Some of you may have noticed: since Corona and with increasing awareness of climate catastrophe and its consequences, my travel behavior has changed drastically. I have become more sedentary and have started to paint. In the process, I was surprised to discover that creative work has a lot in common with traveling, at least traveling the way I like it: open, slow and without a destination.

For me, travel has always be a challenge. When I immerse myself in foreign cultures I am so much more open than in my usual environment. I live more intently because I perceive everything consciously and am not controlled by routines. I meet people with curiosity, goodwill and a good portion of trust, there is no other way. Of course, I also take a few controlled risks. When I trust, however, I can be disappointed. If I take on new paths, I can get lost or even fall flat on my face.

What does this have to do with painting, you may ask. For me, the picture I paint is also an adventure that I don’t know how it will turn out. So there’s the white painting surface in front of me, I’m surrounded by colors, pens and brushes, and I have no plan. I make the first brushstrokes from the gut and what then appears speaks to me, encourages me to further colors, shapes, strokes. It is a process, like traveling. I do not meet people on the way but feelings, Memories of encounters, thoughts. They all shape my image, which changes with every step of the work and in the course of its creation sometimes so many layers emerge that in the end I no longer know what it looked like at the beginning. As with traveling, I take risks. For example, if the picture is already far advanced and I like it, but I still add something. Should I or shouldn’t I? Do I destroy it or do I enrich it?

Decisions that always come up when traveling, too. Should I take the detour via the village or not? Should I stay or move on? Should I drink this water or rather not? Should I trust this person or rather not? These decisions on the road (or while painting) make us grow, make it possible for us to change our perspective and see the world differently, make it possible to experience life more intensely. Being creative and traveling, both make us vulnerable and strong at the same time.

If you want to know more about my creative journey, feel free to check out: gittimuellerart.