My designer inspiration mission started back in the spring with a visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. And while I love the city and visiting air conditioned museums, for me the summer is more about the great outdoors. Part of being creative is not just sitting within the four walls of my studio, it’s exploring and seeing.
June brought with it a white water rafting trip down the Le High River in the Pocono’s with my son’s Boy Scout troop. And while seven hours on the river is a lot of outside, it was beautiful and tons of fun. I saw a lot on that river, including a group of boys with mile wide smiles, soaring hawks and big blue sky with puffy clouds. I was able to relax in way that you’re unable to at home, and set aside all the things that needed to be done.
In July, we went back to Pennsylvania to Boy Scout camp, which included 11 other leaders (besides me) with 38 boys. No email, TV or technology, just pure outdoors. It was amazing, aside from a trip to the hospital (my son’s fine, thanks – just $400 worth of X-rays!).
So, what did I do with my week immersed in nature? I got LOST, or rather, Leader Outdoor Skills Training. While the boys earned merit badges I learned how to build a proper fire with flint, identify edible plants, tie a mean half-hitch and of course, I was schooled in first aid. The week concluded with Dutch oven cooking on charcoal. My partner and I even made a delicious bread pudding dessert. At week’s end, my mind, body and soul were rejuvenated, and I found my latest flash of creativity.
Coming up, we’ll be visiting friends on the Upper East Side and a trip to Central Park and a museum are inevitable. In September, I’ll be networking in a yurt on a rooftop in Manhattan. How is that for a cultural experience? Incidentally, a yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The networking event is sponsored by the Tulip Foundation and it preserves the Kalmyk culture. My inspiration mission continues. Stay tuned!
