Slow Living in the City: June Rituals

Why I think you don't need to live in the country to embrace slow living, plus my annual pilgrimage to the ECA Degree Show

Sculpture outside Edinburgh College of Art by Imogen Allen

In the last twelve months I’ve been thinking a lot about slow living and what it means to me. According to Wendy Parkins and Geoffrey Craigs’ Slow Living, it is a lifestyle which encourages a slower approach to aspects of everyday life as an antidote to the fast-paced way of modern living. There’s not one slow living or “right” way to do things, in spite of a seemingly perfect Instagram-ready version that so often seems to involve a cottage in the country and leaving the city rat race. I’m a big believer that you can embrace slow living, being in the moment and deep appreciation of the seasons wherever you are. Part of slow living to me is the creation of intentional, seasonal rituals that encourage a more leisurely pace and provide feasts for the senses - sometimes that might be a walk in the country, but for me it’s just as likely to be a slow wander round an art gallery, or sketching at an exhibition in the city. So last week when life was hectic, I made the time to do just that.