Culture
Cultural facts, history, traditions, events, festivals, foods and more from a location.
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Mexico
I am lucky to live in California where I have the advantage of my state bordering the beautiful country of Mexico providing me the ability to explore it relatively easily. I say relatively, because as most know, California is a big state where driving the length of it, from the California/Oregon border to the Mexico border can take almost 17 hours. This hasn’t deterred me from some pretty extravagant Mexico adventures, especially when I was younger – like driving to Mexico for a margarita! (Yes, that was 16 hours driving time round trip from San Francisco.) Crazy road trips aside, I have had the opportunity to visit some incredible locations…
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CWC Open House – Decorate Ukrainian Style Eggs
April 2022 – Creative Wanderlust Community Open House RecapTo celebrate springtime, I hosted a wonderful, in person creative open house where we decorated eggs inspired by the rich tradition of Ukrainian/Eastern European egg designs. It was a sublime evening weather wise– almost a bit surreal that in mid-April we were having an 80 degree day, but we took advantage of this warm weather and set up outside to create. With paint pens, glitter markers and more we had a great time decorating painted wooden eggs with a variety of motifs, from traditional egg designs to our own making. As always, it was a wonderful way to come together, catch up on life,…
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Doodle
The Art of Doodling I’m sure you’ve done it many times before. Scribbling in the margins of your paper in a boring meeting, or while listening to a long lecture. Many times are doodling is just simple mark making, some squiggly lines or a few shapes. Sometimes we doodle more representational items, a heart, a house, a tree, a rainbow. In general, when we doodle we don’t give much thought to the final outcome, let alone what we are actually drawing. Doodling is a passive creative act, a way for us to “space out,” yet did you know if has many benefits to our health and creativity? Studies have shown…
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Amusement Park
With Spring Break in full force around the US and many folks hitting up amusement parks, I thought it would be fun to come up with some creative ways to explore an Amusement Park! In my Wanderlust Los Angeles book, I actually have a chapter on Amusement Parks, as they make up a big tourist aspect of LA as well as have a really interesting history. I’ll share more about that in future posts, but in the mean time, let’s get creative at an Amusement Park! Daily Creative Wanderlust Prompts: Amusement Park Monday – Draw a map of your dream amusement park. Tuesday – Use wild filters on photos from a trip to…
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5 Creative Ways to Celebrate the New Season – Spring Time is Here!
It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our day to day or week to week activities that we often miss the most incredible natural occurrences happening right in front of our eyes – the transformation between seasons. On my daily walks, I do see blossoms beginning to bud on trees in spring, or colorful leaves on the ground in fall, but by the time I’m back home, inside and/or in front of my computer again, the fleeting moment is gone. It’s such a shame as I find there is so much creative energy a new season can provide. To become a little more mindful of the changing of the…
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Come Explore Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way with Creativity!
Come explore the rugged coast of Ireland and learn how to capture and paint a layered landscape of the Wild Atlantic Way! We will focus our tour on the Dingle Peninsula where we will explore the small port town with its colorful buildings and fishing boats. Then, we will “drive” along the coast and paint the stunning rugged coastline dotted with cottages, sheep and historic sites. This online class will begin with a “virtual trip” to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way where I will share with you loads of inspirational photos of the area. Following we will discuss a tried and true technique for making inspiring landscape art, then we will…
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Inspired by Maui, Hawaii
Maui, the second largest island in the Hawaiian island chain behind the Big Island of Hawaii, is nicknamed the Valley Isle. This name derives from the fact that the island is made up of two volcanoes (a volcanic doublet), where the lava flowed between the two to create an isthmus or valley connecting them. The older volcano to the west rises 5,777 feet above sea level and the younger volcano, Haleakala is more than 10,000 feet above sea level! Like most islands, Maui is filled with microclimates, from extremely wet areas to drier regions; warm regions to surprisingly cold ones (10,000’ elevation on Haleakala will do that, even if on…
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Mardi Gras
I can only imagine the buzz that is happening in Rio de Janiero, Brazil;, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Venice, Italy right now! It is Mardi Gras time (otherwise known as Carnevale in Venice and Carnaval do Brasil in Rio.) These cities are living it up before the religious season of Lent begins. Lent is a 40 day period that comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. It begins on Ash Wednesday, and ends with the Easter celebration. It is a season to reflect on the passion and sacrifices made by Jesus with fasting and penitence. Thus, the week before Lent begins cities around the world celebrate with one long party!! The…
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: New Orleans
New Orleans or NOLA as many like to call it, is a city full of vibrancy, energy, color and personality! It’s hard to find a city that embodies so must creative spirit, diversity and fascinating cultural aspects; music, food, religion, history, architecture, nature, traditions and so much more. Each one tells an inspirational story that can prompt endless amounts of creativity. Like most of the cities across the United States, NOLA is a true melting pot of people and traditions dating back to before the nation was even formed. Its proximity to the Caribbean as well as its French roots gives it an individual flavor unlike any other location in…
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Discover Mural and Street Art While Traveling: Uncover History, Stories, and the Personality of the Location
I love mural art. Whenever I travel, I make a point of wandering neighborhoods and cities seeking out the districts or areas where mural artists have made their mark. Melbourne, Australia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Bergen, Norway; I can’t tell you how many cities embrace and celebrate this incredible art form! Not only does it brighten up an urban landscape, but the subject matter can be so indicative of the personality of the location. One may find a quote that is being expressed. Is this a saying or belief strongly held by locals? One may see a portrait of a person. Is this person of historic importance or significance to the city?…
