Life Update from Germany

Hello Friends! It's been a while. We moved to Germany in April and have traveled somewhere new almost every weekend. There are a couple reasons why I haven't posted since we got here, but the biggest one is the crippling amount of content I have to share. I've taken so many pictures of awesome typography I've seen throughout Europe, that I don't know where to start. My resolution this year is to post at least three times a month and maybe someday I'll catch up with myself. I have been keeping up (sort of) with the Travel Type Instagram account, and also made a Twitter which I have no idea how to use.

So far, Germany is amazing. Picking up and moving to another country has taught me so much about myself. Being torn out of my routine culture forced me to confront my assumptions, biases, fears and ideas about what is "normal". Little things that used to be so simple are now turned upside down. Our first week here we got trapped in a parking garage, and it took a team of six police officers to help us get out. That type of thing. Assimilating into a new culture is both frustrating and hilarious.

As Will got settled into his new job, I got settled into not having a job. This has actually been a big hurdle for me, as I used to measure my self-worth by how much I was contributing to our relationship. I liked that I was paying my own student loans and had the freedom to waste my earned money as I pleased. Now, we've been forced to grow up and download a budgeting app. Sometimes I miss my $75/mani-pedis, but I also enjoy flying to Croatia and soaking in Czech beer spas. Turns out I'm willing to make these type of sacrifices.

So what have I been doing with all this free time? I've actually thought a lot about time. How do I want to spend it? What will make me feel fulfilled? The last few years have been so 'go go go' that I haven't had many moments of self reflection. When you're little you think "I can't wait to be grown up so I can do whatever I want". So I've decided to do whatever I want, at least for the time being. I'm allowing myself to be led by the blind optimism that whatever I do will help me find some greater purpose. My overall goal is reconnect with my creative self.

In order to find my creativity again, I've been writing A TON and staying curious. I'm pursuing questions and interests that were previously on the back burner. I'm reading a lot more and watching a lot of TED Talks. I'm not so much of a 'schedule' person, although I tried for a few weeks. I set aside time daily for yoga/meditation, writing, drawing, walking/running, playing the guitar/violin, practicing German, learning (like a LinkedIn Learning video), reading and cooking. It was exhausting and I found myself getting sucked into one thing and not wanting to move on to the next activity.

The last few months I've done a lot of research into interests that could potentially turn into careers. I've planned a zillion trips, maybe I could be a travel agent. I discovered a field called "Design Anthropology" which sounds like it was created for me. I read about UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List and I can't stop thinking about all of the rituals, celebrations and traditions that need to be protected. I reacquainted myself with Design Thinking. I'm interested in learning more about film production and how to improve my travel blogs, without becoming a stereotypical "blogger". I'm looking for a cause I can get behind. I've finished the first draft of a book, and have an idea for another one.

Despite not having a traditional job, I'm keeping myself very busy. You can join my mailing list to keep updated on all my future posts! Much more typography inspiration and travel stories to come.