Q+A: Courtney Adamo of Babyccino & Somewhere Slower December 14 2016, 0 Comments
Babyccino co-founder and mother of 4 Courtney Adamo defied the norm and sold her her home to live out a childhood dream: to take a trip around the world. Along with her husband and four children, she set out on a year-long adventure in search of culture and language, tradition and history. They traversed the globe, together, immersing themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, absorbing the beauty of parts lesser known. A trip to explore. A trip to learn. To see the world through a different lens. A trip to be present, together. A trip to slow down from their fast-paced London life. Because sometimes, slower is better.
Your blog Somewhere Slower is all about embracing your family’s gap year. Can you tell us more about what inspired you to press pause on your life in London and travel?
Taking a year off to travel with our kids has been something I’ve wanted to do since before I became a mother. It is a dream I’ve had since I was a young girl when the family living next to my grandparents did it. I admired their sense of adventure and wanderlust. I loved the idea of spending a year with just my family – the closeness it would bring and the lessons we would all learn together. Last year we decided that we had reached the ideal moment. Our eldest was turning ten and our youngest was about to be three. We were reminded of how quickly time goes and thought we should do it now, while they were all still young and more interested in their family than their school, activities or friends. We worried that in a few years our eldest, Easton, might be less keen to steal away with his parents and younger siblings. And the timing was perfect as Easton was the keenest traveller in our party and seems to have gained the most from the experience.
Does your family have a favorite destination/trip from this past year?
There were a lot of highlights from the past year, but a few exceptional standouts. We really loved our time in the little beach town of Trancoso, Brazil. We were able to achieve the slow-paced rhythm that we were seeking, all the while enjoying the natural beauty and culture of this magical spot. The kids also really enjoyed our time in Sri Lanka, mostly because of the wildlife we were able to see while we were there. And of course we fell in love with Byron Bay, Australia. We made so many wonderful friends during our month in Byron and couldn’t help but return.
How do you create such beautiful images for your blog and instagram?
For Instagram, I have always used my iPhone. I recently invested in the new iPhone 7 and the camera is a noticeable upgrade. I usually try to use my ‘real’ camera for the photos I post on our travel blog, but sometimes it’s just easier to carry my iPhone instead of the heavier camera. In both cases, I’m not an expert, but I do try to take advantage of good light and pretty surroundings. It helps that we’ve been in some of the most beautiful places this year. You can’t take a bad photo in Positano, Italy, for example. That place is so photogenic!
What’s your go-to Instagram editing app or filter?
I like to use the VSCO app for editing my photos. I don’t usually like using filters, but sometimes I add a bit of exposure or contrast to my photos if they need it.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Instagram is a wonderful place to draw inspiration. I love seeing how other families around the world approach the different seasons with their children, whether it’s home decoration, cooking or crafting. Of course my own website, Babyccino, is a wonderful source of inspiration as well – I am constantly taking down notes from my business partners and our wonderful contributors. Lastly and most importantly, we as a family draw inspiration from our time in nature. The kids are in their element when we are outside in nature and we often return to nature in our homeschooling and craft ideas.
How do you carve out time to be creative with your kids?
My kids are always up for a craft project! Their excitement for even the simplest project is incredibly infectious, so it’s really such a joy to sit down with them and be creative (I was the same when I was young and still really enjoy the creative process now). Saying this, they are getting to the age where they are pretty independent in their crafting, and the bigger kids are good at helping the littler ones if they need it. So crafting happens every day in our house whether I have carved out time for it or not. Our recycle bin is constantly being raided, empty toilet paper rolls never get tossed away, and I spend my days picking felt pens up off the floor! But being creative is something I will never stop encouraging, no matter how messy it might get.
