Our Wanderlust calendar is a work of love. It began as a project while we were locked down during the pandemic—loving being home, missing our expat life in Australia, and longing for the giant red-ball sunsets of Southeast Asia. It was also an exercise in using generative-AI content with some of the earliest models.

As a new parent, I found it incredibly important to be both aware of this technology and fluent in it—to help guide our family through the great transitions to come. Along the way, I read some incredible books that inspired many of my travels, especially Paul Brunton’s Search in Secret India. The calendars also became an opportunity to connect directly with authors and their foundations.

This year’s calendar was extra special in that regard. Pico Iyer—after receiving my email request for approval to use his quotes—personally took the time to rewrite them so they better aligned with the calendar’s content. These small acts of kindness along the way have continued to amaze me and have been a lesson in humility.

Finally, it has been incredibly humbling to receive messages each year asking if there will be a new calendar. Knowing that our calendar plays a role in others’ lives, including those whom we don’t personally know, is an honour.

This year’s calendar will capture images of Indonesia, where we have been residing for nearly two years. Indonesia is a special place where culture and history are both living—practiced and expressed through daily rituals all around us. The constant sounds, smells, and smiles that were once foreign have become increasingly familiar to us. And, in that sense, we are no longer living with wanderlust, but rather living in wonder at the world around us.

Thank you again for your support and kindness in bringing us into your homes and onto your walls.

Sincerely, Josh Thomas