I’m Leigh Shulman, and welcome to my blog about travel, art, writing and all the things that inspire me in my work and my life.
I move around a lot. I’ve lived on five continents and worked professionally as an editor, teacher and designer. When my daughter Lila was born in 2004, I stopped work to stay home with her. In 2007, my husband Noah, Lila and I sold everything we owned and left Brooklyn to travel the world. And travel we did, through three lovely years and four continents.
Lila on the beach in Panama.
Now, I live in Salta Argentina where I founded and run Cloudhead Art, a technology-based NGO dedicating to educating and inspiring change through art.
Everything I write on this blog fits under one of four categories: travel, writing, art and inspiration.
My background
I graduated Barnard with a degree in Literature and Writing then moved onto an MA in Creative Writing from City College of NY. I’ve taught literature, composition and creative writing to all ages at Brooklyn Academy of Music, City College and Yeshiva University.
I designed websites for MTV and produced their online Choose Or Lose election coverage. I’ve edited and researched for Elsevier science journals, MTV Online, Barnard College and worked individually with professional writers and artists.
I’ve been blogging since 2007, including three years as the Matador Network’s Life section editor. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.
I teach a How to Make Money & Create Collaborations With Social Media course as part of Wandering Educators Travel Blogging Mentorship curriculum.
If you’d like to work with me to improve your own blogging, writing and social media, check out my Work With Me page or send me an e-mail to let me know how I can help.
What I do in Salta
I explore the mountains and desert. I take photographs and paint. I’m learning Spanish and also how to live as an expat. I like to think of it as the best of traveling while also the best of having one place to call home.
Lila and I save all recyclables. I’m obsessed with wood palettes and all the things you can make with them, like deck chairs, tables, book shelves. All incredibly useful when you’ve just moved to a new country and don’t have a stick of furniture. The Instructables and Makezine provide endless inspiration for our projects.
Noah and I founded Cloudhead Art in 2012. Cloudhead allows me to combine the best parts of my past experience. I teach, take photographs, work with artists and communicate with innovative entrepreneurs and volunteers from all over the world.
If you’re interested in working with us, check out our volunteer page.
Why is the future red?
In 1998, when I designed my website for Infrared, Inc, the URL I wanted was already taken. After much deliberation, I landed on The Future Is Red. There it stuck.
Over time, the name has taken on various meanings. It was my business. Then became my lucky color. When we started traveling, it became my blog. The Future Is Red became my online identity. Some people know me only as The Future Is Red.
In short, The Future Is Red means what I want it to mean. It means the world around us is not fixed. It grows and develops through our own perceptions. If we choose to see opportunity and beauty, we will find it. If we decide to see the opposite, we will find that, too.
10 random things about me
- Even though blue is my favorite color, I almost never use it in my designs.
- My favorite place in the world for a coffee is in the Hungarian bakery shop on 112th and Amsterdam, across the street from Saint John the Divine.
- I’m one of maybe 3 people on the planet who doesn’t like dulce de leche. Too sweet.
- Living on a tropical island is paradise, but paradise isn’t quite as ideal as one might think.
- Lila and I climb into bed during thunderstorms and count the seconds between lightening flash and thunder.
- I didn’t learn to ride a bike until I was 21 years old.
- I’d like to one day live in Holland, Cinque Terre, Italy, Israel — probably Haifa — and Chiang Mai.
- My camera is a Nikon D90.
- I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn’t write.
- I love places, people and art that challenge the way I see the world.
Where you can find me
Facebook: My most active social media account. Here, I share my favorite links from all the posts I read every week. Blogging how-tos. What’s new with social media. Travel. Parenting. Kids. Street art. Photography news. Technology. Great writing and a lot more. This is a great place to join a conversation.
Twitter: I like Twitter, because it’s a good place to meet people and find organizations who share similar interests. I share some of the same links as on Facebook, but also retweet interesting articles from those I know on Twitter.
Instagram: I post photos taken on my Samsung Galaxy Advance and edited in PicsArt. Every so often, Lila takes, edits and posts a photo, too. I tag all of her photos with #proudmama.
Google+: My favorite part of G+ is the Light Box photography community. You can post photos for critique, but first have to critique other photography. It really sharpens your eye.
Pinterest: Pinterest is an extension of the list of projects I want to complete. Lots of kids stuff and DIY. I’m collecting ideas to decorate our home in Salta and recipes, mostly desserts. And student photography. I just started a board with links to work by friends of mine, some of the most talented photographers, writers, artists and tech people out there.
Now, please tell me about you!
Your comments and e-mails mean the world to me. Without you, the words I write and photos I take would just be sitting there taking up space, and I’d love to know more about who is out there reading.
You can always e-mail me or leave a comment below.
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