There’s nothing more memorable than traveling the world, seeing the sights of a new land, learning the culture, hearing the unfamiliar sounds of a foreign tongue, and (my favorite) trying local cuisine. In today’s high-technology society, we chronicle our adventures with flashes of a 16-megapixel cell phone camera and post it on the internet, waiting to garner the attention of our Instagram or Facebook friends.
But there’s one well-traveled lady, New York artist Dina Brodsky, who refuses to succumb to the technological status quo when globe-trotting. Instead of snapping a photo of the magnificent architecture in Seville, Spain, Brodsky took the time to appreciate the moment by keeping an art/travel journal. Her journal, which she keeps on all her trips abroad, is a mix of watercolor painting, sketches, and artistic script.
Source: Ufunk
Of her travel journals, Brodsky tells Lonely Planet, “I think keeping a sketchbook, journal – or in my case both – forces you to slow down and interact with your environment in a way that a camera cannot. You end up spending more time in each place, meeting more people, and taking in the details of a place – sounds, smells, and textures. Keeping these books is part of my reason for traveling, and they feed the art that I make during the rest of the year.”
Source: BTechB
And it’s no wonder they feed her creativity. These journal pages showcase every place she’s visited in gorgeous detail. This page (below) comes from her travels in Gouda, South Holland. The caption on her Instagram page reads, “I believe that’s where the cheese comes from…” (Personally, I’d like to see a sketch of the cheese.)
Source: Ufunk
In addition to the stunning watercolors and sketches scattered throughout the journal, Brodsky occasionally throws in a keepsake. This one, a memento from her time in Udaipur City, Rajasthan, India, displays a 10 note Rupee.
Source: Ufunk
She’s spent years backpacking, hitchhiking and cycling across Europe. She’s been everywhere from Iceland to India and journals it all. With a new baby, she’s not doing much traveling these days, but hopes that she can one day return to her favorite spots. “I loved every country I’ve been to, and would like to one day revisit all of them. A few cities stand out for me – Visby in Sweden, full of medieval church ruins and twisted trees, Granada in Spain, with its maze of streets where almost every corner looked like a painting, and Leiden in the Netherlands,” she says.
For those not lucky enough to trot the globe, one can live vicariously through her artwork. She has prints available for sale on her Etsy page, has had her own gallery viewing, and can be spotted on her Instagram page. However, if you find yourself backpacking across Europe, be sure to ditch the Instagram in lieu of a Brodsky-inspired journal that will help you soak your surroundings for years to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hodIKUA25aY
YouTube Channel: Leonid LL
Featured image via Huffington Post
h/t Lonely Planet
