Notes from Chic Blogging Challenge over Paris’s CoVid-19 Lockdown (4)

June 18, 2020

For the Paris Spring 2020 CoVid-19 Lockdown, I followed Fiona Ferris’s 2 books (30 Chic Days and 30 More Chic Days) day-by-day and tried to implement each day’s recommendation. For the next several posts, I will write about what I learned through my 60-day assignment:

Exercising our creativity is both more fun and more important to the quality of our daily experience than I originally thought. During lockdown, I would read one of Fiona’s chapters each night at bedtime. Then I would start my next day thinking about the concept and how I could apply it. What I learned is that thinking about how some idea might be applied in that particular day anchored me in the present moment. No time to go through the day on autopilot! The process added a richness to how I experienced the day. I was a more active participant. Then, when I would write the blog post, I had to stop and relook at how my day went. It was a gift to notice how (most of) my ordinary moments were truly beautiful.

Searching for “photo opportunities” to add to each day’s post definitely improved how observant I was as I went about my daily life. It is still amazing how much I missed before I started looking for interesting things to photograph within the 1 km radius walking area that the “Confinement” regulations allowed. I have a stronger sense of neighborhood identity now for the narrow, twisty streets that comprise my “confinement” area. I have kept up the habit of looking for at least one interesting photo to take each day. It keeps me focused on actively seeing the world around me. I feel fresher and more engaged when I am looking around for a nice scene even if all I am doing is walking to the nearby market street to buy a head of broccoli.

Speaking of interesting things to see today – check out the photos below of some colorful Van sneakers that I saw in a window display! If you want to add a pop of color to your outfit, these tennies have got your covered.

As for something new to try – I have been experimenting with adding photos very couple of days to my Instagram account (“Insta” as the French call it). I am enjoying this new creative project and I have really enjoyed seeing and reading what several of my subscribers are posting.