by Eileen Le Guillou
LA has brought out the best in me this past year. Two trips served as bookends to one of the biggest transitions I have made in my life - leaving behind the technical, corporate world to join my mother's design business. On my first trip I went to explore, setting my mind and intentions free to make choices. On my second trip, my mind made up and my decisions finally in motion, I went for a bit of work and play to live like a local in the heart of Santa Monica.
I rely on my intuition to push me forward. I let options build up inside of me like reservoirs until the feelings are so overwhelming and I am forced to act on them.
In October, feeling ready for big changes but unsure what exactly those changes might look like, I booked a spontaneous trip out West to spend time with two high school friends. When in doubt, delve back into your girlhood.
The sea & sunshine and positive change in energy opened the reservoir dam; the need for change and redefined purpose overwhelmed me. Work can be a wonderful refuge but over time my work had turned into a distraction. The corporate world revolves around burying yourself - showing just enough to set you apart but hiding everything that might be tainted, reactionary, expressive. On my 12 year journey as a pre professional ballet dancer, I poured my raw emotional experiences into my movement, and the better I channeled vulnerability, the better I was, the better I could reach out to those around me. I wanted my work to feel closer to that outlet. I wanted to work from a place of authenticity and creativity. On December 1st after a month back home I gave my notice. By March 1st, my extended transition period was up, goodbyes complete and I hopped back on a plane out west.
Part 1 - The October Adventure
Gallivanting up and down the coast felt like an adventurous, beautiful dream - just what I needed to take me out of myself and shift my perspective.
On the first morning I woke up early with excitement, left my friends to sleep and walked to the Santa Monica beach struck by the color, plant life, and organic fresh foods!
The girls joined me to walk down to Venice - my spirit neighborhood. As much as I talked up the charming canals we confirmed that they did, in fact, live up to the hype. By the end of our walk we were on Street Easy looking up canal house prices for our future selves and imaginary children.
Our next stop was Nobu Malibu, where it is impossible to feel anything other than blissful.
We discovered my now all time favorite place (please, please come to New York!) Café Gratitude, where you order not only your food but your your intentions. "I am eclectic. I am lucky."
We spent the next few days in the even more relaxed beach towns of Ventura and Santa Barbara- dreamy even on a cloudy day.
Each day felt filled with a little bit of magic. The last day was spent with a new, open-hearted friend at the Ojai Valley Spa and Golf club for a massage, facial, and lunch by the pool. The day was not complete without a stop on the side of the road to say hi to the beautiful horses, of course.
Part 2 - The October Practice
On my second trip I went alone. It was as much a meditative journey as a work trip to visit a client in the Hollywood hills. Every morning I walked to the beach and down to Venice from my serene airbnb.
On the right, a neighborhood library in Santa Monica.
The magic of Venice was that it felt like an aesthetically and culturally advanced hub of open-mindedness. Each shop owner wanted to know how and who I was, and the environment made it so easy to jump straight into meaningful, thoughtful conversations. No-one felt like a stranger.
At Rose Cafe in Venice I met up with a friend of a friend and we got to talking about carrying weight. As young as we are and as much freedom as we have been lucky enough to have, our reaction is to reach down, back, holding on to burdens that may not even be our own. Is this generational, circumstance, personality? We also got to talking about our business plans, our visions for the future of our personal and professional lives so closely intertwined, great books we've read, and the ways in which we constantly try to shift our perspective to ensure we can see clearly.
The most lasting and impactful part of my trip may seem like the most superficial, but has resulted in the greatest shift. With the mental awareness I was searching for came physical awareness. The dedication to plant-based, sustainable, and organic foods brought light to my ignorance of the personal and planetary effects of these choices. Despite the aesthetic benefits, eating this way can ground you and bring you in closer harmony with nature. The feeling of doing good for your body and the world around you is irreplaceable and I am building the discipline to carry this with me.
Back home in New York City, the environment can feel heavy, dirty, on edge- similar to how I feel after a cup of strong, black, burnt but delicious deli coffee. As a 4th generation New York City native (!!!), sometimes I can almost feel the weight of the lives lived before me. I recognize the priveleged side of this - noone is displacing me from my place of birth, and I am surrounded by familiar buildings, traditions and people. However, this quote has been stuck in my mind:
“Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortune may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth.”
Do you believe in adding stories to the foundations built before you, or breaking new ground?