The concept of the flâneur was coined in the late 19th century and originated as a work of fiction from the mind of 19th century poet and writer, Charles Baudelaire, who introduced the concept in his 1863 essay, "The Painter of Modern Life" (Le Peintre de la Vie Moderne.) At its essence, a flâneur is a detached observer of modern life.

The flâneur may be a concept from another era and another century but it has direct relevance to being in the "now."