Camp, a self-taught artist, creates surrealist acrylic paintings; she says that reflecting on her string of gallery showings inspired her to combine art with her enthusiasm for travel. "What if," Camp remembers wondering, "I could do this [trip], and by doing, show other people that it's possible to follow those dreams before it's a comfortable space...to just take that step forward and make it happen?"

Camp has been exploring surrealist, anatomical themes in her work; this one is titled "Clarinet Cover of Brittany [sic] Spears."
Emily Camp
"My work is very soul-based," Camp explains, so she wants to get a genuine feel for each state and then translate it to canvas.
Camp plans to sell art to pay for the 52-week journey (her pieces are available via GoFundMe, online at BigCartel, and there's a monthly donation option, too). The campaign's $20,000 goal covers fuel costs, emergency money, art supplies, a DSLR camera, a rooftop cargo carrier, lodging when she's not staying with friends of friends, and other necessities. Camp also hopes to use her trip to aid other artists in pursuing passion projects; she wants to reserve 20 percent of the money from tour sales and divide it among fifty recipients of her new "Reach for Your Dreams" scholarship.
For now, Camp is painting, planning and packing, gearing up for her January departure. For more information, visit her website and GoFundMe page, or see her art in person at Kaladi Coffee Roasters at 2823 South Broadway.