A Romantic’s Guide to Slow Living.
Inspired by the French girl aesthetic.
I’ve been wanting to write and create more content about slow living, but I don’t want to be the typical social media girlypop who just uses photos she took on her phone of random life moments. Love that for them, but the artist in me would much rather use the film photographs I’ve taken. I’m absolutely obsessed with these photos I shot with Taylor LaShae this spring, and since she emulates the French girl aesthetic to a T, here we are: the merging of my written concept with this lovely gal. French culture has some beautiful elements of living slowly I deeply resonate with, so here are some of my thoughts and observances…
Taylor LaShae French girl aesthetic. Photographed on Kodak TMAX 400 35mm film.
So what is this whole “slow living” thing anyways?
There are so many things on social media that have become trendy and associate with labels like “soft”, “gentle”, or “cottage core”. While they may be current trends, the idea of slow and intentional living isn’t new. It’s just a return to how things used to be - good ol’ fashioned living before technology and the internet completely revolutionized the human existence (for better and for worse).
Slow living wasn’t a thing back then. It was just…living. We grew our own food, we paused what we were doing to sit down and eat a leisurely meal, made things for our homes, and we didn’t have a sense of urgency in every single area of our lives. Things took time, and we were ok with it. While the things that have brought faster processes have had a lot of benefits to our lives, there’s also been some induced anxiety by the societal belief that productivity and quantity is king.
France is such a beautiful culture in that they have maintained elements of slow living in these modern times. A lot of places don’t open until later in the morning. People take leisurely lunch breaks from work. Meals are not rushed. They don’t mind getting fresh bread and produce more regularly. They walk a lot of places, or take public transportation.
Despite not being in France, here are a few everyday life shifts you can make to slow down a bit…
It’s time to learn how to savor things again.
When was the last time you remembered slowing down enough to give something you enjoy your full attention? Let me ask you a question: What’s your favorite coffee or tea drink? Ok, so THAT... when was the last time you went to your favorite cafe, ordered that, and then sat down and savored it for more than 3 seconds before whipping out your phone or laptop?
That’s what I’m talking about.
We spend so much of our lives multi-tasking for the sake of productivity and efficiency. But enjoyment isn’t about either of those things. Enjoyment is about presence. It’s about giving your undivided attention to something that is special to you.
So how the hec do we do that? Here are some tips for you…
For the love of that sweet little brain of yours, just do one thing at a time. You don’t need to be listening to a podcast every time your go on a walk. You don’t need to be scrolling on your phone while watching tv. It might feel a little weird at first to only allow yourself to do one thing at a time, especially if you’re not used to being alone with your thoughts, but this is a crucial part of the journey of learning to allow ourselves to be fully present.
Practice doing things slowly. Walk a little bit slower. Pay attention to how fast you switch from one thing to another. Take more breaks in between tasks. Stretch.
Ditch the phone more often. Turn it on vibrate and flip it upside down. Keep it on do not disturb for a couple hours. If your habit is to reach for and open it, temporarily change your pass code or turn off your Face ID so the steps to unlock your phone dissuade you from opening it out of compulsion.
Take yourself out on an intentional date to enjoy something you love! It could be a meal, a cocktail, or maybe just lay on a blanket in the park and listen to your favorite album. Sit with it. Make mental notes about it. Enjoy it!
Taylor LaShae wearing ASTR THE LABEL. Photographed on Kodak TMAX 400 35mm film.