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Earlier this summer I headed down to the south of France. There was a lot about the trip that didn't go as planned, starting with my friend I was supposed to travel with having to cancel her trip to France, then learning the joys of non-refundable train tickets (I found a taker for the second ticket), my own inability to judge distances / a surprising lack of connecting trains, and a heatwave and forest fires to top it off.

It really was the last leg of my trip where I was set to see a second friend in Aix that didn't go as planned. I do love logistics and not backtracking, but no matter how many ways I looked at the puzzle it just seemed forced. No, I was not going to spend 3+ hours on the train for what should be a 20-minute train ride.

Instead, I saw it as an invitation from the universe that this visit was not supposed to happen right now. There was no point in forcing it, especially when it was in the high 30s C / 90s F. Instead I'd head back to Avignon for the afternoon and catch my train back to Paris. I'd been to Avignon before, am good at entertaining myself, and could read my book.

But the adventure didn't stop there. When I arrived in Avignon (after Ardèche for a couple days), I followed a banner I spotted near the train station for a Dan Flavin expo. I looked it up on my phone, and much to my pleasant surprise, it was only a 5-minute walk from the station. It took me to a place called Collection Lambert, which was also new to me (and is definitely a new favorite!)

My curiosity had taken me to a magical mecca on both a heatwave day, and a national holiday (14 Juillet/Bastille Day). My bag even fit perfectly into to their lockers. I was ready to move in for the day!

I ended up having the most delicious lunch at Le Violette restaurant in the courtyard. The sign said they were complet/full, but I asked anyway and got the last—and in my mind, the best—seat before they closed for the afternoon. Then I enjoyed the incredible collection of contemporary art inside the beautiful space. There was Dan Flavin, but so much more too! Before heading back to the train I enjoyed an iced coffee with my book in the courtyard for what turned into a perfect and unexpected day.✨ This was all better than I could have imagined!

It was all an excellent reminder to not force plans. Curiosity and openness really can be the best guides.

Here's this week's inspiration:

Read.

For as many new books I bring into my home, in the past couple years I've found myself enjoying revisiting books more than ever. One of those books is Elizabeth Gilbert's book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. I love her exploration of creativity sprinkled with stories of her own journey. The chapters are super digestable and open up possibilities.

Listen.

Kat Vellos started in UX design before exploring the power of human connections. She even wrote a book on it called We Should Get Together. I particularly appreciate her newsletter where she first posted her piece called "Instead of pruning friends, try this." Recently she also chatted about how to begin rebuilding your social circle on WBEZ Chicago's NPR show Reset.

Watch.

Sometimes algorithms aren't so bad. YouTube autoplayed this one for me automatically after I lost my tab somewhere in my million open tabs. Now I'm a huge fan of Malte Marten's handpan playing. "Sail away" which is truly meditative. (I found more of his music on Spotify too.) It's so calming to listen to, but also to watch.

Things to look forward to!

Two of my favorite volunteer organizations, CreativeMornings and StreetWisdom, will be teaming up for the World Wide Wander on Sept 22-23. I'll be facilitating two sessions—early morning Paris time on Fri, Sept 23rd—but you can join any (it's all virtual) of them depending on where you are in the world. I'm not sure that my session has been posted yet, so stay tuned.

Speaking of CreativeMornings, I'm also hosting a Make a Map! FieldTrip on September, Septmeber 27th. It's all online and FREE to join if you sign up! (Don't forget to bring a banana!). Click the link to convert to your local time.

I'm hosting TWO upcoming Write Your Own Rules workshops to reach more people around the world. By the end of 2-hour interactive workshop, you'll walk away with your very own rulebook to carry forward in work and life. I'll be offering it Friday, September 30th from 5-7:30pm Paris time (that's 11am EST start), and Saturday, October 1st 10am-12:30pm Paris time (that's 6pm AEST). Eventbrite should convert the time for you automatically.

It's coming! Mapping Your Path into 2023 launches very soon! If you want in with the biggest savings, mark your calendar for the week of Sept 19th to sign up with the 48-hour earlybird pricing. I'm not sure the exact date yet, but I wanted to put it on your radar. Those who sign up for the waitlist will be the first to know. We'll officially get things started on Oct 7th. (MYP alumni, you still get the deepest discount :) ).

From the archives ✍️

With the passing of the Queen I was reminded of this piece I wrote for 99U back in 2020 about "Navigating grief when a creative role model passes away." No matter what your take on the monarchy is, grief is one of those subjects I will keep bringing forward because it's something we can no longer ignore—especially after the past few years. I wanted to write this article in a way that felt timeless, and applies to all kinds of grief whether you knew the person or not.

In mid-August I kicked off my 2-week social media break and somehow it's still going 4-weeks in. There are plenty of times when I've been quiet on social media, but ferociously scrolling in the background. Something about this time is different. I've popped on IG Stories three times now to broadcast messages, but I didn't feel sucked in.

I've managed to stay off Netflix too (except I gave myself a rainy day exception, and stopped when the pop up came up asking me if I was still watching). I check the news on my own time and even read articles I wouldn't have read otherwise on newspaper homepages. It's been refreshing to feel like I'm in control again instead of it controlling me.

I know none of this is forever. In fact, I may have to force myself back on (but I'm legitimately excited to talk about MYP and get another cohort of incredible humans signed up). It reminds me of the post I wrote last year "Yes, you can take a social media break. No, the world won't end." I've learned great lessons from these pauses in past but sometime this spring/summer when I didn't take my pause, old patterns returned.

So yes, I'll be back soon—I think—but maybe in a more limited capacity. There are too many other things bubbling up to lose my time to endless scrolling. Perhaps it's all part of a bigger detour in the right direction...

Have a fantastic week! 🤸‍♀️

P.S. Don't forget, Write Your Own Rules Workshop is coming up at the end of the month! It's a ton of fun if you haven't taken it yet. There are a bunch of people who have taken it multiple times too to help reinforce playing by their own rules rather than the ones society has put before us.

Anne S. Ditmeyer is a creative coach + workshop facilitator who helps people think creatively in their work and life to get on the path that feels true—and exciting—to them. The next cohort of Mapping Your Path into 2023 opens for enrollment in September.

anneditmeyer.com

Prêt à Voyager

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