Artist Eilidh Jamieson talks to Bryony Cottam about her journey toward bespoke map-making and its influence on her travels
Holly’s t
Eilidh’s travel insights
• It’s the human connections that make a trip unforgettable
• Travel makes you appreciate home more acutely
• Even when travel doesn’t go to plan, it can lead to life- changing opportunities
Eilidh Jamieson’s waterfront art studio in Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, feels a million miles away from Mount Isa, a dusty mining town once named the most polluted postcode in Australia, and the place that first inspired the artist to pick up a paintbrush.
Jamieson was 19 when she applied for a working holiday visa and fled her small Scottish hometown for the sunny Australian coast. ‘I was young and naive, and I thought: I hate this tiny island.
There’s a massive world out there, and I’m going to get off the plane and there will be loads of jobs and it’ll be amazing.’ The job market in the beach towns proved a tough one for foreign workers, however, and Jamieson eventually found herself serving drinks in the middle of the Australian desert – ‘which was a million times worse than Stornoway’, she says with a laugh.
It was a rough introduction to adult life, with few opportunities to connect with anyone local, but Jamieson doesn’t regret the months spent in the outback, pointing out that even when travel doesn’t go as planned, it can still lead to new opportunities.
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During one bout of homesickness, Jamieson bought a leather-bound journal with a map of Lewis burned onto the front cover from an online shop. She spent a small fortune getting it delivered to the desert, ‘but I just felt that I needed it right then,’ she says. The keepsake sparked an interest in making maps that has grown to become a thriving business.
Colourful watercolour maps of Scotland and the Scottish Isles cover much of the available wall space of Jamieson’s studio. On each one, different features – from fishing towns to island ferry routes to Scottish Munros – have been hand-painted in gold. Jamieson creates bespoke maps of other countries too, from Iceland to New Zealand, designed to celebrate meaningful experiences; important journeys, the place where a couple first met, or the life of a lost loved one.’
When the war started in Ukraine, we had some people who were taking in refugees and wanted something to welcome them and remind them of home.’
In our increasingly digital age, Jamieson’s work demonstrates the enduring appeal of traditional paper maps, and her creations reveal that – for many people – meaningful travel centres on human connection. ‘It’s not just the destination,’ Jamieson explains, ‘but the individual stories and memories that make a trip unforgettable.’
Today, Jamieson says her own travel experiences have left her with a much greater appreciation for her island home, especially its clean sea air. It’s just as well, she explains. ‘There’s no such thing as a cheap holiday when you live in the Outer Hebrides. I definitely don’t go anywhere spontaneously. When the weather’s bad, it can take longer to get to Aberdeen than it took me to fly to Australia!’
For the most part, Jamieson says that social media has now become her go-to way to see the world. ‘Having a social media presence means that people reach out to me all the time, and I really like how friendly it can be – also crazy, don’t get me wrong – but it can be an amazing way to connect with people. I’ve had followers offer
to show me around their home towns if I’m ever in the area, and struck up conversations with like-minded people in other places.’
That said, she wouldn’t say no to a few more days spent in the sun. ‘I’d love to go to Japan, but this time as an artist – that would be such a great achievement.’
