Personal Blog

Notes on slow travel, quiet mornings, & making things.

I write about paying closer attention — to places, to habits, to the small decisions that shape a creative life. New essays most weeks.

Hi, I'm Maya Chen

Writer, occasional photographer, and full-time noticer of small things. I live between train stations and write about what sticks.

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All Travel Mindfulness Creativity Life

Travel

Why I stopped booking flights and started planning trips around timetables — and what three days on a night train taught me about patience.

Mar 4, 2024 · 7 min read Read →

Mindfulness

A small ritual I've kept for two years: no phone until the coffee is finished. Here's what changed when I started protecting that hour.

Feb 19, 2024 · 5 min read Read →

Creativity

A practical, unglamorous list of the things that actually get me unstuck — none of which involve waiting for inspiration.

Feb 2, 2024 · 6 min read Read →

Life

Three moves in three years taught me that most of what I owned was just waiting to be packed. Notes on downsizing without losing comfort.

Jan 22, 2024 · 4 min read Read →

Mindfulness

Multitasking never made me faster, just more tired. Here's how I've been practicing doing one single thing at a time.

Jan 9, 2024 · 5 min read Read →

Creativity

Perfectionism killed more of my projects than boredom ever did. How I learned to ship the "bad" version first.

Dec 30, 2023 · 6 min read Read →