6 gift ideas for art and travel lovers.

“Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them.”

– Neil Gaiman

Last Thursday, which just happened to be Thanksgiving here in the US, I gave thanks for a lot of things.

For friends and family, for pumpkin pie, for the path my life has taken this year, and for the chance to celebrate the holiday at home for the first time in six years.

One final thing I was grateful for was the community of writers and artists I have become a part of, scattered though we are across the globe. The friends I have made these last few years are wondrously talented – they’re writing books, creating artwork, and are just generally constant sources of inspiration to me.

As Christmas swiftly approaches – how oh how is it just twenty days away?! – I thought I might help any of you still working on your shopping list with a few art and travel gift ideas from my friends at work around the world – as well as a cheeky little reminder at the end about some of my own sketching products I think would make a pretty great gift.

(But then again, I may be a little biased).

For the adventurer…

I’ve known writer and blogger Nellie Huang for nearly three years, and I’m blessed to have worked with her for almost a year on her digital travel magazine WildJunket. Nellie is the ultimate adrenaline junkie and adventure traveler, and just this week, she launched her first book, The Adventure Traveler’s Handbook ($16.99 for paperback, $9.99 for Kindle edition).

The book is a true resource for anyone you might know who is thinking of delving into the world of adventure travel. It is packed with practical advice, but what I love most about this book is that Nellie answers the ‘why’ of adventure: Why take the risk? Why push out of our comfort zones and face our fears? I love how Nellie puts it:

“Adventure is a state of mind more than anything else. It is about having the inspiration to conquer something you once thought unreachable. It is about believing in yourself and having the faith to achieve something you want. Whether you succeed or not, it doesn’t matter because the act of pursuing adventure doesn’t set you back — it only pushes you forward.” 

For the roadtripper…

Every now and then, you meet a true kindred spirit. While in Seattle this summer, I had the absolute pleasure of having lunch with Chandler O’Leary, an illustrator and fellow travel sketch artist. I’ll never forget us talking about how sketching has changed the way we travel and Chandler saying, “I see less when I travel now, but remember more.” I could have hugged her right then and there as we waited in line for mouth-watering Cuban sandwiches at Paseo.

A few days before we met, Chandler launched her blog, Drawn the Road Again, where she publishes images from her extensive archive of Moleskine sketchbooks, and just last month she officially launched her online store, playfully called the Souvenir Shop. There are over twenty prints available (most of which are just $30 each), and Chandler’s work is especially fitting for anyone you know with a love for US road trips.

For the dreamer…

I met my good friend Kim Dinan in southern Goa, India, earlier this year and even ventured up to the Himalayan foothills of Dharamsala with her. Kim is a passionate writer not afraid to take risks in her craft and in life, and this summer she published her first book, Life on Fire: A Step-by-Step Guide to Living Your Dreams ($8.99 as an eBook, read more here about how to give Kindle books as gifts).

The book is chock-full of advice and personal insights from Kim, and every chapter ends with an exercise designed to get you that much closer to your ideal life. If you know someone trying to find the courage to pursue their dream – and that dream doesn’t have to be related to travel; perhaps they want to open a bakery or simply live a more balanced life – I can’t recommend it enough. As Kim herself writes:

Passion. Destiny. Purpose. They’re all names for one essential idea: To know why you are here, to do the thing that lights you up, to live as though you are on fire. 

For the journaler…

Although we have yet to cross paths in person (one day, I hope!), I’m grateful to be connected online with Linda Fairburn, founder of Journey Jottings. Besides sharing my love for sketching, Linda has created a beautiful line of travel notebooks, journals, and hand-drawn maps of Australia. I believe this blog has a few Australian readers – and perhaps others of you are thinking of heading down under as well. If so, Linda’s journals and memory prompts will be a perfect way to capture your journey.

For the armchair traveler…

At the past two Book Passage travel writing conferences in San Francisco, I’ve been honored to meet and hang out with Lavinia Spalding, current editor of the anthology series The Best Women’s Travel Writing: True Stories from Around the World. Also this August, I attended a reading where three contributors to the most recent collection shared their stories. They alternately had me laughing out loud and moved to tears, and were a testament to the power of great storytelling. This book would make a fantastic gift for women and men, and I love what Lavinia writes here in her introduction:

“If we can extend our definition of travel to the point where we begin to regard our own environs with the same curiosity a foreigner would—and with the same curiosity we ourselves would carry to a foreign land—then maybe we can reproduce that unique sense of awe we feel when we’re out traveling, discovering the weirdest, wildest patches of our planet. And if we practice this enough—though it may at first feel contrived—it might eventually become natural. And then we will find ourselves living each ordinary day with extraordinary wonder and gratitude.”

For the Asia lover…

And finally, I just wanted to remind you that I published my first book of travel sketches this summer – Beneath the Lantern’s Glow: Sketches and Stories from Southeast Asia and Japan.

The book includes twenty sketches and accompanying stories, and I think it’s perfect for anyone who knows and loves the region or desires to travel there. I also launched my Etsy shop, where you can buy products inspired by Beneath the Lantern’s Glow. I have four prints on sale (for $35 each), a set of 8 greeting cards ($22), and a set of 8 notecards ($15). I’m currently looking at the stock in my room as I type this, and would love to send some of it your way!

Have any other art and travel gift ideas? I know I’m still working on my own list and would love to hear your tips.