How To be An Explorer Of The World

“The list is the origin of culture,” Umberto Eco 

How To be An Explorer Of The World by Keri Smith  is a book with 59 ideas for how to get creatively unstuck. It began with  a simple list by the author scribbled on a piece of paper in the middle of the night.

Always be looking (notice the ground beneath your feet). (Oaxaca, Mexico, Ben Goodman)

Consider everything alive and animate. ( Barro Colorado Island, rainforest, Panama)

Everything is Interesting. Look closer. (Dubrovnik, Croatia)

Alter your course often. (Great Wall, China)

Observe for Long Durations (and short ones). (Vancouver, Canada)

Notice the stories going on around you.(Museumplatz, Vienna)

Notice Patterns. Make connections. (Istanbul, Turkey)

Document your findings (Field notes)   in a variety of ways. ( Beijing,China )

Incorporate indeterminacy. (no photos  because we don’t know how it will turn out)

Observe movement. (Intha fishermen,  Lake Inle Burma)

Create a personal dialog with your environment. Talk to it. (Silver Pavilion, Kyoto)

Trace things back to their origins. (Machu Picchu, Peru)

Use all of the senses in your investigations. ( Bangkok, Thailand)

Fly Safe,

JAZ