Sold the House, Kept the Curiosity

Artists can jump - leaping into travel, inspiration, and a life packed in a roller bag!

My home in Charleston sold last fall and I said goodbye to my art studio, the Light House. Instead of claiming a new permanent address, I decided to put my furniture, clothes, my printer, etc. in storage and give my passport the exposure it deserves - paint brushes in tow!

It’s been a bitter sweet few months closing a chapter and moving out of my first home in an amazing neighborhood - with fantastic neighbors - in downtown Charleston, SC, but I’ll return after a little traveling jaunt and plan to nest again in Charleston in due time. 

So to be clear, this is my Eat, Paint, Love journey and I’ll be living my best nomadic life for the next few months - or so - traveling abroad!

The past 5-6 years I’ve been working remotely, creating art, and living in Charleston with sprinkled travel throughout. A rotating “office” of hotel desks, tiny kitchen tables in short-term rentals, café corners, and 1:00am calls here and there isn’t foreign, but I’m going proper send as a nomad - or at least for the first half of this year.

Why does selling your house and hopping oceans feel more comfortable than sitting still in this crazy world right now? The daily news is a wet blanket, coffee is $10.50 with tip, and my screen time could qualify as a second career. Ya girl needs a shake-up. A new color palette! (but of course I’ll bring my computer along)

Is this a travel blog? A creative blog? Does it really matter what we call it…. I’m chasing inspiration for life, artwork, and that elusive happiness that seems to appear when I’m slightly lost and feeding my curiosity!

If you’ve ever wondered what a Wednesday cheese-making workshop in Paris looks like…or what happens when a group of artists live together in a French château for three weeks (yes, that’s happening)…or what I always pack when living out of a suitcase for months at a time…or how this newly scuba-certified gal plans to level up her mermaid fins, stick around!

I’m thirsty, curious, and feeling a little lucky, so let’s see what creative layers unfold together!

My Not-Set-in-Stone Travel Agenda

The current sketch of this year's travel map includes mornings in England, neon nights in Japan, long-table dinners in France with creative friends, coral reef cleanups in Greece, possibly a tapas-fueled stretch in Spain, color-saturated days in Mexico, and aiming to see a handful of new and familiar corners across the United States visiting family and friends. Since selling my home, I’ve stayed in a mix of 17 friends/family homes, short term rentals, and hotels so far. Feeling super grateful for all the hospitality! But overall the next few months is hopeful to bring friendly faces, new artwork, sketchbook cafés, salty swims, and whatever is fated for 2026! 

No GateKeeping:

  • You: If you’re planning a trip somewhere along the way—tell me. Maybe we’ll overlap in some seaside town or share a bottle of local wine with strangers.

  • Vacation Rentals or Short term rentals: If you’re connected to a beautiful boutique hotel or a dreamy short-term rental abroad, send it my way! I travel light, but my curiosity is heavy.

  • Food: Snack time is always the best time! Send me your food and beverage finds so I can check them out and tag em up!!  

What I’m Planning to Share

1. Art in Motion
How movement changes my color choices, brush strokes, and subject matter. Painting with scenic views, in new studio spaces, and gaining new influences.

2. Creative Residencies & Château Life
Behind-the-scenes of living and creating alongside other artists. The inspiration, the late nights, and collaborations. (more details on my first Artist Residency coming)

3. The Nomadic Toolkit
What’s always in my bag (materials, tech, snacks, sanity savers). 

4. Water and Food Muses
From ponds to oceans to rivers…how swimming, diving, and salt air can reset our creative brains.  Markets, bakeries, street food, and why a perfect glass of vino, stinky cheeses, and fresh fish in another a foreign place will always elevate your travels.

6. Remote Work, Real Life
Balancing client work with exploration. I’ll be working remotely while enjoying daily local life and creating artwork.

I think my curiosity is less about escape and more about expansion. Less about running away and more about running toward something bigger, saltier, and a little bit unpredictable. But full honesty as an artist - when we escape and dream, beautiful things happen :) 

If you’re out there dreaming, I hope I can share some fun things along the way to bring you joy and spark curiosity in your daily life. I say this a lot - we’re all artists, but can have different mediums: painting, cooking, talking, writing, singing, dancing… you don’t need to hop on a plane to spark curiosity, but movement and new conversations do light me up and I hope it encourages us all to explore a bit more!

Follow Along:

I’ll be updating further details in blog pieces like this one for leisurely catch up, so make sure you’re on my email list to stay in the loop! Let’s see where the movement takes us!

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PSA: Any orders received from February through July 2026 won’t ship until July/August unless discussed otherwise.  

Taylor Black