Nearly two years ago now I first met the talented Marieke Berghuis Leewens for a coffee at a cute cafe in an Amsterdam park. My blog did not exist yet (but was very much inspired by that trip), but I had been a long time follower of hers, full of her beautiful journal pages and ideas. Before my departure, she provided great advice for my first visit to the Netherlands, while in return I sent her my favorite places in California as she was in the process of planning her honeymoon. At the time of the visit I was most inspired by the fact that she had just quit her job as a lawyer in order to pursue design (noting all the valuable experience she gained in terms of working with clients). Now I love that she and her father regularly team up for a project they call Traces where they travel the streets of Paris and create work together (click here to see the online exhibition). {thanks, Marieke!}
last trip taken:
bologna
next trip on deck:
maybe some other french cities by train, like brest or strassbourg
one place you would go back to again and again: paris for sure. and i would like to go back to new york and la.
place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
that has to be paris too!
preferred mode of transportation:train
place you’ve never been but dying to go:
tokyo
place you’d never go back:
although i did amazing diving there i would not go back to egypt probably. also i am not a big fan of brussels.
most memorable trip:
probably my honeymoon, two totally relaxed weeks of cruising in california with a ford mustang convertible (that car was so great!).
how do you prepare for a trip? i make lists!
how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
i have a journal with me in which i stick cards/photos and make drawings/notes.
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
lettering/typography. paris has great lettering, and los angeles too.
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
about 30 in a week
what’s in your “designer travel kit” ?
my journal/sketchbook (i make myself of different kinds of paper like bible paper and graph paper), it’s the rollei camera my parents in law lent me, my stuffed pencil case and a watercolouring kit. also my father and i take trips to paris where we stroll the streets for interesting finds, where he takes pictures and i make drawings/collages. when i go on a “working” trip with him, i also bring felt tips, pencils and a polaroid camera. even some scraps to make collages on the spot. that bag is always so heavy.
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
i make scrapbooks of which the pages i put on my
blog. of normal trips i incorporate photos in later journal pages for a few days. when i went on a trip with my father to work, i probably work on the graphics for about two/three months after. i try to fit all my impressions/memories/found objects in, the work is a bit like a puzzle and i need time to leave it and get back to it. usually i work on several things at the same time.
website/blog: Traces
exhibition@ SOLV
Click HERE for more from Boarding Pass.
Nearly two years ago now I first met the talented Marieke Berghuis Leewens for a coffee at a cute cafe in an Amsterdam park. My blog did not exist yet (but was very much inspired by that trip), but I had been a long time follower of hers, full of her beautiful journal pages and ideas. Before my departure, she provided great advice for my first visit to the Netherlands, while in return I sent her my favorite places in California as she was in the process of planning her honeymoon. At the time of the visit I was most inspired by the fact that she had just quit her job as a lawyer in order to pursue design (noting all the valuable experience she gained in terms of working with clients). Now I love that she and her father regularly team up for a project they call Traces where they travel the streets of Paris and create work together (click here to see the online exhibition). {thanks, Marieke!}
place you’ve never been but dying to go: 
how do you prepare for a trip? 
website/blog: Traces
design for mankind
May 4, 2009 at 4:44 pm //
Looooooove this series, Anne. And thanks for the intro to Marieke— eek! I think I fell in love with her!
Vanessa
May 4, 2009 at 7:44 pm //
Another great post. These are getting me so excited for summer and my next few vacations (got the next three all planned out!). Wonderful blog :-)
gracia
May 7, 2009 at 6:59 am //
A great column, and I am a big fan of both Marieke’s approach and work. A beautiful collection here.
Congratulations Marieke, and thanks Anne.
holy land tours
March 22, 2011 at 4:26 pm //
Really wonderful and incredible work.I like your post a lot.Its really helpful for deciding which place we can visit and how which saves time for doing other things.I am planning my holiday to Paris.Now I am sure that I made right choice.