The short answer: it started out on a whim, today it's well-founded.
A month ago, on one of the best breaks of my life —aka, getting into the sea while watching a hill rise out of the middle of the Atlantic—a claner asked me: “The idea of stone and water is good, but... Why did it occur to you?”
I gave him my usual answer: when I started my nomadic life and discovered that I could work from anywhere, I noticed a pattern. My favorite destinations to spend seasons working had one thing in common: stone and water.
These were the places I returned to over and over again, and when I imagined CLAN, when I dreamed of making a home in different corners of the world, those same destinations reappeared.
It was obvious: that's where it needed to happen.
Over time, I understood that it wasn't just a hunch. There are deeper reasons why I feel so good in those places. I am a psychologist, and I have often heard and read about what happens to us — mentally and emotionally — when we are surrounded by stone and water.
Studies show that rock formations, such as mountains or cliffs, awaken feelings of wonder (awe), which is related to greater well-being, an expanded sense of connection with everything, and a reduction in the ego.
According to the Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan), natural landscapes — including rocks — help to recover mental energy. Their textures, colors and shapes act as soft stimuli, capturing our attention without demanding it.
In addition, stone has a strong symbolic and anthropological weight: it was a home (caves), shelter, weapon, sculpture, altar. Being in contact with stone connects us with something ancient and archetypal, part of our evolutionary history.
On the other hand, spending time near water also has proven effects. It lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), improves mood and activates the “default mode network”: that mental mode in which we become more creative, introspective and decisive.
The sound and sight of water induce a meditative state, helping the brain to enter sensory rhythms similar to alpha waves, associated with calm and gentle focus. Restoration theory also applies here: water captures our attention in an involuntary way, facilitating cognitive regeneration.
So no, the choice of stone and water is not just Mila's whim.
For those of us who work remotely, many hours from home, many hours in front of the computer, many hours creating in solitude and facing demanding deadlines, spending a week in such a destination is a gift for the brain. It gives you back the energy you need to create better.
So, with that said, our next experiences in these amazing rock and water destinations are waiting for you to experience it too.
