We've been living in a collective for a long time now; in recent years we spent 5 years in Paris, then at the Caserne Bascule in Joigny.
Now, to get fully into the swing of research, we've decided to swap our 'classic' lifestyle for something completely new.
It was 16 November 2022 when we set off on this adventure, leaving our refuge at the Caserne Bascule, particularly excited to embrace for real the roaming and freedom we'd been fantasising about.
The plan we drew up 5 years ago is now a reality. We're pedalling on and throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into this new life project.
📍We've been roaming for 4 months now, with no fixed place of residence and constantly on the move.
Equipped with our folding bikes and our carefully thought-out gear for this odyssey. It includes a careful array of artefacts and light, compact technical clothing.
We've become nomads (which is often misunderstood because it's still so unusual today)
Moving from place to place, meeting new and inspiring people, we travelled nearly 8,000 kilometres by train and over 1,000 kilometres by bike in the first 4 months, staying in around thirty different places.
How does it work in practice?
Living on the move is great in so many ways; we'll come back to that a little later in this post. However, given that there are two of us and that we're carrying a lot of stuff around all the time, it requires a certain amount of logistics, organisation and anticipation to keep a certain control over our time and the follow-up of our many projects, and above all not to waste our energy.
Getting around
Overnight stays
We often have the opportunity to stay with friends and members of our networks, which gives us the chance to spend some quality time with them, and that's a real bonus! We're realising that in these first few months of roaming around France, we're finally getting to see more of our loved ones than ever before. It's a real joy!
Sometimes, the option of short-term rentals is essential.
Meals
As far as meals are concerned, this is where we're least satisfied at the moment, as we can't manage to maintain a healthy routine that suits us completely.
The fact that we're roaming means we have to move around a lot and go to places where we can't have a plethora of choices, let alone cook what we want.
We try as much as possible to prepare balanced meals when we have the opportunity and access to a kitchen. We often eat in restaurants, and for vegetarians that's a logistical challenge in itself! It's not easy to find quality, balanced and varied options outside the big cities.
Fortunately, there are some very useful resources, such as the Happy Cow app.
It's a subject that can sometimes make us tense, and when we have the energy, we take the opportunity to make a few recommendations for the future of the #lobbyingPositif map.
Feeling at home
As well as knowing where to sleep and eat, it's vital to be able to feel 'at home' sometimes. To do this, we need to have certain points of reference to satisfy our natural need to settle down from time to time. When you're roaming, it's essential to have certain spaces and times when you can recharge your batteries, right in the middle of the hustle and bustle.
To achieve this, we have developed a number of methods and best practices. The first is that there are two of us! In fact, it's our greatest ally when we're in a rush, when we need a break, when we're stressed, or when we need to cut back.
Our relationship as a team is Kosmogonia's greatest asset.
Alongside that, there are more pragmatic and material things. We've got a little secret... play with light! Feeling good in a space is often a question of light (and temperature, but the latter is less easy to adjust). So we're carrying a garland and a luminous sphere, and that's it!
OUR FEELINGS ABOUT THIS NEW WAY OF LIFE
Testimony of Benoit - March 2023
👉 I have the feeling of having found a new form of balance, that of a regular movement which stabilizes me in a vital momentum, like a tightrope walker walking on the tight wire of a quest for inspiration and experiences.
👉 This way of life allows us to experience more authentic and careful human interactions, through the encounters and people we pass by, who sometimes welcome us into their living spaces or their organizations.
However, it is obvious that this leads to an adjustment of priorities and more tedious logistical management than being sedentary. However, it is clearly worth it given the feeling of not having a degraded social routine, of not getting bogged down in the conformism and comfort of a “tidy city life” that is too often bland and not very vibrant for my taste.
Roaming for Kosmogonia allows me to feel less imprisoned by my weeks, less rooted in a work pattern that gives me little stimulation. I am probably privileged and secure in other ways, largely through our partner, who reassures and allows me to sometimes take a step back from the daily rhythm. It also allows us to confront the unexpected and often replace the incident with an anecdote.
I feel more able to adjust my desires and my daily rhythm in relation to my needs.
This may seem curious and sometimes shaky, but today I can hardly imagine any other scenario than that of continuing this way of life for a minimum of 2 years, as it nourishes me with experiences and encounters.
Only then can I seriously consider anchoring myself somewhere, laying down my roots in a unique place to co-build a long-term project...
But what do I know, in the coming months we will tell more 😉
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