’s a chance of exploring the second-hand stores in every area you land in. And, that increases your chances of finding a bargain no end. If you take a list of any essential materials along with you, you could have a full kit by the time you return. And, often, that’s all it takes to get things off the ground.
The transformative power of love
Okay, we’re going to level with you; love isn’t a prerequisite for good art. It certainly isn’t essential for making money from your creative pursuits. But, there’s no way to deny that some of the most significant works of art out there have started with love affairs. Would Picasso have been half the painter he was without the women in his life as models? Would we have half as many fantastic heartbreak songs in the world if hearts had never been broken? Of course not. Us artists are passionate individuals, and love, or its loss is often the spark which sets us going. Yet, staying in the small town you grew up in can make love difficult to come by. After all, you already know everyone, and they’re more like family than love interests. Yet, the moment you hit the road, you’ll meet amazing potential partners you never would’ve known otherwise. And, these muses, as you may call them, could fuel your creative passion like nothing else. The lost love of a vacation romance could become your ongoing subject. You could even find the love of your life while you’re away, and stick together for the long haul by gaining partner visas with the help of a company like FISA Immigration. Just like that, you’ll be able to ensure you have the person you need beside you for all time. And, their support alone could help fuel what you do. They could be the Zelda to your Fitzgerald. Well, perhaps not quite, but you get the idea…
The simple zest for life
Last but perhaps most important of all, note that travel gives you a zest for life. And, even more than romance, this can fuel your creations. After all, the whole purpose of any art is to capture our experiences of the world. As such, a lack of passion for the world could leave your inspiration dry before a business is a possibility. Instead, seeing the world and realizing how small you are in it can be the ideal zest to keep you going. As well as showing you all the fantastic sights we spoke about in the beginning, this works on a very human level. Seeing your size compared to the world is better than anything for giving you the passion for crying out and making your message heard. How better to make yourself more significant in the grand scheme of things? How better to make your mark on all the countries you visit during that brief time away? While you might have half wanted to make art work before, travel could see you pursuing the goal with intensified purpose. And, really, that’s half of the battle won already.
Conclusion
If you’ve never traveled further than the town hall, it might be time to spread your wings and fly. This is certainly worth your time if you’re in the process of giving up on your creative dreams. At the very least, you’ll gain an experience to remember forever. Get lucky, and you might even have a successful creative enterprise by the end of your journey.
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To your success,
Vinh Van Lam & Stuart Horrex
Your Creative Coaches @ CoSydney & ArtSHINE industries
