Bridgette Boone, Contributor

Winter can be a hard time to find inspiration and beauty. It’s cold as shit, and when there is no snow, everything is left different shades of brown. It can be hard to appreciate the beauty of winter and the stillness of it all. The feeling of lifelessness and stillness is suffocating during winter.

“Temporal Patterns” by Juliane Shibata is a show up in Christensen. Unlike the dead landscape of winter, the combination of porcelain flowers and real plants in “Temporal Patterns​” creates a contrast that blends together in a delicate and beautiful show.

The white stillness of the porcelain flowers next to the living, breathing flowers has struck me deeply. I find inspiration in the things around me, and I deeply miss and long for plants over winter. How can we find beauty when we constantly overlook it on the daily? Looking at the delicate beauty of the flowers has made me take a closer look at the everyday objects in my world. Looking at the snow hanging on a branch or a glove stuck in a pile of snow. There is beauty all around us we just have to look and see.

What does it mean to actually see beauty? How do we find it even if it feels far away? Where is the inspiration hiding amongst all the ugliness? Finding beauty feels like an impossible feat right now in this world. It can be hard. It is not easy to appreciate things when you have the stresses of life pulling you down. So, I encourage you, dear reader, to try and find beauty in your world. Even if only for a day!

How to find beauty and inspiration:

1.   Make a list in a journal or sketch pad. Then write down something you find beautiful every day for a month or a week. Even a day! I dare you to try it!

2.   Try a mindful meditation. Put one drop of any essential oil in your palms and breath in the scent for five minutes. Play soft music or relax in the quiet.

3.   Tell someone that you think they’re beautiful. Spread love and kindness to those around you. You’ll be surprised by how people pay it back.

4.   Create something with your hands. I encourage you to have a sketch pad you can draw or collage or paint in every day or once a week. Decorate it anyway you want; it can be an extension of you!

5.  Take a deep breath. We are all feeling it too, so just remember you’re not alone, and you are surrounded by people who are going through the same thing as you. Talk to a friend, ask how someone is truly doing, dig deeper to reach the honest places of people.

This article was originally published in the Feb. 2, 2019 issue. 

Artwork by Bridgette Boone.