I'm starting a blog!
Hi, I’m Danny With Love! I’m starting a new blog focused on travel, art, and culture!
Cover Photo: Me with Florence in the distance, Forte di Belvedere, Florence, Italy (2017).
Solidarity
I was born in Dallas, Texas, to two proud Polish immigrants. I have dual citizenship; I studied in the United States and I spent most of my summers in Poland, usually in the North near the Baltic in Gdańsk. The Shipyard of Gdańsk gave birth to Solidarność, the Solidarity Labor Union responsible for dismantling communism with the support of the Polish Pope Jan Paweł II (John Paul II) and U.S. President Ronald Reagan. This is a significant point of pride for my family.
The Solidarność logo by Jerzy Janiszewski is universally considered the most important piece of graphic design to emerge in Polish history. I didn’t realize until recently how the movement shaped my thoughts on design, life, and humanity.
Who I Am
I’m a freelance graphic designer, global citizen, college graduate, aspiring travel writer and art critic. As mentioned before, I was born in Dallas and, specifically, I grew up in Irving. I’m starting this blog to celebrate art, travel, and humanity. I hope the world will join me!
My first art adventure was with my middle school, North Hills Preparatory, to France and Spain. The trip was organized by EF Educational Tours and led by one of the school’s art teachers. We visited so many museums including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and plenty of buildings by famed architect Antoni Gaudí. The trip shaped my blossoming taste in fine art and expanded my horizons beyond the United States and Poland. I developed an interest in graphic design while in high school and was accepted into the University of Texas at Arlington where I studied visual communications.
Me at Place de la Concorde with the Eiffel Tower in the distance, Paris, France (2009).
The University of Texas at Arlington was not my dream school but I quickly discovered plenty of opportunities. I was an Amazon Prime student ambassador for two years, which enabled me to visit Seattle, Washington, for the first time. I went to volunteer in St. Louis, Missouri, for an Alternative Spring Break. I studied Japanese graphic design and was afforded the chance to go to Kyoto for a week. My club was given a school grant to volunteer at the 2016 AIGA Design Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, where I met all of my industry idols including Michael Bierut and Paula Scher. I spent a semester abroad in Florence during which I studied Italian, fashion marketing, and the Renaissance masters.
Most recently I’ve graduated, interned at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and lived briefly in Amsterdam.
Travel in the 21st Century
My uncle was impressed when I told him about all the cities I had visited while studying in Florence. He explained how challenging it was to travel during the days of communism in Poland. Citizens were closely monitored and it was difficult to leave the country. I was born in 1994 and it is surreal to imagine a world before the Internet, GPS, or open borders.
What would become the Internet was started in 1969, after the height of the Cold War, as the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPAnet). ARPAnet was a project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense in hopes of creating a decentralized network of computers that would allow government leaders to communicate in the event a Soviet missile destroyed the fragile telephone system. English Software engineer Tim Berners-Lee is credited with creating the World Wide Web we now enjoy. Berners-Lee developed hypertext transfer protocol (http) and he released the first browser in 1990.
The U.S. Department of Defense established the Global Positioning System (GPS) in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to support a navigation system for military use. The first satellite was launched in 1989 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 23 satellites followed and the 24 satellite system was fully operational in 1993. GPS became authorized for civilian applications starting in 2000.
The European free movement Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985 by five countries, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, five years before the reunification of Germany. The agreement took effect in 1995 and today the Schengen zone includes 26 European states.
The world has changed significantly since the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In today’s digital age, travel has become more accessible than ever. It’s possible to book a flight, train, taxi, bus, hotel, hostel, or Airbnb all online. Travelers have more autonomy to visit what, and how, and where they want. In fact, the number of full-time travel agents in the U.S. has been cut by almost half since 2000 while recommendation sites like TripAdvsior have thrived. But how to choose? The average American has only 12 days of paid vacation per year (Europeans have between 25 and 30 days). Time is precious.
Love Thy Neighbor
Why is travel important? I believe travel is a human right and art is a vital way of understanding our world. As globalization and homogenization occurs we are seeing a natural rebellion. Countries become increasingly isolationist and nationalistic, from Brexit (Britain’s departure from the European Union) to President Trump’s “America First” chants. Travel is more important than ever. We need to empathize with our brothers and sisters across the world. According to the U.S. State Department, less than half of Americans have a valid passport. I’m hoping to change that!
The Importance of Art
In 2012, just 21.0% of the U.S. adult population reported visiting a museum or art gallery in the previous year—the lowest level in three decades. This is distressing. Art connects us to history, to others, and to ourselves. Art helps us understand complex themes and difficult subjects. Art contributes to the global economy. Art improves our general wellbeing. In Britain, National Health Service doctors are planning to start prescribing the arts. But I encourage anyone to enjoy the arts, even without a prescription!
Best Wishes
My goal is to celebrate art, travel, and humanity. If you don’t have one already, go get a passport! Hopefully this blog will inspire you to go on a new adventure or to simply visit your local museum more often! Feel free to comment and share! You can follow me on Instagram for updates when I upload a new article.
P.S. Questions!
Where’s the last place you visited? Who’s your favorite artist? When’s the last time you visited an art museum or gallery?
