All the bags are finally unpacked, most of the washing done and I’m pretty much adjusted back into cooler Sydney weather and timezone. So now some would say I’m ‘back to reality’ – which I have always used as an expression too, but it’s struck me… going on this trip was my reality, picking up my first prototype from Italy really did happen! So what actually does ‘back to reality’ mean for me? Sure travelling to Europe is not something I do every day. Now I am back home with friends, family, and our pooch, but as far as I can see each day is going to be something new and I have no idea what to expect! Of course, I won’t be eating pizza and gelato every day, and there will be other daily normals and routines like chores and bills to pay instead – but those aren’t the only things that make up ‘reality’.

A quick recap…

Here’s what the last three weeks of reality looked like for me, for those of you who may have missed it or have more recently joined the journey:

• Along with my husband, I took off on a whirlwind three week trip to Copenhagen and Italy – after booking our flights only the week before!
• Why? Both Andrew and I are in the early stages of launching separate entrepreneurial ventures, and an opportunity for both of us to visit Europe sprung up at the same time – so naturally we seized the opportunity.
• What is my big idea? It starts with shoes! I have been sitting on a shoe concept for some years, and decided to take the massive leap of faith earlier this year. I resigned from my full-time job of more than six years – as Creative Director of a boutique marketing agency – to pursue this dream (or ‘entrepreneurial adventure’ as I have been calling it).
• Why Copenhagen? Andrew had a three-day conference related to his venture, plus I had given my brand a Danish name – and yeh, I haven’t given away exactly what that is just yet. But I took the opportunity to ask the local Danish women to pronounce it for me to ensure I had been saying it correctly – and fortunately, I had been! We also made the most of our spare time to sightsee and take in all the beautiful Danish design that I have always had a great love for. Oh, and I may have squeezed in the opportunity to see two litters of lion cubs at the Copenhagen Zoo on my last afternoon!
• So why Italy? You caught the shoe part, right? Everyone knows that all the best shoes are made in Italy. So there was no question in my mind where my shoes would be made. We found ourselves in the beautiful region of Marche, the home of the shoemaking craft. We spent a week here meeting with manufacturers, choosing leather samples, and collecting my first ever prototype… and we may have soaked up some sun on the spectacular Adriatic Coast in between meetings too!
• Next was a two-day stopover in Singapore, the Lion City. We took in the sights – and the humidity – and of course sipped on Singapore Slings. I spent the last day of our three-week whirlwind exploring the fashion shopping on Singapore’s famous Orchard Road, before preparing for the last leg home…

So now I’m back in Sydney, and it’s ‘back to reality’. And I’m looking forward to what’s next, because this adventure has only just begun…

I will keep you posted, and you can also check out my Facebook page – where I make regular updates between posts – here: https://www.facebook.com/TheStoryofZanWilson/

A few snaps from Copenhagen…

…a few more from Italy…

…and a few more from Singapore!