Lisbonne, Vienne, Barcelone, Paris, Berlin… 12 villes européennes en 12 mois à la rencontre des artistes, c’est le projet artistique de Stéphanie Levy pour 2012.
Stéphanie est une artiste qui blogue pour partager son art, ses techniques, ses rencontres, ses coups de coeur. Je lis son blog depuis 2009, toujours été attirée par ses techniques de Mixed Media. J’étais tellement pressée de vous donner plus de détails sur son nouveau projet que je n’ai pas encore traduit l’interview mais une VF devrait arriver d’ici dimanche !
Stéphanie, tell me more abouth your art project : 12 countries in 12 Months. Where does the idea come from?
It all started one Sunday afternoon in May 2011. I was taking a bath and feeling a bit sad that I would be turning 40 years old in July. Then I decided I needed a special way to celebrate my 40th year. Since Munich lies directly in the middle of Europe, I thought that maybe I could start making my life more adventurous by taking a series of monthly trips to places I wanted to visit in Europe. I started planning, and my project « 12 Countries in 12 Months » was born!
I started in July 2011 with a trip to Vienna, and since then I’ve been travelling for a few days each month to a new city in Europe where I make photos and sketches, and interview many artists about what they are doing and what they love about their city.
Which cities did you visit yet ?
So far, I have visited Vienna, Amsterdam, Berlin, Venice, Prague, and Lisbon.
Collector's Edition - 12 European Cities as Limited Edition Prints - 8 x 11.5" (210 mm x 297 mm) size
Etsy Store de Stephanie Levy
Do you plan your travel, book hotel in advance, plan your visits,etc ?
Yes, I do plan my travel a bit in advance. I make train and plane reservations a few weeks in advance (to get the best discounts) and I usually book my hotel through the Lonely Planet website or airbnb. During my tours, it was the first time I have used the airbnb service, and I like it very much. You stay in a private apartment that someone rents out, and usually these places are the most unique and in the best, most interesting neighborhoods!
Next city you will be in ?
The next city I will visit is Barcelona, and then I am off to Athens, Budapest, Paris, London, Stockholm. I will be finished with my tour in June 2012, and then I will start putting together all of the materials I have gathered for a book and perhaps an art exhibition.
You teach online, how does this e-class work ? What do we learn and how to apply ?
The other new project I started this year is my e-course Creative Courage. Included in the course is a « virtual » trip to one of the cities I am visiting. For instance, the next course starts January 9th (there is still time to sign up!) and we will visit Barcelona together via the Internet. I will tour the city, make lots of photos and notes, and upload my impressions live from Barcelona, and the students get a really personal feel for the place.
The course is about following your creative dreams, building your courage and self-confidence, and creating more adventure in your life. It is a very international course and for the last session we had participants from 17 countries! I include weekly videos and interviews with many creative women who are writing books, making art, and teaching others how to make a living doing what they love most.
The course lasts for seven weeks, and you can participate at any time you like. You can find more information and sign up here. I would love to meet more students from France 
Where to buy your art work?
I have limited edition prints available in my online shop. Many of my prints are inspired by my travels! You can visit my online shop.
What is your worst travel experience or most amusing story to share?
I have to say that so far everything has gone very well on my travels – and I hope my good luck continues!
Sometimes it has been difficult to find artists to interview in the places I visit. For my first interview on my very first trip to Vienna, there was a missed communication, the artists didn’t get my email and I waited for an hour at a cafe for them to show up, but they had already left to go somewhere else.
Otherwise, everything has been quite positive and I have met many friendly artists on my travels.
How do you travel : backpack and YMCA or suitcase and boutique hotel ?
Something in between. I try to travel lightly with a small suitcase, and I always take my laptop and iPhone so that I can relay my impressions and photos very quickly on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog.
I like to stay at a nice, comfortable place, but I am definitely not staying at luxury hotels either. I find the private apartments offered through airbnb the best option for me so far. It is just like having your own apartment at the place your are visiting, and it makes you feel like a local resident more than a tourist. Sometimes it is nice to stay at a simple hotel too, especially when there is a good breakfast included
What do you always forget to put in your suitcase?
In Amsterdam, I forgot my toothbrush and toothpaste and I had to go to a shop at the train station on a Saturday night to buy a new one! On my last trip to Lisbon, I forgot my shampoo. But these are small, easy to replace items, thank goodness! So far, no catastrophe!
Is the Internet essential to your art ? When did you start your blog?
Yes, the Internet has become essential to the marketing and sale of my artwork and e-course. I love that artists can now market their own work without being solely attached to a gallery. It gives so many artists much more freedom and many new opportunities.
I started my blog back in March 2008. I can’t believe I have been blogging for almost 4 years! I blog about a variety of things – sometimes my artwork and the process, sometimes more personal and about my family, even recipes sometimes – and of course about the things I see and people I meet on my European travels.
Which other blogs do you read?
A few of the design blogs that I love include
Poppytalk – http://www.poppytalk.blogspot.com ,
decor8 – http://www.decor8blog.com ,
design*sponge – http://www.designspongeonline.com ,
and sfgirlbybay - http://www.sfgirlbybay.com
I especially love to read personal artist blogs and you can find a great list of over 100 of my favorite artist blogs on my website « artists who blog » – http://www.artistswhoblog.blogspot.com
super projet de parcourir 12 grandes sur 12 mois autour de l’art !
J’aurai 40 ans en 2013 et cela me donne des envies, des idées !!!
C’est genial comme projet! A tout hasard, est-ce que tu sais sur quels criteres se base le choix des 12 villes?
@Lucie
Stéphanie habite à Zurich,les destinations de ses voyages sont toutes en Europe et elle se déplace dans les villes où elle peut rencontrer et interviewer des artistes.
D’ailleurs si vous connaissez des artistes à Paris qui mériteraient de faire partie de son projet, contactez-moi, je transmettrai.
Moi j’aurai 30 ans en 2013, on fait quoi???
Plus sérieusement, c’est un projet génial…
Thank you Catherine for inviting me! I love your beautiful website and I hope my travels will inspire your readers to go on more adventures of their own in 2012
Thanks again and much love to all! xo