I just launched my print shop! I’m super excited to start selling prints of my travels. When I travel somewhere new, I’m so inspired by what I see and I love capturing every bit of it. Travel is one of my biggest passions in life, and I’m so excited to share my travel work with you.

My travel story began when I was at community college, right after high school. I had an art history teacher who I loved, and she had traveled all over the world. The slides of works of art that she showed us during class were her own…she took them herself during her travels. I was so inspired by her.

A few years later I was studying photography at Columbia College Chicago, and minoring in art history. I LOVE art history, so when I saw a flyer for a study abroad trip to Florence Italy to study art history…I knew immediately I had to go.

I was a server at a restaurant at the time, so I picked up tons of extra shifts and worked back to back doubles on the weekends (in addition to my full time college courses) to save money for the trip. I bought books about Europe and Italy (Rick Steves books are my favorite travel books about Europe). I learned about the train system in Europe and bought a Eurorail pass so I could travel to other countries by train. I started teaching myself some basic words and phrases in Italian. I was ready.

Before my class started in Florence, my cousin, my aunt, and my grandma and I all spent a couple of weeks traveling through Italy, and then a few days in Paris and London. My grandma’s grandparents were from Italy…she was always very proud of her Italian heritage and had always wanted to visit. One of the coolest travel things I’ve ever done was experience Italy with her…it was a really special trip.

I spent about 5 weeks in Florence for school, and it was an amazing experience. We had class weekdays in a courtyard at the school, or out in the city at museums, cathedrals, or just out on the streets of Florence. On the weekends we would travel to other cities in Italy…Rome, Siena, Venice, and camping in Cinque Terre. I saw iconic art, met some really special people, had some unforgettable experiences, and got to visit some pretty amazing historic sites. I was officially bitten by the travel bug.

I was so inspired by everything around me photography-wise throughout that trip. Everything was new and different, and I wanted to capture ALL OF IT. I was shooting film at the time (I shot film through college) so I had my Canon AE1 and plenty of film with me at all times and I was constantly shooting.

Funny thing was there was also a photo class offered, but I didn’t even consider it…I chose the Art History class because WHERE ELSE BETTER TO STUDY ART HISTORY THAN ITALY?? And I do not regret my decision.

Many of my photos from that trip aren’t the best technically speaking…they aren’t in my print shop because I don’t consider them to be good photos….but they are some of my most treasured photos because they bring back such great memories.

When I got home from Florence the first thing I wanted to do was start planning my next trip.

I went back to Europe 2 years later with an ex boyfriend…we traveled through Europe for a month…Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, and France.

After that trip I realized I needed more time in Europe…I wanted to fully immerse myself in another culture for longer than a few weeks. So a few years later I ended up getting certified to teach English (TEFL certificate), sold my car, quit my job, and headed to Barcelona Spain. I found a room in an apartment to rent, taught private English lessons to kids, and worked at a preschool. I traveled all over Europe while living there, got to really experience a different culture, and made some really special lifelong friendships while I was there. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Since then I’ve been back to Europe a third time, and also to Morocco, China, Indonesia, and the Bahamas.

I think about travel every day…I am constantly planning future trips that I may or may not end up taking! I even check flights occasionally just to see how much they cost…even when I’m not actively planning a trip. Not sure when I will travel next, but Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Croatia, and Australia are all at the top of my list!

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” -Anthony Bourdain

Print SHop

My Travel Story