Pause for Purpose

Mark K November 10th, 2008

When we traveled to France in October, I arrived a little early so that I could spend some time in Paris and take the opportunity to write about what I experienced.  I spent my days alternating between being a tourist – trying to see as many sights as I could, and being a “flaneur” – someone who wanders without a plan, taking time to notice things along the way.  When I returned to my apartment, I sat at my writer’s table and listened to the foot traffic outside my window while I gathered my thoughts.Paris is such a lively city with such a tradition of creativity – from artists to writers to philosophers – that I found plenty of inspiration for stories.  I would usually go through the photos that I had taken that day and use that as a starting point.

I found that it was sometimes a struggle to listen for my own story – to read and listen to what others had to say about Paris, but to be open to my own interpretation of the experience, which often required me to pay more attention to my feelings and intuition, and less to analytical thought.

I think that’s why I enjoy the Impressionists so much – when you study their art, you might not know exactly what they were viewing, but you get an idea of how they saw it and how they felt about it.  More importantly, it reminds me that there is not just one way to look at the world.

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