| There's a certain kind of traveler that loves art | | | | work be allowed to unfold without judging it. The |
| and beauty. She seeks it out and spends hours | | | | point is not to produce 'art' or 'writing' but to |
| trolling through museums, wandering around | | | | engage in the world through art and writing. The |
| cathedrals and looking, seeing so much that she | | | | process, not the product, is what is valuable here. |
| may develop a sore neck, or worse, Stendhal's | | | | What's the result of all this paying attention? |
| Syndrome. Stendhal, a 19th century French | | | | When we slow down, connect to our creative |
| novelist, was so overcome with the beauty of | | | | core and really see, we are more present. The |
| Florence that he developed symptoms of | | | | whirl of impressions doesn't tug at our senses, |
| disorientation - dizziness, sweating, and | | | | clamoring for attention. A reflective peace settles |
| overwhelm. Over the years, others have | | | | us deep in the scene, allowing us to become part |
| reported similar symptoms when faced with so | | | | of the landscape, rather than skimming over or |
| much beauty. The lover of art and beauty is | | | | passing through. It is no coincidence that both |
| forced to take refuge in café breaks and | | | | Franck and Goldberg are Zen practitioners. And |
| deep naps at the hotel. Art, however, can provide | | | | while we don't need to become Zen masters to |
| the solution for too much beauty. Not viewing it, | | | | experience the world deeply, adopting the method |
| but doing it. | | | | of slowing down and seeing can enrich our travels |
| Simple art exercises provide a way for a traveler | | | | and our lives at home. |
| to absorb the splendors of travel in a deep, | | | | Using art as a means to engage with a place |
| meaningful, and lasting way. Quick sketches done | | | | empowers you, not just as a witness, but as |
| as a drawing or a brief writing of details offer an | | | | someone who is involved in the creative act. |
| opportunity to slow down and really soak up a | | | | Journey of the Senses, an American tour |
| setting. Artist Frederick Franck, in his book The | | | | operator, leads tours that focus not on a stream |
| Zen of Seeing, encourages drawing as a way to | | | | of sights, but on engaging profoundly with a few |
| turn overwhelm into depth an intimate way. | | | | experiences. The trip to Provence includes a visit |
| "Atmospheres build themselves up out of a million | | | | to a goat cheese farm, an olive oil tasting and a |
| imperceptible micro details, elements often too | | | | wine tasting. In California, participants are invited |
| minute, too fleeting for the conscious mind to pick | | | | to connect with the landscape. Redwood forests, |
| up. The eye-heart-hand reflexes notes down, so | | | | beach coves and grassy hills become the guides |
| that the buildings, and even the faces that form | | | | for slowing down and seeing. Alongside the visits |
| themselves on the paper become unmistakably | | | | are lessons in gesture drawing and free writing. |
| Roman, Indian, Parisian, or Japanese." | | | | Using these creative tools, participants get closer |
| By pausing to capture impressions, a traveler | | | | to the experience and take home not only a |
| becomes more than a sponge, absorbing paintings, | | | | guidebook of their own design, but a memory |
| sculptures, and dramatic buildings. When you | | | | that holds them more deeply. Drawings and free |
| pause to create something in the moment, you | | | | writes provide a more personal chronicle than |
| are able to connect from the deep well of | | | | photos. Looking over a notebook from the trip |
| yourself to the thing you are drawing. A Provencal | | | | that includes your art and words is a visceral |
| place, an array of vegetables from the local | | | | reminder of place and atmosphere. |
| market, and a crumbling pile of Roman ruins come | | | | Cooking instruction is another branch of art that |
| alive under the gaze of an artist. The world | | | | can deepen a traveler's experience. Dozens of |
| becomes more vivid when you look to see what | | | | cooking abroad programs can attest to the |
| you can draw or capture in a paragraph. | | | | power of food as a way to explore a region. The |
| Everything can be interesting, when you are willing | | | | palette of a region is a reflection of its unique |
| to truly see it. | | | | history, art and heritage. The French call this 'gout |
| Franck's books on the subject of seeing more | | | | de terroir' or taste of the earth. A participant in |
| through drawing are delightful. His drawings are | | | | Arles bemoaned the fact that her bakery in |
| expressive and well wrought. The sketches leap | | | | California couldn't make baguette with the same |
| off the page and bring the viewer into the scene. | | | | crunchy texture. The gout de terroir, which |
| It may be intimidating to the novice artist to see | | | | includes the method of growing, cultivating and |
| such craft. People often claim that they 'can't | | | | cooking foods, provides a unique and regional |
| draw a straight line', meaning that their artistic | | | | flavor. Through market tours and a gradual |
| talents are nil. The same is true for writing. | | | | building of palette of flavors, techniques and local |
| Postcards home often don't stray from the | | | | ingredients, travelers literally take in the sense of |
| formulaic recitation of events. Franck insists that | | | | a region. |
| 'seeing' rather than 'looking at' is the key not only | | | | A fun art exercise is to have participants wander |
| to better art, but richer life experience. Capturing | | | | a city's streets, choosing one detail to draw. In a |
| the essence of a place or a moment doesn't | | | | Journey of the Senses tour in Arles, participants |
| require great artistic talent or extensive polishing. | | | | sketched the doors found on one street. This |
| Simply slowing down, paying attention, and | | | | allowed them to gain a deeper understanding not |
| releasing expectations of 'good' drawing or writing | | | | only of the architecture of the city, but of |
| is the recipe for expressing something that | | | | themselves. "When I stopped to draw the doors, |
| months later will recall a special experience from a | | | | I saw so much more. I thought I had a |
| trip. | | | | perceptive eye, but it was only when I slowed |
| Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the | | | | down to draw did I realize that I could see more |
| Bones, applies similar concepts to writing. Her | | | | detail, and get closer to what was around me," |
| technique, 'free writing', invites the writer to | | | | said Sherell, a 2005 participant. |
| choose an object or a subject and write without | | | | In a world that constantly calls for more, more, |
| stopping. No editing, pausing, crossing out or | | | | more, using art as a travel tool is an invitation for |
| judgment is allowed in the process. When using | | | | deeper, deeper, deeper. We travel to escape our |
| this as a travel tool, you are able to engage with | | | | normal routine. We refresh our spirits in the face |
| the details of a place. Your verbal snapshot of the | | | | of great beauty and achievement. By bringing |
| bartender at the local café, or of the taxi | | | | ourselves into the creative dance, we give |
| driver who zoomed you through the streets of | | | | ourselves a richness that surpasses the photos |
| Paris become vivid reminders of a moment. | | | | we take and the treasures we buy and bring |
| Rather than write about a day in which you took | | | | home. A renewed sense of confidence, a more |
| in a thousand new impressions, you can zero in on | | | | sharply honed eye and an appreciation for the |
| one or two experiences and chronicle them in a | | | | simple things are treasures that we can use again |
| deeper way. Like Franck, Goldberg insists that the | | | | and again in our own town and on other trips. |