Southern Nomad

Beauty Will Save The World

"Dostoyevsky once let drop the enigmatic phrase: “Beauty will save the world.” What does this mean? For a long time it used to seem to me that this was a mere phrase. Just how could such a thing be possible? When had it ever happened in the bloodthirsty course of history that beauty had saved anyone from anything? Beauty had provided embellishment certainly, given uplift—but whom had it ever saved?

However, there is a special quality in the essence of beauty, a special quality in the status of art: the conviction carried by a genuine work of art is absolutely indisputable and tames even the strongly opposed heart. One can construct a political speech, an assertive journalistic polemic, a program for organizing society, a philosophical system, so that in appearance it is smooth, well structured, and yet it is built upon a mistake, a lie; and the hidden element, the distortion, will not immediately become visible. And a speech, or a journalistic essay, or a program in rebuttal, or a different philosophical structure can be counterposed to the first—and it will seem just as well constructed and as smooth, and everything will seem to fit. And therefore one has faith in them—yet one has no faith.

It is vain to affirm that which the heart does not confirm. In contrast, a work of art bears within itself its own confirmation: concepts which are manufactured out of whole cloth or overstrained will not stand up to being tested in images, will somehow fall apart and turn out to be sickly and pallid and convincing to no one. Works steeped in truth and presenting it to us vividly alive will take hold of us, will attract us to themselves with great power- and no one, ever, even in a later age, will presume to negate them. And so perhaps that old trinity of Truth and Good and Beauty is not just the formal outworn formula it used to seem to us during our heady, materialistic youth. If the crests of these three trees join together, as the investigators and explorers used to affirm, and if the too obvious, too straight branches of Truth and Good are crushed or amputated and cannot reach the light—yet perhaps the whimsical, unpredictable, unexpected branches of Beauty will make their way through and soar up to that very place and in this way perform the work of all three.

And in that case it was not a slip of the tongue for Dostoyevsky to say that “Beauty will save the world,” but a prophecy" - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, excerpt "Nobel Lecture" (link to full lecture)

image credit: esther maria swaty

This Is Not The End Of The Story

"There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of the music in it." - Streams In the Desert

This morning as I was pulling clothes for Goodwill and prepping for tomorrow the line that kept running through my head is "This is not the end of the story". You know when you are watching a movie and the character is facing what seems to be an insurmountable challenge and you wonder how in the world he or she will manage to get themselves out of this predicament? Well that's a little of what I feel like these days except the problem is that I can't quite identify the challenge that I am facing and I have absolutely no clue as to what the next chapter of the story is going to look like.

I am one of those people who always has a plan, I always know how the story is supposed to play out. I knew for twelve years that I would move to New York one day, and the little snow globe I gazed dreamily into each day helped keep my dream in focus.

"People so often look with longing into a daydream future, while ignoring the importance of the present. we're all in danger of thinking, "Some day I shall be fulfilled. Some day I shall have the courae to start another life which will develop my talent" without ever considering the very practical use of that talent today in a way which will enrich other people's lives, develop the talent, and express the fact of being a creative creature." - What Is Hidden Art

After twelve wild years in Seattle finally came my post "New York City: Dreams Come True" followed by lists upon lists and a fantastic bon voyage party. In August 2012, I moved to the city of my dreams and scored a job "every girl would kill for" working as a Marketing Manager for a fashion stylist on Madison Avenue. During the past six months I have made some amazing friends, met eccentric artists and shop owners, hosted a tweed adventure in the West Village and spent weekends exploring Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and so many other magical neighborhoods in New York.

I have learned that I can survive in this non-stop city regardless of hurricanes, being stuck in the subway at West 4th at 3:30am, or living in a shoebox. Yet during this time I have also discovered that some of what I value most is at times in short supply in this city. When I returned home to Seattle at Christmas (after one of the most stressful months of my life) I found myself doing a lot of soul searching... I missed being with my family, friends, and countless little things which I had taken for granted (such as a decent cup of coffee). My thoughts over vacation inevitably turned to dread about returning to my job (which by this point had become a sort of Devil Wears Prada situation) and how I wasn't sure what the future held for me.

A couple of days after my return to New York, much to my relief I lost my job. It's weird I have never been "let go" before in my career and I can't begin to describe how humiliating it was.. yet I see that being "let go" was grace. I didn't have to spend any more time in a situation that was really rather unhealthy and provided no room for growth. After a month of submitting my resume to East and West Coast openings, discussions with my parents and friends, I have decided to take a step back to re-strategize. New York with all of it's constant activity is not exactly a quiet haven so I am moving back to Seattle on Friday. 

"If you're willing to do something that might not work, you're closer to being an artist." - Seth Godin

I am so incredibly thankful for this past season in New York where I have learned a lot about myself and my creative gifts.  As for my future I honestly have no clue where I will be in six months to a year. I do know that Abba has always guided my path, that even with all of its twists and turns, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

"Out of gross darkness, a light will shine.. For I will make my will known to you, and you will no longer move haltingly, you shall move swiftly and surely. You may not know what I am doing as yet, but you will know hereafter.." - Come Away My Beloved

"Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do." - My Utmost of His Highest

Photo By: Andrew Nielson

2013 New York International Gift Fair: Rows Upon Rows of Inspiration

Those of you who follow me on Instagram might have noticed that your feeds were blowing up with amazingness on Sunday. The source of this brilliance was the New York International Gift Fair. I felt like a kid in a candy shop of creativity and I was just running all over the place shoving my face with it all. There were rows upon rows of luxurious candles, greeting cards, books (Assouline had me drooling like a puppy), snowglobes, and even an area focused on global/fair trade goods.

I was invited to this inspiring event by my dear friend Erika Jacobsen and her Dad. Her Dad owns Madison Park Group (a greeting card company) which carries some brilliant lines including:

Shannon Martin: I had the opportunity to chat with Shannon and can I just say that she is just as sassy and wonderful as her cards (not to mention she has fantastic style)! It is rare blessing to meet someone like her who seems to be constantly propelling those around her to follow their dreams and live life to it's fullest.

Roger La Borde: I have admired the intricate cards of Roger La Borde for quite some time and I was utterly smitten when I met Jenni who helped to launch this incredible line?! We connected immediately discussing the laser cut cards, her fine art background and how sometimes a step back to evaluate is a good thing when it comes to pursuing your dreams. She is such a sweet soul and I can see why they produce the beautiful cards that they do.

A couple of other companies that I would like to highlight and this blog is sure to continue to showcase are:

Creative Women: As we walked into the Global section of this event the products of Creative Women immediately caught my eye, there was something unique about them the linens reminded me of photos I had seen of French country cottages. I made a comment to a woman about how rare it is to see such wonderful and on-trend products being sold by fair trade/global companies... The woman I just so happened to be speaking with was Ellen Dorsch the founder of Creative Women. We had a fascinating conversation about what it is like to work with producers in places such as Ethiopia and the challenge of having them create for Western consumers. I would encourage you to visit her website to learn more about the company as I know you will be inspired and I believe that it is extremely important for us to support companies like Creative Women who are not only working to improve women's lives but doing it in a way that is strategic with a high level of excellence (not to mention on trend!).

Two's Company: Their booth caught my eye across the convention hall, who wouldn't be tempted to investigate a "Curiosity Shop"? My inquisitiveness was quite rewarded when I discovered their booth was packed full with some of my favorite things: phrenology heads, apothecary jars and shadow boxes.

East of India: This UK based company had a booth which you just could not pass up. It was setup like an old General Store and the aesthetic perfectly matched the products they sell. 

Cody Foster: If I had to choose just one word to describe their products it would be "wonder". I kept turning round and round hoping to soak all of the magic in. There were tiny little sail boats (that seemed to have sailed right out of someone's dreams), glittery polar bears and so much more..

Well I believe that brings this post to an end.. I hope you are as inspired as I am. If you ever have the opportunity to check out the New York International Gift Fair I would say go for it!

The Common Folk Collections: No. 2 Americana

The Common Folk Collections: No. 2 Americana

Americana taps into that nostalgic yearning that this generation has for something that feels just out of our grasp, that ability to unplug and have more quiet moments enjoying the beautiful simplicity that is life. We long for that adventure which at times might be a lonely pioneering path but more often means meals round the table with friends as laughter sparkles in the air. 

Americana is more than the rugged cowboy or bull rider (though they sure can be fun to spend time with! I remember once being held in mid-air by my ankles, buff bull riders = trouble) it's the American craftsman who prides himself on his work, it's the band whose music is so contagious you go from foot tapping to full out dancing and it's those mason jars that make everything feel special (whether a candle or a salad).  

I so look forward to exploring this collection because I know we will uncover more than a few treasures. Oh and I can't possibly forget to mention that this collection just happens to coincide with one of my favorite bands, The Lumineers, being nominated for a Best Americana Album Grammy.

“Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is "contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band.”

The Common Folk Collections: No. 1 Dutch Renaissance Revisited – Walls of Treasures

 

The Common Folk Collections: No. 1 Dutch Renaissance Revisited – Walls of Treasures

Today my research at the New York Public Library - Stephen A. Schwarzman Building  was seeking to confirm my hypothesis that some modern interior design trends of dark walls, still life photography/painting and art collections were associated with the Dutch Renaissance.  

As I sat at in the Art/Architecture department digging through my pile of Dutch/Flemish books I learned that the growth of connoisseurship/collecting became so popular in the Dutch Renaissance/Dutch Golden Age that not only were collectors invited to become members of influential artist guilds (such as Antwerp Guild of St. Luke) but a new genre of paintings focusing on “art collection” was developed led by artists Frans Franken II, Willem van Haecht, David Teniers and Hans Jordaens.

If you had all of the money in the world what would you collect?

I posed the above question today to some of my friends and I received the most interesting responses including: door knobs, handbags & vintage motorcycles, vintage machines, unique single chair legs, sand from beaches traveled to, vintage cameras and so on.  These collections which we treasure reveal much about who we are, who we desire to be and what we see as beauty. Our world is filled with vast amounts of media and it can be incredibly challenging and overwhelming to sift through it all in order to find true beauty. While collections may sometimes be viewed as materialistic throughout history they have been closely associated with the development of the arts and sciences. Perhaps analyzing our collections will give us a glimpse into something deeper?

“All the curious gleaners and collectors anointed themselves it’s guardians…” – Cabinets of Wonder

Image One: Connoisseurs at a Gallery, Hieronymus II Francken (1578-1623)

Image Two: The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest, Willem van Haecht

Image Three: House Beautiful July/August 2012

 Image Four: Anthropologie New York Store Interior by Esther Maria Swaty

 

Common Folk Collections: No. 1 Dutch Renaissance Revisited - Food

Common Folk Collections: No. 1 Dutch Renaissance Revisited - Food

"Enchant, stay beautiful and graceful, but do this, eat well. Bring the same consideration to the preparation of your food as you devote to your appearance. Let your dinner be a poem, like your dress."  - Charles Pierre Monselet

The blog that launched my obsession with Dutch Renaissance is “What Katie Ate”, it was my first glimpse of the Dutch Renaissance style being revisited in a modern way. I found the way which Katie Quinn Davies would photograph simple food against dark rustic backgrounds quite enthralling. For example this photo of pomegranates stayed with me for months:

 

These images of food so brilliantly captured, remind me of Christmas Eve dinners where after having been out of the house all day while my parents decorated feverishly, we would come home to a Christmas tree twinkling with little red candles, the sound of German Christmas carols and a table spread with the most fabulous dinner you could possibly imagine. On these special occasions my Mom pulls out the fancy white porcelain plates with the little blue flowers to serve her fabulous German knodel and roast. I could sit for hours in that moment…

"She breathed in, and in that one; quiet moment felt herself come back together again."- The School of Essential Ingredients, Erica Bauermeister

There is such power and beauty in food. I find that many of my favorite memories are those which have taken place around a meal. If  perhaps this post has inspired you to try cooking something of your own for friends and family, Katie has a quite simple recipe for Baby Minted Potatoes with Lemon Oil & Sea Salt which might be a good place to start:

"All any man can hope to do is to add his fragment to the whole." - The Art Spirit

If you would like to purchase or look more closely at the What Katie Ate book you can find it at the following locations: Anthropologie, Amazon, Barnes & Noble . Please visit again tomorrow as I will be posting on Dutch Renaissance and Interior Design.

Image One: Cheese, What Katie Ate

Image Two:  Pomegranates, What Katie Ate

Image Three: Christmas Eve at the Swaty's

Image Four: Baby Minted Potatioes with Lemon Oil & Sea Salt

Common Folk Collections: No. 1 Dutch Renaissance Revisited

Common Folk Collections: No. 1 Dutch Renaissance Revisited

"early Netherlandish paintings reveal the pursuit of a common goal—to make the painted image vividly present and to render the unseen palpable." - Early Netherlandish Painting, Met Museum

I first noticed what I would call a Dutch Renaissance resurgence, when I discovered what has since become one of favorite food blogs. I remember showing the blog to my Mom and discussing with her how inspiring and unique it seemed to be, yet there was something I recognized that I couldn't quite put my finger on. She suggested I look up the Dutch Renaissance and so began the treasure hunt for the pieces which now make up this collection.

Now might be a good time to let you in on a little secret (that is perhaps not so secret), my Mom is a huge influence in my life and one of the reasons for this is because of her contagious passion for art. I remember when we were kids she had a stack of post cards of paintings by famous artists and she would go through them with us taking time to describe how by the artists brush strokes/subject matter/ etc. we could tell the paintings apart. Honestly, as a kid I would cringe whenever the cards came out because I would have much rather been.. reading. Even though only a few of the painters have stuck with me: Degas (ballerina's - every girl has him as a favorite at one point or another), Picasso (the crazy one/cubism), and Van Gogh (the sad guy who loved the stars) I see that my Mom was cultivating what would become a great curiousity about and love of art.

Because of my Mom's encouragement to delve into the Dutch Renaissance one discovery led to another and I now see glimpses of it's influence everywhere I turn. I wonder if that is how Bill Cunningham feels when he starts to put together one of his infamous spreads for the New York Times.Throughout this collection I will highlight areas where I have been seeing the influence of Dutch Renaissance, but in the meantime instead of "Where's Waldo" how about we play where do you see the influence of the Dutch Renaissance? Please stay tuned as tomorrow we will delve deeper into this collection.

"For any artist to have a voice in the arts or to create timeless art, he must understand his craft."                                  - How Does Art Become Timeless, Samuel Adoque

Image One: Lampshade, Hendrick Kerstens

Image Two: Portrait of a Young Girl (Woman), Petrus Christus c. 1472

 

Announcing: The Common Folk Collections

“When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becoms an inventive, searching, daring, self- expressing creature. He becomes interesting to people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for a better understanding. Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book, he opens it, shows there are still more pages possible.” – Robert Henri

Many of you who read this blog know me to be a person of endless rabbit trails. My sisters, if asked, will roll their eyes and list off the countless mini-obsessions that they had to endure (everything from leper colonies to all things french).  My Mom, well, she sums it up as my simply becoming a character in one of the ever changing fantastical stories being composed in my head. How about you? Have you ever had one of those moments where you discovered something so incredible you thought you might burst if you didn't share it with the world? The hole in the wall cafe whose owner made you feel like you had just arrived at home, the song that caused a knowing smile to spread across your face (this band is destined for greatness!), or the book that met you at the perfect moment (articulating a dream hidden deep within). 

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.  ~ Clay P. Bedford

We live in an age where a wealth of information and potential inspiration is at our fingertips (countless bloggers, pinners, iReporters, youtube prodigies and so on), not to mention we just kicked off 2013, with probably a few resolutions/goals. Each of us has a unique role to play in this grand story, but many of us get stuck between inspiration and action. Perhaps we are waiting to receive a detailed map or hoping to be presented with a perfect plan? Much of the time pursuing our dreams requires the great risk of taking the first step onto a dark path we know we have been called to but we can't see in it's entirety. Oh and did I mention there will most likely be struggles and challenges along the way that test the core of who you are?

I remember hearing a quote that went something like “how many authors have gone to their graves with unwritten books” and I wonder how many of us are living unwritten lives?

“Perhaps a book is a weapon; perhaps an unwritten book is an even more powerful weapon than one which has been published. It has a way of filling the air with its menace or its promise, the sweet art of what might have been.” - Colm Tóibín

My hope in curating these “common folk collections” is to provide a glimpse of inspiration, a platform for dialogue, and resources for activating your dreams (i.e. – events to attend or experiences to create, opportunities to network, books to read, perhaps even a new obsession?). You are the curator of your own: collections, inspirations and dreams. May you be inspired to become a master of your craft and invest it into the common good.  

"Creative visionaries with a purposeful mission to be of some use to humanity always change the status quo for the better." - Origin of Inspiration, Samuel Adoquei

 

A Curator's Dream

The little shop "DARR" whispers to the passerby.. more often than not stopping the curious dead in their tracks.. countless mysteries are sure to be found within...

Feet cross polished but creaky hardwood floors..

Rather large and magnificent paintings look down upon the wanderer from their lofty positions on the deep midnight walls...

Gilded frames...various taxidermy.. medicinal bottles from an age long past..

Such beauty, savor each moment, even if one leaves with nothing in hand, they will leave with a fingerprint of inspiration upon them.

Darr

369 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

(718) 797-9733 ‎ · shopdarr.com

ps- this shop reminded me a little of my favorite curiosity shop in san francisco, paxton gate.

photo source: flickr, habitually chic

I must be a mermaid. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living. - Anais Nin

photo source: photo by Brad Miersma, design by studiowonder.org