Postcard from Aswan

Aaahh where do I even begin with the beautiful, serene, Aswan?! Located on the southern tip of the Nile Valley, Aswan paints an incredibly majestic backdrop for a 3 day cruise. My travel companions and I boarded an overnight train (boozy, dance-crazed, sleep mobil) from Cairo and arrived in what felt like the heart of the African desert by morning. I will never forget awaking to my saharan desert painting brought to life. With little time to lose, we disembarked the train and bused over to our immaculate cruise ship/home for three days.

Upon arrival we almost immediately hopped aboard a Felucca, traditional Egyptian sailboat, and became intimately engrossed with the Nile. Watching the sunset over the water was so beyond breathtaking. Walking through the markets at night, visiting the sight of Abu Simbel, conversing with my new friends/kindred spirit, made Aswan an absolute dream. Its impression was so profound that even now, when I revisit these photos, I can still feel the heat of the sun on my skin. Thankfully my friend Adam managed to capture some of the experience from afar.

Hope you enjoy my loves!! Still so many photos to come. Oh and check me quite literally "travel, write, drawing" on location at Abu Simbel!! If you can conceive it, you can live it.

Much love,

Meag xx

Rule No. 5: Survive With Your Head Down

Anna Wintour by Alex Katz

My indelibly brilliant friend, Globe and Mail business reporter Tim Kiladze, pointed me towards this week's New York Magazine article titled How to Make it in the Art World. While I'm still making my way through the dense copy, I did latch to a particular quote by one of my favorite artists, Alex Katz. He proposed:

"It's hard for young artists. You're an adult at 18, but for a painter it takes longer. You don't really get it together until 35 or 45. In the 1950s you had seven or eight years to experiment. But now you have to sell your first show and your second show and get a third show. And if you don't, you're a failure."

While he speaks from the fine art perspective, the sentiment holds true for any genre of art. And I can't begin to tell you how much this little piece of insight resonated with me. I lived by rule no. 5 all year, trying to survive with my head down, trying to keep all my doubts at bay, feeling like everyone was ahead of me. Comparing myself to my McGill commerce peers and their 6 figure salaries felt like a full-time career in itself. But what I realize and accept, as I finally raise my head up high, WAY high, is that the only timeline that matters is mine.

It's your life, it's your trajectory, compare yourself to no one, and measure yourself against only you. It's your dream, give it everything, and hope for the best. And now I've had my head up too long and it's time to get back to work, night class looms, and deadlines are ticking away.

See you on the other side!!

Much love,

Meag xx

New Portfolio Launched!!

Hello, Hello My Precious Darlings!!

I'm so excited to announce that my new portfolio has been launched at www.meaganmorrison.com!! Finally my domain name, which I bought two years ago, is being put to good use YAY!! It's one step closer to an official commissioned website and I'm so thrilled to see all my work in one place. For me it's a reflection of everything I've accomplished over these past three years. It has been a VERY long haul, particularly these past 12 months, but I finally feel like my career is coming together. Today marks the three month countdown to my expiring OPT and I can't wait to find out what's next for me.

Surely meaganmorrison.com will go through many more transitions as it will eventually become the home of my plethora of illustrated textile products. But for now it will help me on my next venture (applying for my work visa in New York) and many other projects I'm sure. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you ALL SO MUCH for your amazing, unwavering support. Be it facebook, twitter, my blog, or emails, you all prove to me how much good there is in the world. Having this blog has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done and it simply would not be without all of you.

Next up, Postcard from Aswan!! Stay tuned for pictures from the Nile.

So much love,

Meag xx

Postcard from Cairo

Hola Lovelies,

It feels so great to be posting this homage to Cairo!! Reliving a not so distant past comes quite easily, especially when it made such an impression on me. One week ago I was standing on top of the Cairo Tower overlooking the grand city divided by the Nile. I have had dreams of visiting this place my whole life and to finally experience it felt completely natural and yet entirely surreal. Wandering through a post revolution Cairo felt equally exhilarating and enlightening. I couldn't help but feel humbled by its enormity and overwhelming sense of national pride.

Climbing the pyramids was otherworldly. However, climbing the pyramids in a sandstorm was just pure hostility lol. I spent most of my time in Giza crying just to rid the dust from my eyes. I'm not sure that I will ever return to this city but I know that it will forever live in my memory. I also know that the trip would not have been the same had I visited before January 2011. I feel honored that I was able to witness a Cairo in transition. I feel even more fortunate that I was able to be within arms reach of every major sight due to the lower tourism rates.

This postcard is just the first of many that I hope to share from this adventure. I hope at the very least it encourages people to go and experience Egypt for themselves. Stay tuned for many more photos!!

Much love,

Meag xx