Berk at the age of 23 draws iconic pictures of the cities he visits on cardboard cups and travels with the money he earns by selling them.. Our acquaintance with him is based on our equipment sponsor Kutupayisi.. Berk is a likeable boy with a bit of devil hair. I wondered what it was like to travel by drawing pictures on glasses and we had a little chat with Berk…
Hi Berk,
First of all, can you briefly tell us about yourself?
-Hello Tuğçecim, my lady bear. I love you so much. I’m Berk Armağan, 23 years old.. I am studying Turkish Language Teaching at Istanbul University.. I used to be a person who goes from home to school, from school to home sometimes to friends.. I’m a casual hobbyist who occasionally paints, plays sports, and reads books.. Of course, in the last 8-9 months, I stopped being a person who draws pictures occasionally.. I’ve become someone who draws pictures every day. I’ll explain the details below.
I’ll start with the classic questions. Where did you come up with this idea?
I said before that I paint occasionally. A very close girlfriend of mine is a patient of a big coffee chain, she is a mild Pelinsu.. His birthday was approaching like 2 years ago.. While I was thinking about what to do as a gift (I don’t like material gifts), the things he liked came to mind.. Drawing on a cardboard cup. He loved Darth Vader and the little prince so much, I combined them and drew Darth Vader on the death star with the concept of the little prince.. Fainted. His friends also fainted. Actually, I don’t just draw glasses, I come up with different ideas.. Afterwards, I did different things to a few of my close friends.. I didn’t draw for a long time afterwards.. At that time I was traveling. After visiting many places in Turkey, I decided to go abroad.. But an obstacle stood in my way.. financial impossibility. At that point this idea came to my mind and I did not inspire it from anyone. I didn’t know back then that I was going to travel the world by drawing glasses.. I was out on the street to try. Seeing so much interest, I developed this idea.. Travel, traveler (person who earns money by traveling) and art (my art). I founded Seyyahart, which is a combination of these words. Then I continued from there by drawing upon request.
First she drew it as a gift to a friend…
Are there any people you inspire?
I have no one to inspire. I usually hang out on my own. I see good pictures drawings of course but I have a free style. I think so.
Are there other people doing what you’re doing? Or are you alone in this concept?
There is, so I learned later, not when I first started.. Professional designers or artists do this work.. But they only produce and share, I did not see anyone with the logic of making money to travel and draw when I travel.. What kind of person carries 50 cardboard cups with them when they travel?
How long have you been drawing?
I discovered this phenomenon when I was about 10 years old.. A picture I drew in technology and design class won me a certificate of appreciation in a competition.. Later on, I always drew from time to time.. Think it’s been a year that I didn’t draw. I’m always stuck in my head. Since I started this business, I have become a constant drawer.. I have drawn 4 glasses a day, that is, a period of 10 hours..
Do you draw glasses upon request?
This is Seyyahart’s logic. I draw on demand during my school days. I always save money until the semester or summer vacation. Afterwards, I travel around with the money I save.
How many glasses have you sold so far?
I don’t know the number of these, Tuğçecim, but it has exceeded 200.. it has been 8 months. I’m not counting, I just have a habit of collecting shipping receipts. I started collecting them after a certain period of time.
As time passed, Berk’s drawings also improved….
Is the income from glasses sufficient for travel expenses?
I provide 80% of my trips with the money I earn from glasses and 20% with the support I get from my family.. So I’m taking a trip to a place I don’t know. Things I didn’t think about could happen.. I ask for support when I have to.
Do you have sponsors?
I have sponsors. First of all, Kutupusı supported my dream.. When I told my opinion to Selçuk Abiye, “Travel the world by selling glasses…” After seeing this sentence, he said that he accepted me directly.. I was very happy then. Kutupayisi’s place will always be special to me.. Later, Promocup, a big company that produces cardboard cups for most coffee shops, sponsored me.. My cardboard cups are now from Promocup. Then there was a painting course I went to when I graduated from high school 4 years ago.. articona. I couldn’t register because it was expensive at the time.. Until 2 weeks ago, when I went to talk to the owner about my dream and my opinion, he listened to me well.. He then agreed to sponsor me.. I cannot describe or draw the happiness of that moment.. Articona became my education sponsor. Recently, Canon became a partner of my dream.. I’ll take better quality photos now.
So many questions about you and your travels. I also witnessed. What’s the dumbest question ever?
Do you draw glasses with a pencil? Is there water in the glass? These two were the most ridiculous questions I’ve ever heard.
By making drawings for animals, she bought food for street animals with the glasses she sells…
We know that she supports social responsibility projects.. Have you ever done work for animals?. What do you think about the ongoing women’s movement in Turkey?
I think it is insufficient. You know that women are still subjected to violence, men are still not conscious enough, women are still afraid of being harassed and raped.. Different things need to be considered.
Do you plan to support social responsibility projects for women?
Supported animals to fill their stomachs. I’m currently thinking about a work for Lösev. I will think of a work for women in the future.. I owe it to myself to do a social responsibility project after every big trip.. Because I don’t want to spend all my hard-earned money on a trip.. I want to share this with animals or people in need. I can definitely develop a project to raise awareness for women.. This will probably happen after my trip to America..
Thanks Tuğçecik.
Social media accounts and website for those who want to follow Berk…
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web : http://seyyahart.com/
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seyyahart/