Journey Juju

#best09 - This Year Was...

frickin' crazy.

I'm supposed to come up with a word or phrase that best encapsulates this year. Much as I try to come up with something deep and meaningful, the phrase that insists on defining this year:

frickin' crazy.

I haven't had the opportunity to post this image, but this seems like a good time. This piece of 'art' was in my first, bad apartment in Amsterdam. It was life-sized, so I couldn't even take it down or turn it away.

IMHO, not only is the rendering bad, the subject matter is a bit scary. Is she snarling or what? I wondered what kind of place I was staying in. I was sick and this made me feel even sicker. Luckily Brandy came to my rescue and had me house sit for her.

#best09 - Best Tea

hot beverage break in Amsterdam

I was heavy into coffee this year, particularly the macchiato. There’s nothing like a hit of espresso to fuel an afternoon in Italy, or anywhere else for that matter.

But I do favor tea, and when I’m not drinking my favorite – homemade chai – I love a smoky tea.

In Amsterdam I recently came upon the marvelous tea shop Simon Levelt, where I bought some smoky Earl Grey. It wasn’t the best tea I've had, but it did bring me back toward the smoky tea, which I love.

I’m going out to buy some lapsang souchong right now.

#best09 - Best Change to Living Situation

 

This year, I lived in Roquebrun, France, then became a creative nomad for five weeks. Then I moved to Denver after being in Europe for a year. So there’s been a lot of change on the home front.

Stopping being a nomad was the best change I made. I can’t tolerate a nomadic lifestyle for too long. As a nomad I spent a lot of time making travel arrangements. Much as I love movement and change, I came to loathe the act of packing and leaving.

And while I love the work of planning travel, I also have other things I want to create. I don’t want to spend a ton of extra energy finding the best way to get from Amsterdam to Carcasonne, and Carcasonne to Italy.

I love home: the rhythms of it, the way I can control my food, being near my friends, easier access to exercise and yoga. Home helps me create my art, writing and work.

I love how travel opens me creatively, for the way it works me and makes me grow. I now have a balance of home and travel. My favorite thing is to make a home in a new place, even for a week. For that I need a kitchen and room to work.

#best09 - Best New Food

Last meal in Cinque Terre>Trattoria Mario>Florence airport to Amsterdam

After breakfast in Cinque Terre, lunch in Florence, we bussed to the airport, where I applied a spritz of Bulgari perfume, and got on a plane to Amsterdam.

We arrived late on a Friday night. Mr. B and I made our way to our apartment, dropped our stuff off, went shopping for breakfast supplies and laundry detergent, threw a load of clothes in, and headed out for a late dinner.

The guy we rented the apartment from gave us directions to a street where he assured us there were plenty of restaurants. But when we found the street, it was like some kind of joke.  We passed Italian restaurant after Italian restaurant. “No!” I shouted every time I saw one. Then burst out laughing at the absurdity of it. This is some kind of weird food juju.

Finally we found a place that looked open and not Italian. It was Daar Baand, a Persian restaurant. I have eaten Persian food, homemade for me by my friend and leadership tribe mate Parisa, who is from Iran. But this food was different.

We ordered several small dishes: two kinds of eggplant, dolmas, 
Everything that was hot had a crust of cheese baked on top. I’ve never eaten dolmas hot with melted cheese. The eggplant dishes were the best. All of it was great, washed down with beer.

If I’d not been so travel weary I would have written down or drawn what we had. All I have are some bad photos. 

I’ll always be grateful for Daar Baand for breaking the Italian food spell.

Blog Update & What's Where

Shooting in Amsterdam

I’ve enjoyed plenty of travel this year (two five-week trips in Europe, phew!). I’m happy to store my suitcase and buckle down on my winter projects. I have a backlog (would that be a back-blog?) of posts about my recent trip that I’ll be posting soon.

Stay tuned for reports on shopping in Europe, the variety of European markets, best places to eat in Venice and the best overall food award…it’s probably not what you think!

And watch for news of my 2010 European creativity excursions. I'm developing the curriculum now!

My posts about how to make writing and creating easier are on the Original Impulse blog. Travel-related posts will be on the Journey Juju blog.

Be sure to subscribe to both blogs for tips and inspiration on how to be most creative at work, home, in the studio and on the road.

My Graceful Return

Words spilling out after my return

On the night I returned from my five-week trip to Europe, the family I live with was hosting a pumpkin carving party. By the time I arrived from Paris, they were done carving and were enjoying dinner. I sat down, gave headlines from the trip and ate a bowl of curried squash soup. It was a beautiful and autumnal return from a long and challenging trip. 

This may have been the most difficult trip I have ever taken. Honestly I am surprised I made it the entire five weeks. But that’s another story; it would be great if I could turn it into a screenplay. I see it as a movie starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Tom Cruise. :) It was also a trip full of unexpected delights, abundant insights and deep learning.

For me, travel almost always presents opportunities to learn and grow beyond my perceived capacity. Think personal growth boot camp, made palatable by tons of beauty and many joyous moments and lots of good food and drink.

So, upon my return, what to do with the complex mix of impressions, thoughts and emotions from one crazy and intense journey?

I’m using the tools from my e-book The Graceful Return to process the insights and learning from my trip. While on the road, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my work and what I want to share with my clients and readers in coming years. Mr. B, a successful businessman, gave me a lot of feedback (some painful - think dry shave and you get it). I’m busy sorting through it all to develop my work. 

Recovering from a Mobile Lifestyle

From Part One of The Graceful Return, I’m using several of the self-care practices I recommend. I’m talking about my experiences with good friends, who are helping me unpack and understand what I experienced. I’m making sure to exercise and eat nourishing foods. Most importantly, I spend time each day reflecting on the lessons from my trip. My notebook is packed with wildly enthusiastic notes and sketches. I also know that this process takes time and I may still be gathering insights months and even years later.

 

The Original Impulse home office

Writing Every Day in November

 

Rain in Cinque Terre Dampens Neither Me Nor My Spirits

I have not been writing much on this latest trip, but I have been taking notes. Using my creative travel tools has helped me to jot lists, names, and to make sketches so I have a skeleton I can fill in later.

Later? When is that? When I go home I’ll be back at work. I’ll be visiting with friends. I’ll slip back into the busyness of life and routine. The stories I want to capture about my travels in Croatia, Italy, Paris and Amsterdam could easily live in my mind only. I don’t want to let them dissipate. As I wind down this five-week trip and prepare to head home this weekend, I’m wondering how I will capture all this.

Then I remembered the Free Write Fling, the online writing marathon I host. It’s the perfect structure to get my memories down on paper and see what’s there.

So I’m going to join the Free Write Fling. I’m going to write every day for at least 15 minutes in November. I set this up for others to develop a writing habit, but now I see I need it as well.

November is also National Novel Writing Month. If you’re ready to birth that novel gestating inside you, NaNoWriMo is a great midwife to your book. You need only write 50,000 words on your novel during November.

I’ll also be using tools from my latest e-book, The Graceful Return, to help process all that this trip has been. There’s been a lot of conversation and movement in both my personal and professional realms, and I want to be sure to capture that. The Graceful Return will help, as will the commitment to write daily.

What project are you ready to bring to the forefront with daily attention? Use the Free Write Fling as I am to help support an intention to write it all down, or sign up for NaNoWriMo to get the bones of your novel onscreen.

The Creative Person’s Hierarchy of Needs

You’ve heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In a nutshell, as humans, our basic needs are: Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem and Self-Actualization. To read more, go here.

Creative people, those who are making things – books, businesses, design, art – have additional needs. Recognizing these needs and making sure they are met are essential to applied creativity.

When we don’t acknowledge our needs, we’re allowing life to dictate our experience. Knowing your needs and being willing to take action to make sure they are met will make the already challenging work of creating much easier.

 

Not on the list but so important: lots of notebooks!

These are Marcus McAllister's notebooks in his Paris studio. I love his art.

Over ten years of coaching and almost twice that time creating things myself, I’ve identified ten needs creative people have. But unlike Maslow, I don’t prioritize them. Each person will have their own hierarchy for these needs and will also have their own needs to add.  Here they are:

Paris vs Amsterdam: Cities Compete for My Love

I know it’s silly to choose favorites, but by nature we like to compare things. Our identities are developed through our preferences. Paris has been my favorite city since I first went there in 1985. Every other city I’ve been to is held up against the City of Lights and pales in comparison. Until Amsterdam.

Amsterdam                Paris

I visited Amsterdam twice in this last year and last June, I could feel it catching up to Paris as my favorite city. In March, I finally capitulated and admitted that my desire to live there is real. Ever since my first visit to Amsterdam in 1988, I’ve wanted to stay there longer.

Because I like to understand and analyze things, I’m going to do a city-to-city comparison. Let's look at the appeal of both of these compelling cities.

Amsterdam - My New Favorite City

I love Amsterdam. I have to confess that for the moment at least, Amsterdam has overtaken Paris for the title of my favorite city. I absolutely love this place! Let me tell you why.

It's the pace, the quiet, the way I can duck off a main road and ride my bike along a quiet canal. It's the way the bikes flow with traffic and pedestrians in a seamless, graceful flow. Okay, there are casualties when bikes and cards and people collide. A bike city! How much more me can it be? It's not perfect, this Amsterdam, but I love it anyway.

I adore the architecture, the way the towering brick houses line the canals, trees just budding, flower  boxes overflowing with tulips and other brightly blooming bulbs.

The first time I came here in 1988 I wanted to stay. Last summer I got a better sense of the city but wanted to come back when alone so I could explore more.

In this city you are constantly lost, but if you are alone, it's easier. I have seen countless couples grappling with the map, fending off frustration and power issues. That happened to me and Denise last year and I am quite content to be lost alone. Though it's getting easier to navigate the city and with a bike, I feel incredible freedom.

But there's more.