In short, Outside is an interpersonal, transcontinental life exploration project. It is about wanting to have a more complete knowledge of myself, of others, and of life, and doing everything I can to educate myself. It is about leaving my comfort zone.
Though it went through many revisions in the months after its inception, my plan was this: to visit a few handpicked friends, each of whom lived in a different part of North America, who I believed were intriguing, colorful, and thought-provoking, and stay with each of them for a few days to experience what their lives were like. Through observation and conversation, I hoped to catch a glimpse into their personal make-up. I hoped that by learning how they were made, I would learn more about how I was made.
After returning, I completed a series of illustrations based on my experience. Everything that I learned, saw, and felt had some influence on this series of drawings, either visually or conceptually. I combined these illustrations with photographs I took and small pieces of prose I wrote during my trip to create a concrete record of my experience.
In October 2012, I launched a fundraiser that, after its tremendous success, sent me on the journey of a lifetime. I set out from the Midwest to travel across the continent to learn about others in hopes that I would learn a little about myself, but I returned home with a different outlook on life, and as an improved person in general as a result of my experiences.
This project serves as an artifact of my quest for answers. It is a document of one of the most influential experiences I’ve ever experienced. It is a guide to what I learned about myself and it is my hope that it will help you learn something about yourself. I hope that it will convince you to go outside.
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Illustration details:
The book contains 38 pages of writing, photos, and illustrations, all created and compiled by yours truly over a period of about six months.
The cover stock is Strathmore Writing Bristol Woven, and the inside pages are Arival Digital Opaque Smooth.
It was printed, bound, and letterpressed by the kind folks at Courier Printing in Grabill, Indiana.
It was printed, bound, and letterpressed by the kind folks at Courier Printing in Grabill, Indiana.
You can purchase a copy of the book or prints of any of the six illustrations here.
I am in an enormous amount of debt to everyone who made this project possible and to everyone who continued to encourage and inspire me over the past nine months. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
