Traveling anywhere is a big source of inspiration for me. Whether its discovering a new coffee shop in my neighborhood or flying across the world- I love seeing what is popular, what design trends people are gravitating toward and what is different and what is similar in different parts of the country and world. Getting outside of my everyday routine inevitably triggers something creative and inspired in me. Recently I spent a few days in Des Moines, Iowa for a photo shoot and on my down time I was able to get out and explore the city. We are just going to ignore the fact that it took me 16 hrs (lightning storms!) to get there! Adventures in travel!
Des Moines, turns out is a great walkable city, I was able to get out in the morning and run along the river and check out the architecture and the skyline. The downtown is full of cool industrial style brick buildings with a thriving nightlife and great vintage fashion scene. Luckily I was pointed in the right direction by some of the locals I was working with and checked out Preservation. Mecca! Chock full of vintage levis, handmade shibori bags and delicate jewelry I knew I was in the right spot. The fact that the interior consisted of cool black and white rock and roll prints, rustic wood benches covered in sheepskin and layered jute and dhurrie rugs- well me and Preservation were pretty much kindred spirits.
After a quick chai in a local cafe with a cool industrial, vintage vibe: concrete floors, buttery leather sofas and misc glass displays I grabbed my tea and took a walk over to the Des Moines Botanical Gardens. Ok we all know what a plant-a -holic I am, so this place was heavenly. An enormous dome overflowing with luscious greens, palms, banana leafs, pretty much any tropical green you can imagine and I was set. After taking this all in, I found myself along the river again coffee in hand, breathing in the thick humid air.
Although it was a quick jaunt through, it was a great trip! I met so many creative people it was amazing- everyone was talking about their home improvement projects, what they were working on, what they were making. It was inspiring to be around so much positive creativity and it was an energy that was really tangible in the air. It was an electricity you could feel - or maybe it was just the humidity!