How to Travel Like an Artist

Marina began her professional career as a journalist 15 years ago with the goal of creating and sharing new media narratives. She worked as a writer, editor, and reporter for a variety of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Vice, INC., Architectural Record, CORE77, Planet, Prophecy and Mother Jones.

Artists have a way of finding spaces and claiming them as their own. They build out these nooks and make whole worlds out of them. They see the hidden potential and blank canvas and love them faster before most folks do. I love the idea of a subculture before it becomes culture, how a small town can nurture an artist’s energy. Think of the Beatnik poets finding Zen hot springs in Carmel, California; Donald Judd reenvisioning Marfa, Texas; Georgia O’Keefe’s painterly outpost at Ghost Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico; or the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay's seaside home in Rockland, Maine.  

When we decide to travel, our planning is part of a creative process in which we think of the things we want to be surrounded by and the emotions we want to fill up with. Travel is a form of creative expression; All that dreaming, planning, and manifesting. We think of our bodies, how they will be composed and captured in photographs and our breath, how relaxed or rigorous our energy will be as we take this next adventure.

I became an arts and culture journalist to tell the stories of underground artists, to name new genres, and to share the out-of-the-box thinking that has the potential to change culture. So much depends on the reader (us) and our point of reference. Like the paintings I saw in museums, making meaning through travel is about perspective and place in life. Nowadays, we speak so much about the importance of being present and I find that building a relationship with my destinations through the artists in my network is the best way to create memorable moments of connection. Not just travel for the sake of wanderlust, but rooting into a creative community. 

In planning my trips, I do an obsessive amount of research across personal publications on Substack, artists and curators on Instagram, and through friends who have a relationship to the places I seek to explore. This way, I get to see and do things that are local, less touristy, and are led through an artist lens with a fair mix of natural beauty and human-made magic. 

Here’s a few ways to plan to make the next road trip or journey truly your own:

1. 1.
   Give Yourself Time to Get Lost Online: On Substack, I have a few go-to people I follow for my various interests in the arts, architecture, and travel space and get excited about their monthly recommendations.  
2. 2.
   Instagram or TikTok Deep Scroll your Favorite Creatives: Because of the work that I do, I follow a lot of artists and creatives on Instagram. I am inspired daily by the creative forces I follow, from chefs and painters to art directors and DJs, which helps keep me in the know when someone is dropping a new project. 
3. 3.
   Follow the Collective: More and more creatives are banding together and creating festivals and art fairs in small, remote locations. I’ve been following the expansion of Meow Wolf from New Mexico to other states over the years. Join their mailing list and use their convening as an invitation to connect with these creative enclaves. 
4. 4.
   The Power of Small Chat: Some of my favorite excursions have come about through the suggestion of friends. Last year, I was planning a trip to Mallorca and a friend suggested I check out the art residence Casa Balandra right outside of Palma. They just so happened to host a summer festival with young chefs and DJs and I was able to buy tickets to a beautiful and casual lunch on the property.That one connection unfolded to the greatest gift of exploration. 

In their pursuit of beauty, artists find their own paths to live uncomplicated, unstructured lives closer to nature and closest to their most authentic selves. This unabridged way of living is a wonderful metaphor for the rest of us seeking inspiration. To find the private beach, the extraordinary baker, the perfect hour to visit an art installation in the desert, these small experiences can unlock personal revelations. Now that is a journey.