Første gang jeg stødte på Artful Venture var på Instagram, og jeg blev hurtigt fanget af deres billeder og deres mission om at støtte originalitet, kreativitet og passion omkring kunst (i alle afskygninger) verden over. For nogle dage siden sendte vi så en mail afsted til de to piger bag Artful Venture, for at høre om de ville være med til et interview her på bloggen. Og selvfølgelig ville de det! Så her er lidt om Monica og Bryns historie, bedste rejsetip og drømme om nye eventyr.
English: The first time I became aware of Artful Venture was on Instagram. I was immediately drawn by their beautiful pictures and their mission to support originality, creativity and passion of artists around the world. Some days ago we asked the two lovely girls behind Artful Venture if we could do an interview with them. So here’s Monica and Bryn’s history, best travel tip and their future adventure.
About Artful Venture
What is Artful Venture?
Artful Venture is an online boutique for ?wearable art”. While traveling, we discover various vibrant artists to feature on our site. Through sharing the artist’s story and good, our mission is to support the creativity, passion, and originality of artists, while bringing the value of art back into the retail industry.
What is the history behind Artful Venture?
Artful Venture began as a nonprofit to empower children through the arts. Before we launched, we volunteered with an organization who had a very similar mission, Arte del Mundo, and who is now our nonprofit partner. After working with them for a few months, we realized we could have the biggest impact by providing financial support for the organization. After discovering our first artist, Condor, the model fell into place. Condor?s passion for his leather working deeply inspired us, and we wanted to share his story and his beautiful work with the world. Through Artful Venture?s platform, we are able to empower both the artists we meet, and give back to Arte del Mundo to support art education and literacy. A win-win in our eyes!
How do you find the artists and their work to show on Artful Venture?
Each of our featured artists have been found in a different way. Thesis presentations, friends of friends, serendipitous run-ins, and art fairs have been just a few. That is part of the magic we find in traveling and entrepreneurship: you never know what surprises the world has in store. There have been some locations where we could have featured 20+ creative and unique artists, and other areas where it was hard to find anything not mass-produced. It is our goal to make sure we bring quality, handmade goods to our site to satisfy the fashion needs of our wanderlusting conscious consumers!
Behind Artful Venture
Where are you now and for how long how you been there?
We have been traveling through South America for seven months now. We purchased a one-way flight to Ecuador, and have been slowly migrating south from there. After exploring all of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chille, and Argentina, we decided to make one last stop on the way home to the USA to explore Colombia and it?s artists. We?ve already started daydreaming about our next adventure and we haven?t even made it home from this one yet!
What is your favorite country so far? (tough question, we know!) 😉
Ah, the infamous question for any travelers. The truth: depends on what kind of traveler you are, how long you have, and what you want to do! We both agree that our favorite places have been places were where we could make a ?home? for a month or two. Nothing can beat being a intricate part of the culture, and creating a community with local friends. Cities where we were able to do this were Baños, Ecuador; Cusco, Peru; and Cordobá, Argentina. All amazing cities!
If you were only to mention one positive thing about traveling, what would it be?
Traveling is all about the experience – the new friends you will make and the new cultures you will be exposed to. At the end of your travels, whether you had an overall negative or positive time, the sum of each experience helps to grow your spirit and expand your mind, leaving you a different person than who you were before.
…and if you were to mention one negative thing about traveling, what would it be?
Timing: There are far too many places to see and things to do in just one lifetime! As a traveler, this is hard to accept!
What is your best travel advice?
Plan minimally and keep an open mind! Don?t stress too much on planning a day-to-day itinerary beforehand, because opportunity is around every corner.
What is your next adventurous destination?
We are dreaming to explore Nepal in the next few years. As if the panorama of the Himalayan Mountains aren?t enough, the country?s rich culture, lifestyle, and art has drawn us in.
If you had to choose, what is your favorite travel moment so far?
After a long day of mountain biking in the Lake District of Argentina, we arrived at THE most beautiful, crystal clear water we?ve ever seen. We immediately sprinted off a picturesque wooden dock and plunged into the freezing turquoise water – about ten times! The joy and perfection of this moment is something we will never forget.
Thank you so much for your time, Monica and Bryn! We’re looking forward to following you on your next adventures and wish you all the best 🙂
