Stecchi Studios

At least once.

You have to leave home at least one time if you ever expect to grow. This is true for artists, businessmen, psychologists, doctors, philosophers, that’s right just about everyone that is human.

“At some point, when you can do it, you have to leave home. You can always come back, but you have to leave at least once.”

To be separated from not only your family, but any sorts of friends and having to restart as the little fish in the big sea can be quite intimidating. But if you are able to conquer it, then you will do yourself a great favor.

You will develop the skill of communication, virtue seeking, you will become well-rounded, and most importantly see another way of living.

You don’t need to travel far. Not like to another country for a few years, but try moving states. And don’t just go next door, if you are able and finances are willing then try a completely different side of the country. If you are from the south of the US, then go north. If you are from the east coast, then try the midwest, try Colorado, heck try the west coast if you feel like it.

When you travel, you gain a wider sense of the world, of how people live, they act, eat, dress, talk, and all the things in between.

By staying in your hometown your whole life you likely won’t have anything worth recounting. It’s not your fault if you can’t leave or can’t find the funds necessary to leave. But you must try to leave, at least once. The worst thing that happens is that you come back.

“Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another land, among people that do things differently than you. Travel makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brains work harder.”

Austin Kleon, from Steal Like an Artist