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Finding Inspiration: Tips for Using Pinterest Effectively
To me, Pinterest is the mother of online inspiration! I absolutely love the platform. Well before Pinterest was ever a thing, I was that person who had a bulletin board pinned with inspiring images and ephemera. Illustrated post cards from a trip, tiny paper ornaments, decorative business cards, magazine cut outs, my board was and still is always filled. So, when Pinterest was first announced, I eagerly requested an invitation so I could create potentially a million little inspiration boards like the one I had at home! Lo and behold almost 10 years later and I still use the platform almost daily for inspiration. I use Pinterest in 4 ways-…
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Digital Travel Journal: A Trip to the Coast
I feel so lucky to live so close to the coast yet don’t seem to get there nearly enough. In only 10 minutes, I can be on a rural road heading over the hills that separate the SF Bay Area with the Pacific Ocean. The 2 lane highway starts along serene Crystal Springs Reservoir, the water source for San Francisco and much of the Bay Area. It’s only a short way up the winding road through a magical cypress grove until you hit the summit at Skyline Boulevard. A large cemetery is at the top, where one can see heavenly views to the ocean on a clear day! Heading down…
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Travel Journal: My Favorite Corner in New York City
New York City is like a second home to me. Although I only lived there a short time in my life, the experience was like no other. Here’s a travel journal of my favorite corner in New York City.
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Travel Journal: Wandering San Francisco’s Chinatown
Whether you are a tourist or a tried and true local, a day in San Francisco’s Chinatown is always an adventure. No matter how many times I’ve explored this neighborhood, I’m always surprised at how many more details I can see. We spent half a day wandering Chinatown, not nearly enough time but still was able to capture some classic scenes of the area. One might find themselves in Chinatown from any number of streets, but the grand entrance is on Grant Avenue at Bush. As soon as you pass the Dragon’s Gate, you see how different the neighborhood feels, from the ornate street lamps, to the festive red lanterns…
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Creative Inspiration from Sara Midda
I’ve been a huge fan of Sara Midda and her gorgeous art for many years. I first came across her work when my parents lived in St. Remy de Provence, France in the mid-90’s. Her book, South of France, A Sketchbook, is dreamy journal of her own experience of living a year in Provence. Her journal is filled with tiny thumbnail drawings of her moments. She has a spread of postage stamp sized loose watercolor paintings of mas’ (Provencal farm houses) and typical Provençal buildings in golden hues. She paints snapshots of everyday activities like an evening in the park playing pétanque. She discusses (and paints) the fruits and vegetables…
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Travel Journal: Meandering on Miyajima, Japan
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Travel Journal: An Afternoon in Woodside, CA
One afternoon I was in desperate need for an outing and headed to the quaint town of Woodside, CA. Just 10 minutes from my house, Woodside feels like a whole other place. Hilly, wooded and rural, yet minutes from Silicon Valley, it’s no wonder it’s a haven for high tech magnets. Yet, even with the mansions, there’s a down-home feel to the town. The windy roads are dotted with horse back riders, bikers and hikers enjoying their area. The first site that greets you as you drive into Woodside is the historic Pioneer Hotel (c. 1885), a classic saloon from the straight out of a Western movie. We headed to…
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The Benefits of Keeping a Travel Journal and Taking Your Art on the Go
I’ve been keeping a travel journal of some sort for as long as I can remember. Some of my journals are purely a diary, a written account of what I did on the trip. Some are filled with simple doodles and some are even conversations between the people I traveled with. But by far, my most favorite travel journals are the ones with art in them. It may be a tiny postage sized stamp drawing, or a watercolor that fills the entire spread. I’ve made some with colored pencil and others with only a black pen. There are even a few that are collaged with found ephemera. Regardless of how…
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On Location: Sketching a Serene Spot in the Middle of Bustling Tokyo
Going on an urban adventure at dawn was definitely something different for me and my family. After we observed sumo training at a local stable, we arrived early to our next stop, the Edo-Tokyo Museum in the Sumida district. Unfortunately, it had not yet opened for the day and we were stuck trying to decide how to cope with the unbearable humidity as we waited. We chose to walk around the block, and amazingly found a little slice of paradise in the middle of sweltering Tokyo, a serene Japanese garden. Our Japanese friend who was taking us around for the day mentioned this garden was privately owned, but free to the public to explore. We…