Artists from Everywhere:
Natalie Snyder
Our first featured artist is Natalie Snyder. Natalie is a 25-year old writer based all over the world. Natalie lives part-time in her hometown of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and uses her time at home to save money and prepare for long-term trips abroad. Recently, she spent several months in El Salvador, and lived in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua after graduating from West Virginia University in 2014.
Natalie is an avid writer, working in digital content creation, nonfiction storytelling and journalism. She writes online content for Salty Souls and Yovada and recently contributed to this book about starting a business abroad. For her, travel and writing go hand-in-hand; the low cost and slower pace of small-town life enable her to write, save money for travel, and come home to a welcoming, tight-knit community.
WHERE SHE WORKS:
Everywhere! I shared a small office space in Shepherdstown, West Virginia with a good friend for almost a year and found that's where I was most productive (despite enabling each others procrastination with mimosas or coffee breaks). I've set up offices in cafes and hammocks in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Miami airport's floor -–as well as all the airplane flights in between.
WHY SHE CHOOSES TO WORK OUTSIDE OF A CITY:
[it was] absolutely a conscious choice. Traveling is a huge part of my life, and I'm not willing to give up those opportunities because I need to work solely to get by. My life now allows me to write for work as well as write for my own personal projects, all while I can save money for another trip out of the country. It's a hard life to leave.
ON CREATIVE LIFE IN A SMALL TOWN:
Instead of spending all my time focusing on money, I can focus on the quality of my work and the creative effort I dedicate. I can get coffee with friends and go to the yoga classes I want. I don't think I'd have enough hours of the day for everything I want to do in a city.
HOW SHE SNAGS PAID WORK:
I'm a true believer of the power of Networking. My projects mostly stemmed from knowing someone who knows someone, and honestly my travels have presented me with the best projects: a friend asked me to contribute to his book, a co-founder of a women's surf and yoga retreat, and an editor at UPROXX.
HER ADVICE TO ASPIRING ARTISTS + TRAVELERS:
Writing is about experiencing, it's just a matter of figuring out what you as an artist need to experience. For me, experiencing different countries is important. Others might thrive in cities, but the opportunity to thrive elsewhere is tangible.
To read more about Natalie’s work and travels, check out her brand new project, Women of the World, and follow her on Instagram @natalieb__.