Launching A Cartographer's Journal

I used to keep a blog on my website, chiming in occasionally with map progress, thoughts on life, and cartographic musings. I remember it fondly — often wondering how to resume it.

Because as I sit here at age 34, ten years into my art-cartography career, life is more interesting than ever. I’m so grateful to have this job — drawing maps is a fascinating vocation and my childhood passion. It’s exactly what I was doing at age 4, with a grin on my face and a mind immersed in the gravitational pull of discovery and creation. That little boy remains, bursting with childlike awe, thanks to maps.

Snippets of childhood: one of my first maps, and climbing a tree in Nelson at age 4.

They’ve led me on incredible adventures; from the murky depths of mad-scientist-esque obsession, to the altitudes of international press. They’ve taught me so much about the world — from its geography and inhabitants, to history, art, religion, and business. And no matter how demanding the business becomes, I stay madly in love with the art. It’s wonderful! I get to learn about our amazing Earth then translate that knowledge into art. I witness the world unfold like a jigsaw puzzle, except I make each piece myself.

As my work has enjoyed increasing popularity, reaching a new zenith with the launch of Wild World in 2023, my life has grown more dynamic and demanding. What an adventure this is!

So I’ve long wondered: how can I share my experiences? My ideas? How can I explain these maps, and the unusual life they guide? Brevity is not my strongest trait, as you might expect from a guy who drew 1,642 animals on one map. The fast-feed nature of Instagram, TikTok, or an email newsletter is challenging for me. I’ll continue on those platforms but I want Substack to be a place for more depth.

So, I am calling this A Cartographer’s Journal — and I will treat it as that: a journal. I will temper my perfectionism, sharing contemplations and experiences as they happen.

Field sketches from a recent trip to New Zealand. Top-to-bottom: a) Kahurangi National Park from the Baton Valley, Nelson. b) Sugar Loaf, Baton Valley. c) Mt Tarawera.

I’ve also started a visual Cartographer’s Journal, a diary I take everywhere to draw en plein air. I’ll share these drawings here too. I’ve always created art in my home studio, shackled to the Great Indoors — instead of the outdoors where I feel most in-tune with life. And as I seek inspiration for new maps, this journal is an antenna looking for signals.

I aim to release Substack posts regularly. I’ll discuss my maps, opening windows into their creation. I’ll relay the story of my life as it unfolds, with all the honesty I can — from my lessons in business to my personal journey. And I’ll revisit previous maps like North America: Portrait of a Continent, unpacking them like never before.

I’ll also chronicle my travels — from the unique perspective of one who has been translating geography into art since childhood. Very shortly I will travel to East Africa and Mexico, searching for inspiration.

East Africa as drawn in Wild World. In mid-August I will travel to Kenya — my first time on the continent.

I’ll share whatever I’m pondering, which is a lot amidst this unpredictable era. From political volatility to ecological collapse, to the explosion in AI — something that alarms me as both artist and lover of art. I will never use AI to write my Substack, just as I wouldn’t to draw my maps. This will be my words only, no matter how imperfect they may be.

It's a diary after all. And it will be yours to read. And with Substack allowing audio and video, I’ll share another great passion — music. I’ve been playing guitar and writing songs for as long as I’ve been drawing maps. Cartography and songwriting may seem different, but they’re just nearby springs rushing from the same mountain. Creativity is an aquifer that feeds everything you do.

Songwriting makes me a better cartographer, mapmaking makes me a better musician, and they often combine. I’ll post snippets of music here whenever inspired.

Which lately has been a lot! Music is a sanctuary I turn to when life is hard. You see, drawing Wild World was a colossal undertaking. For three years my life revolved around it. It grounded me with incredible clarity of purpose.

It also required relentless dedication. And since completion — and the overwhelming response to prints — I’ve been in an uncertain phase. A driftless period of searching. Other than a few pilgrimages to the New Zealand bush, I’ve spent much of 2024 in front of my laptop, administering a much larger business than I’m used to. Amidst this, music has been a sanctuary.

I feel nostalgic for the days of uninterrupted art creation — but it’s the price of success. Any artist who wants to prosper must understand business. I’m thrilled to be in this position, but I can’t wait to be a full-time artist again. And that’s exactly where I’m aiming the ship.

In the spirit of tempering my perfectionism, I will post this journal entry now. No attempts at a succinct summary, no obsessive re-writes as I worry that some sentence isn’t as eloquent as it could be. This Cartographer’s Journal is exactly that: a journal. It will be unpredictable, raw, and honest. It will never be perfect, but it will be mine — and thus yours. I hope you enjoy.

-Anton