The Exploration Series: Indianapolis

I sit here reflecting on the day.

Songs of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Zac Brown Band play in the background.

Chatter every once in a while.

I’m staying in a hostel near downtown Indianapolis. I got hear right before dinner time. Settled in. Briefly met the other travelers that were here.

One from Germany, researching at the local university.

Two from Slovenia, music producers here for the week.

The other one hasn’t said anything yet.

The staff and people here are extremely friendly and helpful.

For dinner, I walked a few blocks to one of the restaurants the staff recommended. It is a Creole restaurant with a hipster vibe. I got the hunters stew and some peanut butter pie. It was amazing. It was full of flavor and spices. I could barely eat half the plate; it was so much food. The atmosphere of the place was amazing as well.

Now I’m back in the hostel.

Relaxing and reflecting. Gearing up to head into the city to explore that tomorrow.

Today has been a busy day. An amazing day though.

First up was the Indianapolis Museum of Art. That was amazing. It was full of art. Full of inspiration. Full of life.

I saw van Gogh, Monet, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, ancient Egyptian art, Tribal art, etc.

“What am I in the eyes of most people — a nonentity, an eccentric, or an unpleasant person — somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low. All right, then — even if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart.”

-Vincent van Gogh

There was also an exhibit by Gustave Baumann. It was breathtaking. His art was woodblock printmaking. I had never heard of it, but I learned about the process and saw the beauty.

“Woodblock printmaking…keeps me in tune with a world where work is still of the essence and where the easiest way is not always the most desirable.”

-Gustave Baumann

There was another area dedicated to the history of design. Seeing cars that were imagined for the future, but really from the past. Seeing the history of Apple. Seeing furniture from the past. The story our generation has made, shown through products. It was inspiring. It was amazing. It was breathtaking. Design is an awesome thing. Each product has a story. Each one is full of life.

Then I explored the city.

It was snowing which made it even better. There is something about snow and walking down city streets. To me, it’s just beautiful.

Tonight I went to Once — A New Musical. It was amazing. The music was great.

Three lessons from the story:

Don’t live in fear.

"those who live in fear die miserably in their graves.”

Everyone needs love.

“Because to live, you have to love.”

You need to pour your passion into your work.

Your heart. Your soul. It’s what defines it. It’s what makes it art. It’s what brings it to life.

I highly recommend the show to anyone if you are able to catch it.

Now I’m back in the hostel. Head back to Oxford in the morning.