One of the
best ways to develop an “eye” as a creative person is to travel way beyond your
neighborhood. Way beyond your comfort zone, if you can afford it. We all get used to seeing the same sights,
hearing the same sounds and tasting and smelling the food that’s familiar so
much that we take those experiences for granted. So when I got the opportunity to go to a
distant land, I jumped at the opportunity. Talk about culture shock! For the first time in my life I was bombarded
with the sound of the Italian language and later French. I felt alone in a crowd, even though there
were plenty of folks around who spoke English.
I couldn’t read the signs, so pictographs helped. But I loved it, and
wrote quickly, trying to capture the sensory experience along with the change
of scenery. I remember the words of the
customs agent who said, “pause often to just take it all in”.
I booked my flights
using great deals I snagged by using coupons. They were very easy to apply, available at a
click of a mouse, and totally accepted by the airlines. I even booked stuff just using my cell
phone. It was a relief to feel I was not
being taken like some people whose online tickets turn out to be scams. Coupons offer deals you’ve got to see to believe. You can
get up to 40% off 24 hour sales, 70% off featured hotels and the best car
rental rates around. Starving artist
that I am, I love that I can use this one coupon app and get great
steals and deals on all my travel needs.
The gamer in
me loved seeing the volcanoes in Hawaii.
Standing on the black lava bed thinking of how the earth formed was
awesome. No matter how realistic game
graphics make the scene appear, you can’t beat feeling the heat and smelling
the scorched earth. Standing there felt
like I had travelled back in time. It
was exactly the experience my “eye” needed to extend beyond the creative
boundaries in my head. And the right
spot to pause and take it all in.