The past couple months have been filled with travel and joyful reconnection with friends and family after more than a year apart. While immensely fulfilling, I found that traveling for 3 weeks after spending more than a year rooted in one place threw me off in a way that it hasn't in the past. The transition back into life in Los Angeles has felt slow and clunky, as though my body has made it back but my mind is still elsewhere.

And in just over a week, I embark on another journey. This time, I'm heading to Italy, where I will live in the town of Fossalto, near Campobasso, in the region of Molise for two months. This long awaited trip is the final step in a 3 year process to obtaining my Italian dual-citizenship via jure sanguinis, and a moment I have envisioned for years. Italy has been a special place for me throughout my life, from visiting family in Pisciotta to studying abroad in Milan, and I am thrilled to be even more connected to my Italian heritage through citizenship.

Two months in Italy is a dream! It is also a long time to be in one place without much to do. While there will be a couple weeks of travel and visiting with family, I will have a solid 5 weeks living solo in a very small Italian village. I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I want this trip to be. Part of me sees this as the artist retreat that I've always dreamed of, sees opportunities for dedicated projects and scheduled time to practice new techniques. But I am also trying to resist the urge to plan too much, put pressure on what I need to accomplish during my time, or to only use it as a working vacation.

I want to make space for long walks, for practicing my Italian with the locals, for taking day trips into nearby towns and exploring. I want to wake up early, read for hours, drink wine with lunch and eat gelato. I want to leave room for this trip to surprise me, to let it evolve into whatever it is supposed to be.

Will you hear from me in the coming months? Who knows! I might be inspired to write regular updates about my travels and time abroad. Or perhaps I will be so focused on living in the moment that the thought of writing a newsletter will seem absurd. What I do know is that I'll be expanding my creativity in new ways and opening myself up to new inspiration while I'm there. And I can't wait.