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| Hagia Sophia, circa 1903 via The Brooklyn Museum |
I’ve decided to take a month off this fall to travel to Istanbul. I want the adventure of living in a new place, the change in scenery and perspective, the opportunity to be stimulated creatively by new experiences. In fact, I’ve wanted to take regular trips like this since I graduated from college, but something has always gotten in the way – work, money, a high-maintenance (but oh-so-cute) dog, the overall feeling that it’s irresponsible to just take off. But I’m 36 now, and realize it’s time to stop making excuses for not pursuing this dream.
I’m not completely sure why I decided on Istanbul – probably because my friends Basak and John are living there for the year, or possibly because I read “The English Patient” one too many times. And I’m excited to go to a new place, somewhere where the language is completely foreign to me, where most citizens follow a religion that is different from the one I was raised in, where I will look nothing like most of the people I’ll meet. Oh, the adventure!
However, I need to be able to fund this trip. My consulting income pays nicely, but it won’t cover a month off unless I take on another client and work extra hours. Instead, I’ve decided to use that time to create new art work, and will use all the proceeds from sales of my work to fund my month off. So, yes, if you buy one of my prints in 2011, you’ll help to send me to Turkey.
My first batch of 2011 prints (one of which you can preview here) will be available in early April. And my trip to Istanbul will start in September. So excited! I hope you’ll be a part of this adventure.