Maisy Summer – Drawing Diary NYC
Drawing on events
On occasions in recent years, Maisy has documented her travels around the world and the artworks that result in a series of videos she calls Drawing Diaries. She’s just posted the latest one, which focuses on New York and draws from two trips to the city – the first when she was lecturing at Manchester Metropolitan University and took 40 students over to visit agencies and galleries in 2023, followed by a weekend trip with her partner in 2024. You can watch her New York Drawing Diary here. Previously in the series she’s chronicled trips to Greece and Vietnam. We had a quick chat with Maisy about Drawing Diaries and her plans for future travels:
How long have you been putting together Drawing Diaries?
It properly began in 2023 when I moved from Manchester to London, as a way of documenting new spaces and places. It then naturally expanded into exploring other trips and experiences – becoming a way to hold onto moments and memories.
What trips have you documented so far?
Paris, London, Vietnam, Greece, and now New York – all with completely different energies. Vietnam buzzed with people, street-side food and enticing aromas moving through the chaos of traffic. Greece slowed things right down – sun-soaked and warm. And New York is bright, flashy, and bold!
Why the long gap before the New York one appeared?
A mix of time and ambition, really. I was trying to find that balance between client and personal work, and it kept getting put aside. I also wanted to push the format a little by introducing animation (created by Andy Sandwich), and New York was the first time I layered that into the actual Drawing Diary.
Do you plan on adding entries more regularly from now on?
I’d love to. I think part of it is letting go of being too precious so I can make them more frequently. I’ve got a backlog of things I’ve observed that I’d love to turn into new entries, such as my trip to Japan, exploring the Barbican, even stumbling across a Penny Farthing Guinness World Record… all to be revealed.
Will they always be documenting your travels or do you see them as showing your working practice more generally in future?
I would like them to widen out. I’ve been working on ideas around studio tours, project processes, and interiors – I like the idea of capturing smaller, in-between moments too, as well as the bigger trips.
Do you get a kick from heading to new places?
Yeah, completely. I think it’s that feeling of being slightly out of routine – in a good way. You’re paying more attention and usually have more headspace to capture things.
Does travelling help to provide you with inspiration?
100%. I can’t help but take images and notes while I’m there to bring home, or if it’s a slower trip, I can make things on the go. I love picking up small, unexpected details – like when we left the airport in Vietnam and saw someone balancing what must have been 1,000 eggs on the front and back of their motorbike. Just those little memories that help bring a scene to life.
Are the illustrations that result from your trips purely impressionistic or do they derive from specific experiences?
They start from something real – a moment, a place, a feeling – but then get pulled apart and recombined. It ends up being more of a collage of experiences than a single, accurate snapshot.
Where are you planning to travel next and can we look forward to a Drawing Diary about it?
Planning a trip to Thailand in September, so I’m sure there’ll be one from that. In the meantime, I’ve got a long backlog, so I’m going to try get my ducks in a row and share a few more soon. You can hold me to that.
Drawing Diaries highlights, can we seen here.
Plus we’ve included some stills below.