Marianna Jamadi is used to traveling the globe. She's brought us along her journeys through Mexico, Peru, and Colombia to name a few. This week, the nomadic habit takes over the blog to tell us about her time in India searching for a little creative inspiration.

I traveled to Bagru, a town outside of Jaipur, India because I was interested in block printing. This particular area is specifically known for using only natural dyes. At the time that I went, I had been traveling for 6 months straight and I was starting to feel the absence of working with my hands creatively.

Traveling fills me with inspiration but I was feeling a bit creatively out of shape. My artistic muscles felt as if they were atrophying. I found a one day workshop at a place called Jai Textart Factory.

There they helped me prepare, print, and fix the dyes. It was not only a lesson in artistic creation but one of culture. This area had perfected this art and the people were pure masters. It opened my eyes to not only an ancient art form but also the masterful ways a culture can perfect a process. 

I always believe that art is a great avenue into culture when traveling. There is always such history and great storytelling when it comes to art within a culture. What I also loved specifically about this art form was the reverence for nature and how to preserve the art by only using natural products. Everything was so authentic that not only my eyes were opened, but so was my heart.

-Marianna Jamadi