Take 7: What are We Building, and What is it Building in Us?
how the spaces and routines we build, build us
I’ve spent the summer being in spaces that are new to me. I’ve walked streets in cities that I didn’t know existed, and conversed with people that I never knew I would meet. It’s been a quiet stretch, but not an idle one. I’ve been paying attention to the spaces I walk through, the habits I repeat, and the ways the world around me quietly reshapes who I’m becoming.
From people to places, I’ve spent time thinking about how we design elements of our lives and how in some capacity, other things are designed for us. A city block, a morning routine, a workspace, a conversation, even a Pinterest mood board. A city block directs how we move, where we pause, and where we pass. A morning routine could make or break the rest of our day. A workspace can either spark or stifle our creativity and productivity. We create and construct but if we pay attention, we would notice that it’s all constructing us back.
One day of a shadeless sidewalk, an unorganized routine, and a gray workspace feels harmless, but days add up. A shadeless sidewalk makes us less likely to linger, less willing to walk, and so we choose convenience over curiosity and healthy movement.
An unorganized routine leaves our mornings scrambling and our minds scattered before the day has even begun. A gray workspace dulls our senses, slowly draining the energy we could’ve given to something creative, meaningful, or new. Days become months, months become years, and before we know it, they’ve shaped where we visit, how we spend our time, and even the mindsets we’re building.
I find myself drawn to understanding this cause-and-effect, a loop that we often forget can form our realities. Through writing, photography, and the occasional conversation with people (including you lovely readers), this will be the space to do that. Of course, always accompanied by images because I think through my camera just as much as through my pen (in this case, a keyboard).
In short: Chi’s Corner is becoming a space to explore how we create habits, conscious and unconscious, and spaces, both digital and physical. Because whether crafted or accidental, the things we build always find their way back to us.
Yours in Creating,
Chi