Award-Winning Interior Designer, Kasey McCarty, owner of Kasey McCarty Design Studio

Tell us about a recent experience that qualifies as an adventure. For me travel is an adventure, whether it’s abroad or domestic. Seeing new countries, cities, people and culture is an amazing adventure, and I do my best to immerse myself completely. I am not a thrill-seeking adventurist, I am a simple observer of life and that to me is a great adventure.

This spring I participated in a six-week Group Study Exchange (GSE) through Rotary International that visited Osaka, Japan. The GSE program invites individuals under 40 who are not Rotarians to join the exchange with both a strong vocational and cultural component.

There are a few reasons I qualify this trip as an adventure.

1. The obvious: I travelled to a part of the world I had never visited.

2. There were six people in our group, and none of us really knew each other. Host families offered us their homes.

3. I didn’t speak or read Japanese, and stayed with families that didn’t speak English.

4. I left my interior design business for six weeks during a recession. As a designer, the vocational visits exposed me to some incredible traditional and modern architecture. There is such an amazing aesthetic to everything in Japan, including the people, the food (and its presentation), the traditions, the landscape and the history. It was so inspiring, and I now see some of that inspiration influencing my current designs.

One of my purposes for going to Japan was to consider the next step for my career. But the beauty of the trip and how it was organized left no time to ponder my life. It was one of the few times in my life that I lived purely in the moment. I let life take me rather than try to control it and it was so freeing and just what I needed.

How do adventurous experiences affect your perspective on everyday life?

An adventurous experience can really take you out of your head and make you aware of how you’re connected to the bigger world.  I have travelled abroad quite a bit and I lived in South America when I was in the Peace Corps. I value those experiences, how they help me interact and understand the differences and not so “differences” in people. I like to say that the travel adventures that I have had have helped me “see.”

Name one way that people can make their normal lives more interesting?

Participate in your community.  I live in Austin, and really enjoy exploring the city. I have lived here for 10 years and there are still so many things that I haven’t done or seen so I am constantly checking off my “to-see/to-do” list.  I try to explore new restaurants, hike in different areas of the city and just drive around in new neighborhoods. (It’s helpful that my job makes this really easy since I have to be in all parts of the city.)

Can you tell us about an adventure that sounded great on paper but somehow went wrong?

Nothing comes to mind, but one thing that I would never do is bungee jump – doesn’t sound or look good on paper and I am positive my feet would be ripped from my body!

When you’re 80 years old (or if you’re already there, add few years) what adventure memory will you tell repeatedly?

I am half way to 80 and so far my experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in my early 20s holds the number one spot for an adventure memory. I can still wring out a story, and  I have a few great romance stories from my earlier travels that I save for special audiences. I hope the next 40 years continues a combination of adventure and romance……My next travel adventure will be a trip to China.

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About the author

Autumn Carpenter
While navigating the carpool lane and translating toddler conversations might not rank high on some adventure life lists, I happily include those accomplishments alongside skydiving, dodging Pamplonian bulls and surviving three-hour Vinyasa yoga classes. I look for the story in everyday situations, and convey them easily in both print and online mediums. I’m also SEO-friendly ghostblogger, web content writer and copywriter. Let’s collaborate on a project today!

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