a paris mood map !

and the transportive excitement of becoming

After going abroad on the most incredible trip last year, my husband and I vowed to take at least one special trip a year as long as we’re able – to fill our mental scrapbook with sacred experiences that all amount to a life lived as a couple and as individuals. What prompted us to make this vow was a. how life-changing our trip to Copenhagen and Amsterdam was and b. the fact that we unintentionally waited six years to take a vacation – just the two of us.

By “life-changing’ I mean that during those ten days in Europe, we felt more ‘alive’ than we ever have and connected more deeply than we have in a long time. A depth that’s hard to articulate but a kind that has been felt every second since then. That trip created clarity in our lives.

copenhagen

Something happens when you’re transported to a foreign place. It feels as if life as you know it is paused, and your soul slips into an alternate timeline –one where everything is felt more viscerally. The fog of sameness lifts, and suddenly you’re greeted with a vibrant glimpse of something more.

A life lived.

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The degree of separation I’m describing is liberating. I feel more lucid when I’m on a trip abroad. Like my feet are lighter and my chest is a little less tight. The more distance between myself and my daily routine, the more uninhibited I feel. And the more inspired I become. Trips abroad fill me with an unbridled gratitude that reminds me of how finite life is. How silly it is to agonize over the mundane. How rewarding ‘experience’ is in the grand scheme of existence.

But why?

Maybe it’s because the pressure to ‘keep up’ with life’s demands really does cloud our vision – making anything beyond the grind feel self-indulgent.

But it’s not. If we’re not seeking to know and nurture ourselves every passing day, what’s the point? How sad is the prospect of nearing the end and only knowing a small fraction of yourself?

I guess what I’m saying is that maybe traveling helps bring us closer to our quiet spirit – the truer piece of us that is too often stifled by sameness.

Our spirits are aching to be known.

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When Brandon and I were brainstorming where we might go on our next trip, I quickly piped up. Paris. We have to go to Paris.

As a lover of art and design, Paris feels like a right of passage.

Over the past five or so years, I’ve fully embraced my love of design – so much so that I’ve built my entire career around it since 2023. For most of my life, I ignored this passion, even though the signs were always there — childhood sketchbooks, fashion-editor-culture-obsessed, and an eye that always noticed the little things. Now, instead of pushing it aside, I find myself nurturing my relationship with design in nearly everything I do.

Including travel.

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I’ve been to the South of France once but spent most of my time there being sick as a dog. As a popular destination for students studying abroad, I also felt the city I visited, Montpellier, wasn’t a strong representation of French culture. It felt very catered to non-French people.

It’s also possible that since I was functionally useless, I might not have given the city a fair shot.

montpellier

Regardless of how true this notion was, the experience left a void. A void that can only be filled by the magic of quintessential Paris.

Obviously I don’t view France as a monolith. I know Paris doesn’t represent ALL of French culture. But I do believe it’s probably a primer to understanding it.

The good thing about voids is that they usually point you in a direction– a phenomenon not often manifested in any other facet of life.

I know what I don’t want, therefore I know what I do want.

I want the Paris fashion, the architecture, the art, the attitudes. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sit taller. I NEED it. But I need it NOT in the dead of summer. The one French heatwave I experienced nearly suffocated me.

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SO, if all goes according to plan, we’ll be headed to Paris and then Antwerp (separate mood map coming soon) in early September.

Until then, I’ll be building a terrace-filled itinerary and gathering all-things Parisian inspiration. Ugh, I could squeal.

Over the next several months, TCC will be a diary for all my excitement and a visual mood map vault for all of the beauty I’m storing. And all of the musings I’m recording in anticipation of meeting more of myself.

If you have any Paris recommendations, please please please comment below. 🤍

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I M A G E R Y I ‘M S E E I N G I N M Y D R E A M S

🚬 Black & White / Architecture / Warm, ambient light / Cappuccinos on the terrace / Long stares and overwhelming gratitude / 60’s eyewear and pillbox hats / Plush white hotel bedding / Chic + relaxed / Release / Sculpture / Cigarettes and entire bottles of wine / Fashion everywhere / Film / Steak tartare and a baguette / Stress of public transport / White tablecloths and understated glassware / Art in everything I see 🚬

(click here or on any of the images to scroll the entire mood map)

Some days, amidst the hustle + bustle, I feel far from myself. But I hope I always have the pull to return – or at least to keep looking.

xoxo

kw