In our latest Navigate Your Bag, artist and designer Claudia Salgueiro describes how being able to pause for a while has allowed fresh inspiration to reach her from new places. Her Fraser the Rucksack 25L has always got her back, ready for when new ideas take hold.
Words & illustrations: Claudia Salgueiro | @cs_salgueiro
The time is paused, the noise decreases and we listen to the birds. When we are home it’s the smooth sunlight through the window that brings joy and freshness.
Now that the quarantine rules have eased in Portugal, we start to be able to walk around freely and we notice the little things around us. Things we didn’t see when we ran through the streets in a rush. Times are different now, things look different…
The time stretches when we walk, life is marked by the pace of steps and we feel the wind on our skin for the first time in weeks. More than ever, it tastes good to take a walk.
Walking, as an intrinsic part of the artistic process, represents a great source of inspiration. Camping and hiking trails have always been one of my favourite ways to escape routine and generate new ideas.
The Fraser 25L has been a great friend and partner lately. The hikes are now shorter, but the backpack has several divisions and allows clear and flexible organisation for everything you might need. The big side pouch is ideal for the water bottle, which remained protected and hidden. Usually, watercolours and pencils complement the daily kit, alongside a notebook and a camera. Nowadays it’s important to think about what we carry with us. I try to leave anything unnecessary at home.
These days, after a few hours of work, I pack and leave the house. A short 5 km loop around the suburbs is enough to stretch the legs, see the flowers that Spring has brought and feel the heat of the approaching summer.
Fraser has been the perfect backpack to bring the essentials with me. Now it is the time to dream about future trips.
