When Couchsurfing helped spark and shape an idea

Couchsurfing (CS) is a great way to meet people while travelling and get an insight into their culture and lifestyle. But, for Sarah, it proved to be so much more. At the time of one of her CS stays in Turkey,Sarah was helping a friend with a creative project that did not pan out. One day, her host asked her a simple question : “When are you going to do something for yourself?” That one question had a lasting impact on her mind and sparked an idea, that took form during the course of her travels and Couchsurfing experiences across Europe.

NYC resident Sarah used to work at a record store in the day and blog about the city in her spare time. However, when the store shut down, she decided to take the plunge and set off to travel.

“I was writing a blog about NYC when the Virgin Music Store I worked for, closed. So after that, I took out my 401k and IRA and went traveling for three years.”

At that point, she got involved in a creative project and decided to work on it while travelling. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and during a casual conversation with her host in Turkey,she got inspired to focus on her own writings and do something that she would be passionate about.Though she had only written one story by then (inspired from a dream), she thought about writing more and starting a self-publishing company catering to children. The inspiration behind starting such a company also came from her own life experiences.

“The idea to self publish my own work and that of others did not just come from an overabundance of stories and art to share with the world. It also came from a past full of high hurdles jumped and hard goals accomplished. In the 80’s, at school, it seemed that there was no room for someone that did not read at a certain level. The problem continues today with large class sizes and regulated timed tests that leave some children grasping at straws. I was one of these kids- slipping through the cracks. How does a child with dyslexia make it through elementary school? I learned to fake it. That is right, I tricked my teachers and would pretend to read. This went unseen for a long time. Then, when called on one too many times in the 4th grade to read in front of the class, I knew the “jig was up.” They put me in a reading class. Only then did my eyes open to the world of reading and I realized how reading can bring the rest of the world to you. “

After Turkey, Sarah travelled to Barcelona where she stayed in a squat for some time and started writing more stories. She then continued travelling and while crossing Montpellier, dropped in a last minute Couchsurfing request. Luckily for her, Jacques, an IT student, agreed to host her.

“I was telling him about the publishing company and we started talking about making an app. The plan for a children’s reading app just came together after that.”

Sarah decided to name the company ‘Zozo Children’s Publishing’, based on her niece Zoie and the nickname given to her by her grandfather. Her aim is to create a child-friendly app that would provide a lot of original interactive stories with illustrations for the kids,and help them with reading, writing, art as well as cognitive development. The stories will be published in English,French and Spanish.

Sarah and Zoie(or Zozo)

“As I made my way through this three year trip, I have spent time with locals in small towns as well as big cities.I found inspiration while working on farms, in homes, and with various businesses.  My creativity blossomed with the olives of Spain, the vines of France, and while trekking across mountains of Turkey.Traveling has brought out more ambition and creativity in me than I have ever known. Living in big cities, like New York and San Francisco, left me little time for artistic pursuits.  Not that working in a record store did not give me access to the world of music, but the experience gained on the road has let my positivity really shine.”

I first met Sarah on a Facebook travel group and was so intrigued by her work that I pushed her into telling me all about it. After several conversations on Facebook and via email, I couldn’t resist sharing her story with you folks. I wish the team great success in their work and hope that the crowdfunding campaign is successful. You can also check out their website or find them on Twitter as well as Facebook.

Pin it!

Merken

Merken