This blog post is in two parts - first is the fun hidden and offbeat Paris stuff I know you'll enjoy from my adventures - the second is the behind the scenes stuff that I've been feeling intensely in the middle of all the fun-seeming stuff. I know I'll easily forget the hard stuff a few years down the road, so I'm choosing to document some of it here because it's a very real part of the inner work that comes with traveling this way.
First, some of the hidden and offbeat Paris stuff...
A lot of people walk by the Conciergerie and don't quite realize what it is or why you may want to see it. I even attended a concert at Sainte-Chapelle before realizing the Conciergerie could be toured. It has a long political history in Paris, including Marie Antoinette's secret confinement and judgement before being hanged. When you look inside, it appears to be a big cavernous space with nothing in it, but if you get the iPad to go with your tour, you get a virtual reality look into the ways the building has been used in the past.
While this next location is by no means offbeat or even hidden - if you tend to avoid commercial brand name malls when you travel because you want to focus on what's unique - you might miss this gem of architecture hidden inside a very modernized mall. There's also a fantastic view over the city that's completely free on the roof of this building, and all you have to do is make your way to the top.
This next Alpine Cottage installation may not be around when you visit - but perhaps they'll think of something else creative to entice people into spending ridiculous amounts of money on...
Since there were plenty of galettes in bakeries over the last month, which are shared similarly to New Orlean's King Cakes, I figured Paris must have a fun way of celebrating Carnaval. The community parade that happened in Belleville did not disappoint- not even with the threat of rain...
We discovered another train station and place to eat along the Petite Centure, at La Recyclerie...
A place where you can eat in a bathtub if you really want to...
A place where you can play ping-pong on an upside down car and many other creative things...
Have a bouillon-style lunch in a fabulous Art Nouveau interior away from the tourist crowds...
Special thanks to my friend Monika Broz and of course my husband Alex, who ventured out in the rain and cold with me to find some of these spots to enjoy, as we collectively attempted to take our minds off work for just a little while. We also spent quite a bit of time entertaining other out of town guests this week from Finland, Quebec, and Miami, and are so grateful for all the good food and company we got to have together this week.
What happened behind the scenes:
Last week I realized that this is actually the longest stretch of time I've ever gone without focusing on producing new work full time (though it could be argued that daily instagram posts and blog posts are new work- but since they are not a form of income generation in this moment- they aren't work to me). In 2012, during what seemed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world, I only lasted about 8 weeks in Australia before I felt like I needed to plug myself back into thinking about work in order to enjoy my time there. The difference at that time was that I had a VISA which allowed me to freelance locally, and I could network easily because I understood the language.
This year, I don't have working permissions for China or France, and I don't have local language fluency in either country, so my ability to "work" has been restricted to asynchronous online work. I'm coming to realize that this may be my least favorite way of working because even when dealing with experienced contractors who know me quite well, the miscommunications that occur asynchronously over email take twice as long to iron out, which feels like an inefficient and wasteful use of time compared to being able to communicate synchronously and in person. So, that has contributed to some frustrations.
On top of that, my social circle and networking opportunities are a bit more limited as well due to my lack of language fluency in these countries. However, I have still met some lovely English-speaking business owners and entrepreneurs, but they also have a certain amount of French fluency to help them get by a little better than I can, which allows them to mingle in French and in English. So there are challenges to participating in social circles without language fluency that also adds to building up a greater need for some intensive decompression and relaxation.
Last week my nervous system became so ramped up with the static of wanting to feel productive and as though I'm making a difference with my time that I really had to examine why? Why wasn't I able to relax? I realized I really haven't given myself permission to relax at all. Working has been my default mode since I was a teenager, and even many of my relaxation activities have revolved around working or networking. I haven't given myself permission to simply take time off and enjoy things, so I decided that I needed to give myself a break and remember what it's like not to be caught up in the hustle of building a business.
That being said, I did have a few asynchronous successes over the last month, and I should probably at least acknowledge them to balance all of the static build up I felt:
1. An order fulfillment for 30 copies of the Pricing Workbook for Creatives to appear at the USITT Conference in Houston, TX.
2. I wrapped up an introductory online course of guided meditations, recorded slide presentation, and self-development questions to help people better understand the physics involved in energy healing.
3. A podcast episode for Geek Girl Tarot that I recorded late last year was released and made publicly available on how we can use our judgement to examine and uplevel our inner game.
Of course the guided meditations I created for the online course also became part of my own healing process for wrestling with everything. Recognizing where I wanted to go, where I was building static and frustration, and how to release it all and allow more flow were all part of my journey behind the scenes. Figuring out what I needed to put myself back into a state of flow so that I could step out of frustration was a big learning experience behind the scenes this week- and once I accomplished that- everything became easy and aligned once again.
First, some of the hidden and offbeat Paris stuff...
A lot of people walk by the Conciergerie and don't quite realize what it is or why you may want to see it. I even attended a concert at Sainte-Chapelle before realizing the Conciergerie could be toured. It has a long political history in Paris, including Marie Antoinette's secret confinement and judgement before being hanged. When you look inside, it appears to be a big cavernous space with nothing in it, but if you get the iPad to go with your tour, you get a virtual reality look into the ways the building has been used in the past.
While this next location is by no means offbeat or even hidden - if you tend to avoid commercial brand name malls when you travel because you want to focus on what's unique - you might miss this gem of architecture hidden inside a very modernized mall. There's also a fantastic view over the city that's completely free on the roof of this building, and all you have to do is make your way to the top.
This next Alpine Cottage installation may not be around when you visit - but perhaps they'll think of something else creative to entice people into spending ridiculous amounts of money on...
Since there were plenty of galettes in bakeries over the last month, which are shared similarly to New Orlean's King Cakes, I figured Paris must have a fun way of celebrating Carnaval. The community parade that happened in Belleville did not disappoint- not even with the threat of rain...
We discovered another train station and place to eat along the Petite Centure, at La Recyclerie...
A place where you can eat in a bathtub if you really want to...
A place where you can play ping-pong on an upside down car and many other creative things...
Have a bouillon-style lunch in a fabulous Art Nouveau interior away from the tourist crowds...
Special thanks to my friend Monika Broz and of course my husband Alex, who ventured out in the rain and cold with me to find some of these spots to enjoy, as we collectively attempted to take our minds off work for just a little while. We also spent quite a bit of time entertaining other out of town guests this week from Finland, Quebec, and Miami, and are so grateful for all the good food and company we got to have together this week.
What happened behind the scenes:
Last week I realized that this is actually the longest stretch of time I've ever gone without focusing on producing new work full time (though it could be argued that daily instagram posts and blog posts are new work- but since they are not a form of income generation in this moment- they aren't work to me). In 2012, during what seemed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world, I only lasted about 8 weeks in Australia before I felt like I needed to plug myself back into thinking about work in order to enjoy my time there. The difference at that time was that I had a VISA which allowed me to freelance locally, and I could network easily because I understood the language.
This year, I don't have working permissions for China or France, and I don't have local language fluency in either country, so my ability to "work" has been restricted to asynchronous online work. I'm coming to realize that this may be my least favorite way of working because even when dealing with experienced contractors who know me quite well, the miscommunications that occur asynchronously over email take twice as long to iron out, which feels like an inefficient and wasteful use of time compared to being able to communicate synchronously and in person. So, that has contributed to some frustrations.
On top of that, my social circle and networking opportunities are a bit more limited as well due to my lack of language fluency in these countries. However, I have still met some lovely English-speaking business owners and entrepreneurs, but they also have a certain amount of French fluency to help them get by a little better than I can, which allows them to mingle in French and in English. So there are challenges to participating in social circles without language fluency that also adds to building up a greater need for some intensive decompression and relaxation.
Last week my nervous system became so ramped up with the static of wanting to feel productive and as though I'm making a difference with my time that I really had to examine why? Why wasn't I able to relax? I realized I really haven't given myself permission to relax at all. Working has been my default mode since I was a teenager, and even many of my relaxation activities have revolved around working or networking. I haven't given myself permission to simply take time off and enjoy things, so I decided that I needed to give myself a break and remember what it's like not to be caught up in the hustle of building a business.
That being said, I did have a few asynchronous successes over the last month, and I should probably at least acknowledge them to balance all of the static build up I felt:
1. An order fulfillment for 30 copies of the Pricing Workbook for Creatives to appear at the USITT Conference in Houston, TX.
2. I wrapped up an introductory online course of guided meditations, recorded slide presentation, and self-development questions to help people better understand the physics involved in energy healing.
3. A podcast episode for Geek Girl Tarot that I recorded late last year was released and made publicly available on how we can use our judgement to examine and uplevel our inner game.
Of course the guided meditations I created for the online course also became part of my own healing process for wrestling with everything. Recognizing where I wanted to go, where I was building static and frustration, and how to release it all and allow more flow were all part of my journey behind the scenes. Figuring out what I needed to put myself back into a state of flow so that I could step out of frustration was a big learning experience behind the scenes this week- and once I accomplished that- everything became easy and aligned once again.