Remembering what I chose to forget
Notes from Romania on heritage, taste, and the calling that keeps calling.
This past week was a walk down memory lane for me because I visited my home country where I was born and went to school: Romania. But just like my London trip, I was more intentional with observing culture and people. And it was even more interesting because the cities we live in or visit frequently, we take for granted, we stop noticing things because they're not new, we're used to them. I don't know if you've experienced this too when you visit a new restaurant, you take everything in, you're maybe fascinated by the decor, the food, the ambience, but the more you go, the more it becomes a "regular" place that you like. Somehow, it stops being a source of fascination or of inspiration, if you will. So this time around, I paid attention.
Romania is still very rooted in tradition: hand-made clothes, accessories, household items, growing veggies, raising animals, farming, in essence what I would call: very connected to nature. Looking at people, the cities, my upbringing, I realized that taste is the foundation you start laying down from a young age through traditions, culture, ideas. The passions and interests you have are informing the trajectory you are sort of meant to be on. However, as you grow up, become an adult, you either double down on these or you are steered away from them and leave them behind. What makes us step away from them in the first place is the lack of a direct path or other people steering us away.
I recently read a book called Becoming You by Suzy Welch, a professor at NYU Stern and the creator of the framework, and it talks about finding your Area of Transcendence which is the intersection of your values, aptitudes and what’s economically viable. This made me realize that my inclination towards creativity, fashion, and building community were areas I pushed away, despite my values and aptitudes lying at their intersection. But I believe that at some point in your life, you will go back to those areas of interest. And sometimes the only, scary, way is to create whatever you envision.
What's Worth Your Attention
Worth Sitting With
Your calling will always be calling until the moment you decide to listen.
Everything you loved before the world told you what to love, that was information. It still is.
Worth Filtering
On filtering what you were given.
Traditions. I think it’s no surprise that some of the greatest artists came from places like Italy or France, due to their art history, architecture and culture. Places and traditions are what shaped them, but that can sometimes have its downsides too. When those become a wall that’s preventing you from levelling up, that’s when you need to start filtering.
Beliefs. The cornerstone of change. Throughout our lives we borrow beliefs from family, friends, our circle, which influence our journey. The belief that stability is safer than ambition. The belief that some paths aren’t for us. The belief that you have to wait to be chosen. Reconsidering core beliefs and upgrading them is worth filtering as an added step towards becoming the best version of yourself.
From the salon,
— Sabina