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How Creativity Helped Me Re-connect With My Hometown

This post is contributed by Sabrina Ziegler, a SPS Featured Blogger.

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I am never moving back to Vancouver, Canada!

This was a statement that I told anyone and everyone. Never, there is just not enough “global” there to keep me interested.

This was back in 2004 and I was living and loving my global life in Ireland. Canada was a distant thought and a long flight away. I thought that to live my global life, I had to be living somewhere else and exploring and getting to know new countries, cultures, and ideas.

I never thought that my hometown of Vancouver, Canada would later become a part of my global life.

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Fast forward to 2011 when I was living in the Netherlands, and then in Germany, and trying to figure out the next steps of my life, not even thinking about my global life. My university days were long behind me, the economic situation had changed in Europe, and my personal situation had begun to change in terms of my life partner. I really needed to figure out what to do…

I was resorting to all the known methods that I had for making decisions, such as creating lists and writing down the pros and cons of each decision, but I found that this was not helping me figure things out.

So I decided to do something that I normally only do when discovering a new country or city. I thought if this method helps me to discover more about my surroundings then it should help me learn more about myself and create the next phase of my global life.

I decided to play the Bus Game and the Map Game to figure out my next steps.

The basis for both games is creativity and inspiration. I was able to capture my creativity through photography (one of my big passions). I used the bus and map games to help me discover the elements of my global life that I wanted to capture and hold on to no matter where I am. I starting taking pictures of everything that inspired me and soon I had a collage full of images of various aspects of my global life that were important to me.

The more I looked at the images and what they represented, the more I began to realize that living a global life does not have anything to do with you location, and everything to do with your mindset towards the location you’re in, and how you view your global life.

Various circumstances brought me back to Vancouver in 2013 and I have been making Vancouver my global life home ever since. I will share more in next month’s blog post on how to live your global life in your hometown. The bus and map games are still vital elements of that. I again just played the map game this past Easter weekend and will share the images and learnings in next month’s post.

Until then, here are the instructions for adding creativity to your global life using the bus and/or map game:

The Bus Game

Anytime I start feeling like I’ve seen it all — whether I’m at home or abroad — I like to mix things up by going on a little adventure.

The best part? This adventure requires almost no planning and it will cost you about the same as a cup of coffee.

Here’s how to make it happen:

• Buy a day pass for the bus and hop on the first bus you see.

• Give yourself the freedom to get off at any time, for any reason.

• Take pictures, write in your journal, and pick up momentos along the way — anything that will help you remember the experience.

• And when you’ve finished exploring, jump on the next bus you see and start it all over again!

• When you’ve completed the Bus Adventure, share a few of your pictures on Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #MyGlobalLife and let us know how it went!

This is just one way you can live a global life no matter where you find yourself living at the moment.

The Map Game

Anytime I start feeling like I need to get out of Vancouver and travel again – I like to play this game and mix things up a bit.

The best part? This adventure requires almost no planning you just need a car and maps, but it will cost you slightly more than the bus game depending on where you end up.

Here’s how to make it happen:

• Buy a map and hop in your car. Select a city or town on the map by closing your eyes and pointing to it.

• Figure out the most scenic route (avoid highways if possible) to get to that location.

• Give yourself the freedom to change your route at any time, for any reason.

• Take pictures, write in your journal, and pick up momentos along the way — anything that will help you remember the experience.

• And when you’ve finished exploring, find a different route that you can take to get to your next location or home.

• When you’ve completed the Map Adventure, share a few of your pictures on Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #MyGlobalLife and let us know how it went!

Have you used creativity to reshape your global relationship with your hometown? I’d love to hear how it went for you and what wisdom you can share!

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ChrisinesClass

Interested in discovering your global life and exploring your own creativity?

Cate and I are partnering with Christine Martell, who you’re sure to remember from the 2014 and 2015 Global Life Summit, to offer an online workshop on April 23.

I’ve seen how creative practice has helped me change my perspective about my global life, and I want the same for you.

Join us on Thursday, April 23 at 9am PST/ 12pm EST / 5pm GMT for an hour of creativity and connection – plus two bonus ebooks! 

Only $29

Space is limited so click here to register now!