"I developed my passion for maps very early. My family traveled and moved around a lot. My dad taught me how to read maps and I would help him navigate. I used to flip through our Rand McNally atlas to pass hours traveling across the countryside. Maps are invitations to explore and visit new places. They give security in the knowledge that there's a way to get to your destination. If all else fails, a map will be your guide," Patrick shared how he first became acquainted with maps and how his passion grew. It hits close to home.

Patrick also reminisced about the moment he came up with the idea for the subreddit, back when he was living in a small flat in Taipei, in Taiwan. "I knew that I had a good idea and it felt almost electric. Like a fork in the road and your destiny is changing. When I moved back to the states I was able to find a career making maps (as a land surveyor) and I am grateful every day that I can do something that I love."

Doing what we love for a living is a godsend. And though everyone might be there, plenty of us have felt the 'electric' feeling that Patrick's talking about where genuine excitement meets the potential for greatness.

Even though a lot of the amateur cartographers found on the subreddit have great ideas and are overflowing with creativity, their execution needs work to make the end results look less "hasty and skeletal." Patrick explained that some people need to develop their tastes for style and design. Luckily, he had some helpful tips for you and me.

"It is not that they are bad, it's just that they don't know that they can make their maps so much better. I'm talking about things like fonts and information boxes, detail and vicinity maps, adding gradients to water features, thoughtful color choices, shadows behind place markers. The subtleties are what make maps exquisite," he detailed.

"The best way to learn how to do these things is to look at lots maps and see how other cartographers solve these problems. Imitate the masters. Read a few books on cartography and design. Some of the books that influenced me are 'Info We Trust' by RJ Andrews, 'Cartography' by Kenneth Field, and 'Things Maps Don't Tell Us' by Armin Lobeck. If you can integrate the ideas in these books you'll be a league above the average amateur cartographer."

As for the future? Patrick's waiting for the Covid-19 pandemic to die down and go traveling again. Among his plans is visiting the Baltic countries, especially the Soviet map store in Latvia.

With nearly 1.3 million members, the map-loving subreddit is a cartography powerhouse on the net (and it’s making me itch to start drawing a few maps of my own again). In June of 2020, the subreddit had just shy of a million members, so they're continuing to grow steadily.

The group has been on Reddit since the late spring of 2011 and will be looking forward to its 10th birthday in just a few short months. What with the rise and fall of online groups every single day, reaching the decade-long mark is no easy feat and it speaks to the quality of the content they share.

In previous interviews with the founder of the subreddit, Patrick, Bored Panda learned all about the history of how the group was founded, as well as what kinds of maps you can expect to find. Patrick, a land surveyor from Colorado, founded the community while he was living in Taiwan in 2011.

A map geek through and through just like some of my colleagues and I, Patrick wanted to create a place where people could easily find and discuss beautiful maps. Patrick is also a member of the North American Cartographic Information Society, the Carles Close Society for the Study of Ordnance Survey Maps, the Rocky Mountain Map Society, among other groups.

According to the founder, there was a time not too long ago when the internet was much more chill about using certain words while naming online groups. “In the years since the culture on the internet has taken a much more puritan bias and some people don't like that name,” he explained and I can’t help but agree with him—you have to really watch what you write and say nowadays. And the internet sometimes seems like it doesn’t understand subtlety, sarcasm, irony, or jokes anymore.

Patrick explained to Bored Panda that there’s a bit of everything for everyone in the group: from historical and funny maps to imaginary and linguistic maps and more. “One of my favorite interactions is when a map is posted of an obscure place and someone in the comments says they live there or has a story about that place,” he said.

“Maps are a way to visualize the world in a way that is easy to grasp. They are an aid in learning about new lands and faraway places. They help us find our way when we are lost,” Patrick pointed out, adding that during the pandemic they can be great ways for us to travel while staying at home.

One of the categories on the subreddit is dedicated to political realignments that redraw borders and all I can say is that I’m a major fan. They’re imaginative, creative, funny, and make us look at history in an entirely different way. Playing ‘what if…’ games is a lot of fun.

Why do people love maps? Because they’re aesthetic. Because they’re like picture books for adults. Because you can get lost in them for days and they awaken your sleeping desire to go on an adventure. Because they reveal a novel way of looking at life that we’re not used to. And because squiggly lines are fun to draw. Or at least these are all the reasons why I love cartography (yours might be different).

Personally, I don’t mind that the map precedes the territory, no matter what Jean Baudrillard says. Why? Because, like unusual and intriguing books, they have ways of sparking new ideas and expanding our minds. Who needs the actual territory when we have such gorgeous maps to look at from the safety of our homes?

Which map was your favorite one and why? What’s the most aesthetic or interesting map you’ve ever seen in real life? Do you have any maps at home? Are you a major geek like me and love drawing maps for your Dungeons & Dragons groups (I hope I’m not alone!)? Share your thoughts and, hopefully, your love for maps in the comment section below.