Wally Koval chatted with us about his best-selling book, fun community, love for travelling and four Wes Anderson characters he’d invite to his dinner party.
We're so happy that Wally Koval, the founder of @AccidentallyWA, agreed to answer a couple of our questions. His wonderful book (https://t.co/bYCOgGTXXX) was sold out in no time at Book Therapy. But no worries, its restock is coming very soon! pic.twitter.com/SXFdvc4HOe
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
Hi Wally! Your book is a must-have for anyone who loves Wes Anderson’s style. That being said, we feel it’s important to stress that AWA is not a fan club. What would you say is the main purpose of what you do?
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
(1/2) Hey 👋 Excited to be chatting! Our aim is ever evolving, and the AWA Community is our North Star ⭐ What started 5+ years ago as a personal travel bucket list, populated solely by places which exude Wes Anderson's amazing aesthetic, has grown to an unimaginable degree...
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
(2/2) …today AWA goes well beyond the aesthetic and 'behind the facade’, to uncover unique tales of community, architecture, history, culture and incredible characters that we never knew existed in the halls & walls of these fascinating spaces & places
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
How do you decide whether a place is worth sharing on your Instagram or not? Are there any strict criteria which need to be met, or do you just trust your gut?
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
(1/2) There is actually a lot that goes into every single post. Aesthetically, it is trusting our gut while following a few guidelines around symmetry, perhaps some sort of novel characteristic, or maybe just a perfect pop of pink. But most importantly, it *must* have a story…
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
(2/2) …Whether architecturally or culturally relevant, perhaps an interesting individual once spent some time there. Without the story, the background, the context, it just cannot be classified as AWA.
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
The book takes its readers to more than 200 places from all around the world. Which one is your personal favourite and why?
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
(1/2) This is certainly one of the most difficult questions to answer - it is the equivalent of asking a parent who their favorite child is 😂 We started with 15,000 photos and whittled them down to the final 200 over the course of many many months of research and review...
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
(2/2) ...While this may sound like a cop out, every single one of them is our personal favorite. Every single photographer that took part deserves their own 9-minute standing ovation for adding their own unique touch of beauty to the project, and to the Community as a whole 👏🏼
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
What do you love the most about travelling?
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
(1/4) Traveling is the best way to experience new cultures, understand how others live and truly get 'lost' while finding important things about yourself along the way. In a nutshell it is forever a learning experience and no matter where you live or what your situation...
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
(2/4) ... travel is always feasible - It just depends how you look at it. The beauty of 'travel' is that you do not need to go far to experience it. You can literally travel in your own backyard. Whether you live in a big city or a tiny town...
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
(3/4) ...there are beautiful places to see, interesting stories to uncover, and unique individuals to learn from if you just allow yourself to see things from a slightly different perspective, or through a slightly different lens…
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
(4/4)...It is always eye opening to see how many times people comment on our posts “I walk by that building every day on my way to work, I never expected to see it on your feed!” or “I never knew that happened there!” It is there, you just have to allow yourself to see it ...
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
If you could invite three Wes Anderson characters to your dinner party, who would you choose and why?
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
Ok this one I can handle…Steve Zissou for the war stories, Suzy Bishop for the penmanship, and Max Fisher to fill any dull moments with factoids & lively debate. Though you only asked for three, I'd sneak in Pele dos Santos to serenade us 🎶
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
Wally, our last question: What is next for Accidentally Wes Anderson?
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
(1/2) With the help of the AWA Community's feedback and suggestions, AWA has evolved drastically over the past 5 years. Our book became a New York Times Bestseller and is now printed in 7 languages across 9 editions with more on the way. We graduated from Instagram to launch a...
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
(2/3) ... 'Searchable Adventurers Database' (https://t.co/3rOY9MiJRx) to help our Community plan Adventures of their own. We curate and compose the #1 “non-newsletter”, brightening the inboxes of thousands of self-proclaimed “Super Adventurers” twice per month ...
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
(3/3) and we have exhibitions and galleries that have popped up across multiple countries & continents around the world. Where we will go next is solely up to the AWA Community. Without them this project would not be possible, and even if it were, it wouldn't be half as much fun!
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
Whichever path you choose, we’re sure it will be a lot of fun. 💙 Thank you so much for chatting with us, Wally, we wish you the best of luck!
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
Thank you so much! We had a blast and hope your Community finds it interesting - maybe we can come say hello when we finally make it to Prague in person 🥰🤞
— AccidentallyWesAnderson (@AccidentallyWA) February 16, 2022
Please, do, we're looking forward to seeing you! 👋
— Book Therapy (@booktherapycz) February 16, 2022
