wanderer/ visual artist/ writer/ story teller

Compañer@s!
Since I moved to Europe in 2016, I've lived in Spain, Germany, and then 18 months in a camper-van with my partner nomadding around the mediterranean countries looking for intentional communities.

I'm an artist. I paint for a living, but I also make films, make books, do sculpture, photography, textiles, installation art... just got a degree in art therapy.

Please reach out if you're interested in challenging "business as usual" and like to talk about anarchism, sustainability, permaculture, or creative problem-solving towards the state of the world right now.

I love cooking and eating good food and hearing good stories... I'm an expressive person– impulsive, and interested. I love costumes and celebrations and folk dancing and live music. I love being in nature, and treasure hunting (flea markets) and being in water.

I want to see your favorite place, hear your favorite story, taste your favorite drink, see your favorite movie, learn some curse words in your language ;) tell me what you're passionate about!

Here's my work, if you're interested! : www.oliviamotley.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've surfed and hosted plenty since 2011.

Beyond meeting so many wonderful people that showed me their world when I was traveling, Couchsurfing also helped me: make good friends when I moved to new cities, find roommates in foreign places, and I even met my husband on here a few years ago while traveling!!! I'm constantly surprised and dazzled by the generosity and kindness of complete strangers... the world isn't as bad as it seems sometimes.

Interests

If you request to stay with me, you should know I only host people that take the time to send me real requests and not just copy-paste messages. Couch surfing is more than a free place to stay, it's a cultural exchange. If you reach out to stay with me, please tell me what your favorite food is so I know you read my profile :).

• writing
• photography
• folk dancing
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• walking
• drinking
• gardening
• thrifting
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• live music
• hiking
• beaches
• cinema
• film photography
• swimming holes
• watercolor

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: gosh, okay.
The Fall, The Great Beauty, Hand of God, Pan's Labyrinth, The Handmaiden, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Neruda, Embers, Youth, Oh Brother where Art Thou?, Harold and Maude, The Royal Tennenbaums, Chico y Rita, Where the Wild things Are, Pride and Prejudice, We Need to Talk about Kevin, Moulin Rouge, Darjeeling Limited, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Before Sunrise, 28 days later, Amelie, American Beauty, Baraka, Under the Tuscan Sun, Children of Men, Man on Wire, The Fountain, Loving Vincent, Roma, Jojo Rabbit, Coco, Wuthering Heights, The King's Speech, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Edward Scissorhands, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Gainsbourg le Hero, finding Vivian Maier, Tomorrow, 12 monkeys.

Music:
Disco, World, Soul, Funk, French music from the 60s, motown, anything with fiddle/ violin, bluegrass/old time, celtic, hip hop- eclectic!
Devendra Banhart, Michael Kiwanuka, Chet Atkins, Leon Bridges, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Alt-J, Nick Waterhouse, Billie Holiday, Andrew Bird, Sylvan Esso, the black keys, the white stripes, Arcade Fire, Outkast, Iron and Wine, The Devil makes Three, Muddy Waters, the Gorillaz, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Charles Bradley, Helen Gillet, Hermanos Gutierrez, Gnarles Barkley, Timber Timbre, Baiuca, Quantic, Glass Animals, Sally Baby's Silver Dollars

books:
The Flight Portfolio, On Earth we're briefly Gorgeous, The Passion, House of Spirits, Ismael, Anam Cara, Where the Crawdads sing, The Overstory, The Ministry for the Future, Call me by your name, The four agreements, American Gods, Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood, the Da Vinci Code, Handmaid's Tale, A Gentleman in Moscow, The Artist's way, Letters to a Young Poet, Braiding Sweetgrass, Cat's Cradle, Miraculous Abundance, Rilke.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Meeting the love of my life while traveling with Couchsurfing ;).

Met my favorite director and worked on a giant fairy tale of his.

Hot Air Ballons at sunrise over ancient hidden cave churches.

18 months totally nomadic searching for utopia.

Finally getting to visit the temple of Knossos, which brought me to tears as a reincarnated Minoan ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to make delicious guacamole, how to whistle with your fingers, how to waltz, and I can open beer bottles with my teeth 8)

I also love to tell anyone that will listen about how amazing New Orleans is. I spent 2 years writing and illustrating a book about my love for it and how much I miss it. I can share some of my favorite music from there!

I'd like to learn how to do your favorite dance, how to hang glide, how to blow glass, and how to curse in your language ;). I'd like to learn about YOU and where you've come from. Your happiest memory, what you hate, what you love, what you eat, why you're here.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook you a vegan dinner, or take your portrait!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Germany, Spain, United States