…then welcome!
It’s been almost two months now since I first got the email, asking if I’d like to chat about my sketches for a story on travel blogging. Not surprisingly, my answer went something like this:
Yes!!!
Okay, so maybe my actual response was a little more subdued (and involved less punctuation), but the fact is that I was not only ridiculously excited to head to New York for the interview, but also immensely honored.
I’ve had a sort of love-hate relationship with travel blogging over the last few years, but after all the debates about sponsored posts and press trips die down, the truth is that I really do enjoy blogging – especially for the sense of immediacy it creates when sharing stories from the road – and today, I’m rather quite proud to call myself a travel blogger.
A little about me and my sketches:
I didn’t set out to be a sketch artist – rather, it was one of those things that unfolded naturally as I kept doing it and began sharing more and more of my sketches with the world.
While I love sketching for the straight-up creative outlet that it is, what I love just as much is how it has become my way of unlocking the stories I want to tell – stories of the connections and encounters that stay with us for long after the literal end of a journey.
Writing and sketching now go hand in hand for me – and nothing makes me happier than sharing the stories of my sketching serendipities here on the blog and elsewhere.
My first book of travel sketches:
This past spring, I spent six weeks sketching my way through seven countries in Southeast Asia and Japan. After returning to the U.S., I compiled 20 sketches and accompanying stories into my first book, Beneath the Lantern’s Glow.
The book is now officially for sale on Amazon, and if you’re at all interested in travel, art, and Asia (or ideally, all of the above), I’d be honored if you checked it out.
Join me on my next sketching trip!
Although more details are soon to come, I’m excited to reveal the premise of my next journey today – Sketching Eastern Europe and the Middle East: Ten weeks. Nine countries. One sketching adventure from Prague to Petra.
The trip will kick off in the first week of September, and have me working my way overland from Prague to Petra via Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel (well, all overland except for a short but necessary flight to bypass Syria…).
I’d love for you to join me on this trip – for daily updates from the road, “like” The Great Affair’s Facebook page, and to always know when a new sketch story is up on the blog, be sure to subscribe here.
Otherwise, thank you for stopping by and I look forward to seeing you here again! And if you’d like to get in touch with me directly, my email is candacerardon[at]gmail[dot]com.
Photo of the New York Times Building used courtesy of Wikipedia.
Obviously I found you before the NYT did, but congrats all the same, Candace! I loved seeing your sketches on the blog from your time in SEA, and I can’t wait to see you share your visions of another slice of the world with us!
Thanks so much, Steph! Your support really means a lot, and it’s been great following along your and Tony’s journey as well – fingers crossed our paths cross again at some point!
Congratulations my dear, this is incredible and I am so proud of you – and totally honoured to have you representing us travel bloggers! Your next sketching trip sounds amazing, and I’m going to keep everything crossed that you decide to fly home the long way via Goa – there will be a spare bed with your name on it if you do 🙂
Ah, what I would give to come hang out with you again in Goa! Nothing in the world would make me happier 🙂 Until then, thank you so, so much for your kind words and support – this was a very surreal honor, and I was so grateful for the chance to chat about my sketching with them! xo
One word: thrilled.
Now you need one of those little logo things in your sidebar saying “As seen in the New York Times”. Am I right?
You are *so* right, my friend – as always! Thanks so much for the idea, and for your support 🙂
Congratulations! It’s my first time on your blog and I’m so glad I found it 🙂
Your sketches are amazing and I’m looking forward to see more coming!
Thank you, Franca! It’s great to hear from you, and I’m really glad you stumbled across the site 🙂 Take care and I look forward to seeing you here again!
Not here via the NYT — but here to say congratulations! I am totally thrilled for you — your sketches are amazing and you deserve all the good press out there!
Thanks so much, Roxanne! I’ve been such a big fan of your writing for a while now, so that really means a lot. I look forward to meeting you in person in one day!
So so so exciting!
And obviously you know how I feel about the travel blogging thing since we just talked about it! Love being part of the community, if nothing else. It’s led me to some amazing friends and connections.
Can’t wait to see your sketches from this next trip. I’m already jealous!
Thank you, Carmel!! And yes – the community (and really, the friendships it helps form) is definitely one of the greatest benefits and blessings of travel blogging. I’m pumped to start sharing sketches from this next journey – and I’m beyond excited for updates from your own adventures!
This seems like such an amazing opportunity and upcoming trip. I look forward to following your beautiful sketches!
Thanks so much, Morgan! I’m so glad you enjoy the sketches, and I can’t wait to have you follow along this next sketching journey 🙂
Loving the fact I now know a celebrity! haha
But seriously, great stuff – well done – I’m just passing through to buy your book!
I’d love to know how you are funding your next trip..?
Ha! Well I’m not sure I would go that far, but I’m definitely grateful for the opportunity to share my sketches with such a wide audience. In terms of finances, I’ll be funding the trip through a combination of savings and what I’ve earned from some writing projects this year. Writing and sketching help make the next round of travels possible – thankfully, it’s a bit of a self-sustaining cycle right now 🙂