our story

No more trying to figure out how to pay for more travelling or even trying to find time for a holiday, no more struggling to keep up with bills and an ever growing debt load, no more 9-5, no more hamster wheel, no more hustle and bustle, no more trying to be busy, no more rat race. I was finished with all of it.

In that instant, I burst out laughing! ‘Could it be that easy?’ I asked myself, my jaw agape as I slowly looked around the room at the overcrowding of things that I had accumulated. Would we really be free from it all if we just got rid of everything and set off into the sunset with not a worry or a care in sight?

Thankfully, Chris, my partner agreed to this crazy scheme after about 10 minutes of discussing the pros and cons. I mean, I had just dropped an insane mozza ball into our lives, and the fact that he was on board so quickly, is a testament to how right this all has felt since the beginning.

On that fateful night, our lives changed from the constant wonder of ‘is this all that there is to life?’, to an exciting and adventure filled future! 

By mid October that same year, we were flying south to Costa Rica to start our first of many housesitting jobs. We spent nine months finishing renovating our house, selling or giving away all of our things, closing down 3 home based businesses, wrapping up our work with clients and selling the house. We laugh now at the level of craziness that our life took on in that time, but are so thankful now that we are well on the other side of it.

We left for Costa Rica without knowing what the future held. We had one housesitting job for 2 months on the beach. That was our plan. Beyond that first gig, the future lie in wait. We had no idea what was around the corner for us, and we NEVER could have predicted how it would all turn out.

In the ensuing 2 years we housesat a few more times in Central America, lived in 4 different countries, volunteered in the Caribbean, managed a Cabina Rental, worked at a Botanical Garden and had more fun and adventure than I could ever even hope to fit into one lifetime. But, we aren’t finished yet!

Just some wandering

The records of our early travels and our letting go process, were documented in my blog entitled Just Some Wandering. (www.justsomewandering.com). However, there was always a sort of tug of war going on with me between documenting my travelling, and also starting and maintaining multiple online shops to feed my artistic soul. Just Some Wandering was more of a way for me to record my thoughts and feelings about how this process has affected us, and to impart some wisdom that I have learned along the way. It started out as a travel blog, but it morphed into something else entirely.

In early 2019 we decided that we wanted to host an art retreat in Guatemala, which unfortunately never came to fruition. However, through committing to trying to make that happen, I designed and built a website, and created a new brand called Artistic Voyages.

When it was decided that the retreat wasn’t going to happen, the website and mailing list sat dormant. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure when and even if that retreat would ever happen, and wasn’t sure what to do with everything. Then one day it clicked!

Artistic Voyages is the perfect name to describe what Chris and I are doing! We are nomadic artists, painting murals, selling our designs online, helping to beautify gardens, homes and anything else we come across. We leave bits and pieces of ourselves anywhere that we go. Whether it is a full scale mural, or just a small drawing, or it could be a tattoo or gardening profect.  In essence, we are scattering our creations around the world. It just makes sense that we now adopt this brand to represent the things that are important to us.

Of course, our main focus is to do our art, and to travel, but there are so many sub categories that fall under each of those headings. We also want to help people to build soils, create gardens, clean beaches, and give back to mother nature. We aim to travel and move around with as little impact on the environment as possible, and we hope that we can in turn inspire others to do the same.

And so, I invite you to join us as we really dig deep to release the binds that tie us. As we continue to explore the world, expanding our horizons and broadening our perspectives, we aim to inspire others to step foot outside of their own box. It doesn’t have to be this huge, it can be anything.

Just take ONE step towards living your dream. One step. Try not to see the whole picture of where you want to get to, or how you want to be someday. These visions can be very overwhelming, and seem like they are much too far beyond our grasp.

Instead, make small moves, break large tasks down into small pieces, and keep picking away at that itch that is in your psyche, and before you know it, you will be there, living your own dream.

Please know that we are in your corner and are cheering you on!  If you have any questions or want to chat with us about anything at all, please message us by clicking the email link at the bottom of the page.  And, of course, sign up for our newsletter so you can stay up to date on our art, travel and anything else that comes our way!