There is nothing that inspires me more than travel! Over
the years and in many an interview, when asked what inspires me and stimulates
the creative juices, my answer is always "travel". This year I have
been on the receiving end of some phenomenal opportunities both at home and
abroad, and although all but a few were business-related, I still return from
each inspired and invigorated. Each and every locale and the very experience of
just getting there shifts my perspective both visually and emotionally in ways
that are imprinted for life- to quote Henry Miller-"One's destination is
never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
This past April, while in Berlin attending the Leaders of
Design Council meeting, I had the honor of spending time with Charlotte Moss,
one of my most revered design icons. Her insatiable curiosity and never-ending
quest for historical design precedents was positively refreshing. Everywhere we
went she had her iPad at the ready and her camera(s) poised- passionate about
recording an image or searching for that little known tidbit of information
pertinent to where we were or what we were about to see! Several years ago I
heard Charlotte speak and was awe-struck. She is a historian and scholarly in
her approach to sharing her collective travels and imagery. She used her
photography, collage and scrapbooks to tell her story-to impart a visual
history of her journeys and personal experiences. I was left with the lasting
impression that this is not only a woman who is an amazing designer, but a woman
who is a passionate fellow traveler, who will continue to inspire not only me
but others with her incessant enthusiasm for exploring the beautiful world we
live in. What a pleasure it was to be in the presence of such boundless
intellectual energy!
