Stockholm Syndrome a.k.a. writer’s block in Sweden
The image of Stockholm that I dreamt up before my visit was primarily framed by Matilda Djerf’s Scandi-chic Instagram grid full of photos of sun-bathed yellow and beige buildings paired with the perfect loose-fitting pair of trousers. So when I arrived in the metropolitan mosh posh of industrial buildings, gothic towers and eastern European-esque apartments, I thought I would be struck with sudden inspiration, a sort of knowing exactly what to write about from the perfect angle of a seasoned European traveler. However, that has not been the case.
View of the Nordiska Museum from Djurgården, Stockholm’s island of museums, amusements and natural beauty. (photo: Lauren Mulvey)
When I set off on my summer trip to the U.K. and Europe my priority was to expand my portfolio of places visited, and to find inspiration for potential big travel pitches. A wider goal for the year was (and still is) to pitch a big story to a travel publication I admire (i.e. CNTraveler, Travel and Leisure, etc). Initially, I thought I would write a story about the fashion culture here in Stockholm: the internet movement of Scandinavian fashion, the sensationalization of an aesthetic “Swedish summer,” another term coined by Djerf. I assumed Stockholm’s tasteful minimalist aesthetic would sweep me up into a cloud of focused creativity, I would pitch a story and meet my goal.
But! When I arrived here from a lovely visit in Copenhagen, I felt a certain sadness on my first day. This city is a big sprawling maze of interconnected islands, and I left a lovely group of friends I had made during my short stay in Denmark. And after about 4 days here…I’m feeling particularly uninspired. The city hasn’t revealed anything about itself to cast away my writer’s block. Stockholm is beautiful, sprinkled with gorgeous parks, outfitted with plenty of historical museums, and some fun ones – ABBA, Avicci, Vikings – and armed with plenty of vintage stores and hip bars, but I haven’t got any thrilling leads.
Sweden is known to be one of the happiest countries in the world. A rating based on quality of life including “social support, income, health and freedom,” according to CN Traveller. For these reasons it’s also considered an extremely progressive country. But the sentiment that you’d expect to find in Sweden given these factors isn’t necessarily palpable as a brief visitor.
Normmalm, Stockholm’s northern residential neighborhood is full of lovely restaurants, eateries and small businesses. (photo: Lauren Mulvey)
Solo-travel is so many things. It’s tourism: visiting the museums, seeing the views, visiting shops, trying the local cuisine. But it’s also sleeping in bunks next to snoring strangers, preparing meals in shared kitchens, budgeting your days. It’s also meeting new people, going out with those people, making crazy memories at a bar made entirely of ice, or sunbathing on a hot day and taking a dip in the middle of the city.
I imagined that throughout my trip I would be typing up blogs about my experiences on the daily. I didn’t figure I would have so much trouble figuring out how to start. Case and point. Starting a blog is hard, especially when you’re an overthinker. I’ve thought endlessly about what my first post (following my Florence article) should be.
I’m a freelance writer with approximately one year of experience and a whole lot to learn. Trying to build your personal brand, everything you put out represents you as a writer. To continuously churn out content that strikes the right balance between witty, intelligent, informative and engaging. It has to be the perfect storm, but you’ve got to start somewhere.
Gamla Stan or the Old Town in Stockholm (photo: Lauren Mulvey )
