The Power of Blue: Enhancing Your Home’s Ambiance with Abstract Art

From calming shades to eye-catching hues, blue is an incredibly versatile color that can elevate the ambiance of any space. Blue has a number of properties that make it an ideal choice for home decor. First, it reflects feelings of peace and serenity. This makes it an excellent choice for a living room, bedroom, bathroom, or any space in your house where you want to create a calming atmosphere. Additionally, blue helps to open up the room, making it feel larger and airier, which goes well if you’re into minimalism like I am.

After creating several pieces with a rather muted color palette, I wanted a change, so I created a piece of bright blue abstract art which can become the focal point of your room or you can mix and match pieces of home decor and fabric housing blue abstract art for a unique and striking look.

If you’re favoring the minimalist aesthetic and you’d rather spend your time by the seaside than anywhere else, blue abstract art is the perfect accent. It’s classic yet modern, peaceful yet inviting, and sure to give your space a little something special. So go ahead, take a look at the pieces below!

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Minimalism in action: why I prefer to display art as paperweights instead of wall art

I’m a minimalist who loves visual art and hates clutter. If you are the same, then this blog post is for you.

Do minimalists have decorations at home?

As a minimalist, I learned the hard way that I need art in my life, even if apparently, it has no use. What I did though, in order to avoid clutter is to display art on objects which have some function, for example, I’d rather buy a beautiful mug than having that same artwork hanged on the wall above my couch.

Do people still use paperweights?

Paperweights have been around for centuries and there’s no denying that they add a special touch to any room. Fine art paperweights make exquisite gifts and their intriguing designs can make a lasting impression. A paperweight can also be a meaningful way to commemorate a special moment or milestone and no matter the occasion, paperweights can be a beautiful and lasting way to honor and celebrate it. Yet at first glance, paperweights may appear to be nothing more than pieces of glass with some intricate designs.

And as a minimalist focused on each object having a well-defined function if I am to allow it space where I live, it might seem strange that I have a glass paperweight taking up place on my desk. It seems like an artifact from a different century, but I put it to good use by holding in place paperwork that I need to deal with as soon as possible, for example, things like invoices or fiscal receipts. I can’t cover too many papers with one paperweight and this way I avoid being overwhelmed by paperwork.

My desk faces the room’s window instead of a wall and a fine art paperweight is more likely to inspire me and not distract me when I’m creating or when I’m just doing administrative stuff. The paperweight I currently have on my desk houses a marine Ikebana poem I wrote, called “Hoar”, and it tells the encouraging story of not being bitter after you are the witness of your first white strand of hair on your head because life may surprise you and good things will happen to you beyond youth. You just don’t know how medicine will evolve and how one incurable element one century ago will be repairable in the future.

But like any marine Ikebana poem, this one also looks like just another still life bouquet of flowers and the text doesn’t distract me if I’m brainstorming or not actively trying to read the poem embedded inside the paperweight.

And while paperweights can have various shapes, my favorite one is the typical cabochon or dome shape like you see above. I love how this form seems to bring the best out of a 2D image or 3D inclusions housed inside the paperweight. The simplicity and the minimalism of the cabochon shape also contrasts well with the complexity of the image/inclusions reflected throughout the paperweight.

What do minimalists put on their walls?

If distracting, wall art can be moved from place to place, but unless it is small and can be leaned against a surface, I find hanging it to be a hassle and to be frank, all the walls in my home are white. Paperweights, on the other hand, are portable by design since you can hold one in your hand. I love that they are small and I can easily move them somewhere else if I need to focus and I want my desk to be completely empty.

Besides, a pet peeve of mine which few people know of is that I hate to go into an art museum expecting to be inspired by a diversity of art forms and once I set foot there, I encounter paintings only, as if painting is the only art form. I am often more inspired by Pinterest where an art search is going to be more diverse and inclusive. As a consequence, I wrote a visual poem called “Your Kind of Art” about the courage it takes to indulge in a rare art form and publicly calling it “art”. You can see it below, available on a small, square metal art print if that’s your thing, but since it is available on Zazzle, you can easily change its size, shape, type of canvas or even type of product on which it is printed.

What inspires me to create

All things considered, creation is a journey of self-discovery. I have tried several art forms and I’m constantly trying out new ones. As a child in art school, I mostly studied music with some years of studying ballet and one year of painting. I am still moved by music and I have saved countless YouTube playlists I absolutely need when creating different kinds of things, but I ended my music career a very long time ago because this art form seems so ephemeral and so reliant on technology in order to access it.

As an adult, I rediscovered the joys of writing. I ended up writing several articles in the life extension niche, 3 non-fiction books and 5 books of visual poetry. I had the 3 non-fiction books translated in 6 more languages and I was surprised by being contacted by readers who don’t speak English, but still found value in what I wrote and had translated. This experience also got me interested in translation as a field and I currently keep myself updated to the medical field (after going to medical school, doing a residency in geriatrics and gerontology and then deciding that clinical work is not really what I want to do for the rest of my life) by freelancing as an EN-RO/RO-EN translator in the healthcare niche only.

Initially, I wanted to have my visual poems translated in other languages as well and I even started doing that in Romanian, my native tongue, but for the moment, this project is on the back burner because even if I have the text, I still have to visually edit the poems to look like Ikebana bouquets of flowers. I wanted to have them translated in Japanese too, but with the kanji characters, I imagine the formatting of the visual poems will be even more difficult to achieve if the number of characters will be different compared to English.

Visual art, though, is understandable even by the illiterate and unlike music or a movie, it is instantly perceived due to the peculiarities of the human brain which favors visually displayed information and I like that instant gratification.

Another thing influencing what I create is me resonating with Stoicism as a life philosophy. I view it as an European version of Buddhism where attachment is perceived to lead to suffering. I think some degree of attachment is necessary to form a cohesive self identity and just to enjoy life, but excessive attachment, especially when it comes to objects, is something that I’m seeking to avoid. You may wonder now what that has to do with creating art.

Stoicism influences me by making my art unique, yet not rare. For example, I don’t sell originals (as in physical paintings that exist in one place only): I either create digital art or I draw on paper and make the scans available online. If drawing, I prefer watercolor pencils because I can separate the messy part of applying water with a brush at the end (which is still cleaner than having to regularly replace the water for any new color like with traditional painting) and I can do the actual drawing anywhere, even lying down in bed.

Along the same lines, when it comes to art prints, I don’t limit their number. All the art prints I licensed are open edition ones. If you bought an art print with artwork created by me, you will be able to buy it a second time if the first one was destroyed for any reason. I saw my share of people putting themselves in danger to save objects(!) and I want to avoid encouraging that behavior through the way I make available what I create.

I have always oscillated like a pendulum between art and science and at this stage of my life, I think design is a medium where I can combine them in one activity. Making my art available on functional objects is also why I see myself more as a designer rather than an artist. I’m not sure if my previous STEM education or just being into minimalism is to be blamed here for not indulging in art for art’s sake, but briefly, this is how I ended up displaying artistic poems on paperweights and other functional objects.

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125 Seashell Wall Decor Ideas Featuring Concrete Poems

Are you looking to add a touch of coastal charm to your home? Seashell wall decor can be a beautiful and unique way to bring the beach indoors. In this article, I will show you 125 innovative ideas for incorporating seashells into your wall decor, along with a twist of creativity – concrete poems.

From Shells to Marine Ikebana 125 Unique Coastal Wall Decor Finds

What exactly is a concrete poem?

Concrete poems, also known as shape poems or visual poems, are poems that take on the shape of the object they describe. For example, a concrete poem about a bird might be shaped like a bird. Concrete poems may also be arranged in a specific shape or pattern. The arrangement of the words on the page is just as important as the words themselves. The words and lines are placed in such a way that they create a visual representation of the poem’s subject. The shape or form of the poem can be anything from an object to an animal to a symbol. The words themselves are often used to add meaning to the visual representation. which is depicted in the theme of that poem. For example, the 125 art prints below contain marine Ikebana poems which are are visual poems shaped like an Ikebana composition (Ikebana is a Japanese style of arranging flowers in a vase according to specific principles).

How to appreciate concrete poems

Concrete poems are often dismissed as mere gimmicks or novelties. However, they can be just as powerful and meaningful as traditional forms of poetry.

Here are some tips on how to appreciate concrete poems:

  • Look beyond the shape

While the shape or the form of the poem is important, it’s important to also focus on the words themselves. The words and lines should work together to create a cohesive and meaningful poem.

  • Consider the visual aesthetic

One of the primary appeals of concrete poetry is its visual aesthetic. Take the time to study the shape of the poem and consider how it adds to the overall meaning of the poem.

  • Pay attention to the sound

Poems are often meant to be read out loud and visual poems are no different. Pay attention to the sound and rhythm of the words as you read the poem. The sound of the words can add an extra layer of meaning to the poem.

Concrete poetry may not be as well-known or appreciated as other forms of poetry, but it is a unique and valuable art form. By focusing on the words, considering the visual aspect and paying attention to the sound, you can gain a better understanding and appreciation of this fascinating form of poetry. By embedding this fascinating form of poetry into wall decor, the same piece of art can be experienced on multiple levels.

Throughout the 125 artworks seen in the slideshow below, I have combined the beauty of seashells with the art of concrete poetry to create unique pieces of wall decor. All these artworks are printed by Pictorem, a supplier I chose due to their exquisite quality, but also because they arrange the planting of 1 tree for every shipped print.

You can choose from a wide range of print options to suit your style. Whether you’re drawn to the classic elegance of canvas prints, the modern allure of acrylic and metal prints or the rustic charm of wood prints, you can transform your living space into a personal gallery. Start by exploring these 125 coastal artworks today and find the perfect piece to inspire and enhance your home!

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All the artworks above are available for sale here (just click on the word “here“).

6 minimalist & coastal label templates for your beauty products

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Whether you make beauty products to offer as gifts or you run a cosmetics company, these 6 customizable label templates are a hassle-free way to showcase your products online and offline.

Their common denominator is the sleek, minimalist design in a blue, black and white color palette with coastal vibes given by a delicate blue mussel illustration I drew myself. The design templates work well with beauty products which are stored in jars, bottles or tubes.

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In order to make things easy for you, I created the following cosmetics label templates which you can customize with the following inputs:

  • the name of your business (or some different text if you are offering your beauty products as gifts)
  • the scent which I set in a calligraphic font
  • the type of product such as a soap bar, body butter, deodorant, hand cream, liquid soap or anything else you can think of
  • the list of ingredients
  • the quantity of product

By clicking on any of the images above, you will be taken to the Zazzle platform where you can customize them with the data that you need by clicking on the Personalize button. You can also change the fonts, their sizes or switch the background color by clicking on Edit Design.

You can also select a different shape for each sticker, but you will have to edit the designs a bit since they fit best with the shape you see first when you go to that product listing.

The great thing about the Zazzle platform is you can also transfer any of these designs to any other blank product they offer. So for example, if you’d rather have gift tags to go with your beauty products, select the design of your choice, go to that product listing, scroll down until you reach a section called Transfer design to a product, click on Choose from over 1000 products and then type in the search bar the new type of product that you want.

If you encountered any issues when customizing the label templates or if you want them with the blue mussel illustration in a different color, leave me a message in the comments section below!

Update: I created even more coastal packaging labels for cosmetics featuring a bright red starfish illustration I drew! Click on the same collection above!

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Personalize your stationery with these 5 bright red seahorse drawing customizable products

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If you’re interested in adding some color to your desk, have a look at these 5 stationery products I designed for today’s blog post. All of them feature a bright red seahorse illustration drew by me and they can all be customized with your name (except the business card where you can add several more details).

If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you probably know that red is not a color I use lightly.

And yet I’ve been thinking of trying new colors for that seahorse illustration I first used in those double monogram coastal phone accessories and this morning I found a beautiful shade of bright red or imperial red which you can see in the stationery products below.

Clicking on any of the following links will take you to the Zazzle platform where you can customize these stationery products and/or play with the designs by editing them to your liking.

Last but not least, if you like a design, but you need a different product, you can transfer any of these designs to any other product from the Zazzle platform.

If you encounter any issue with customizing any of the designs above or if you’d like the seahorse illustration on a different color, leave me a message in the comments section below!

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15 coastal dinnerware ideas for inspiration

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If you love the seaside as much as I do, then this blog post on 15 coastal dinnerware ideas is for you!

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The coastal style in home decor seeks to mimic the colors and the mood of being by the seaside. When applied to dinnerware, tableware, dishware or to any object used for serving and eating meals, the coastal style will impart its specific relaxed and breezy mood to your kitchen or dining room.

If this your first time on my blog, I am a designer of marine Ikebana poems. These are visual poems inspired by the Japanese style of flower arrangements or Ikebana, but instead of cut flowers, I use free verse lyrics and seashells.

Therefore, the 15 coastal dinnerware ideas from this blog post include:

  • full marine Ikebana poems or
  • repeating patterns derived from such poems or
  • just marine Ikebana motifs.

But in all 3 cases, the actual dinnerware products are available on the Zazzle platform where you can further customize them at NO extra charge.

Poetic coastal dinnerware

These are dinnerware items housing full marine Ikebana poems.

Seen from afar, the images look like floral arrangements, but if you zoom in on the picture, you’ll notice the branches house lyrics.

Have a look at the visual poems below!

The visual poem seen on the dinner bowl below is one of my favorites. It is called “Kintsugi” and it is inspired by the Japanese Kintsugi art of repairing broken pottery with gold instead of throwing it away.

It is a subtle concept, teaching people to see flaws and repair as something beautiful which adds to the history of the object and similarly, to our own story. Because we have flaws too, right?

Subsequently, the coastal teapot below features another marine Ikebana poem called “Soil”.

It is a short visual poem about embracing your cultural soil and doing the best with what you’ve got right now, instead of focusing on what you lack.

And visually, the poem features a long and coiled Turritella seashell vase from which a blue iris bud emerges, together with the actual lyrics.

A third poem I included among these coastal dinnerware ideas is called “”Take Off” as seen on the latte mug below.

Although very short, most people will perceive it differently even if they’re reading the same poem.

Along the same line, the fine art coffee mug below includes a marine Ikebana poem called “Hoar”. It is a unique visual poem about hoar frost as a metaphor for aging.

Following along the poetic coastal dinnerware section, the food safe trinket tray below features a blue iris flower as an Ikebana vase and from it, the actual lyrics of a visual poem called “Enmity” emerge.

But despite its title, the poem is not negative at all.

On the contrary, if you think you have a problem in saying “no” to other people’s wishes and demands and you end up multitasking, you’re going to resonate with this poem.

Finally, the last visual poem I included in this section is called “the honey jar”.

Available on a latte mug, it is a lovely poem about anonymous worker bees turning blueberry blossoms into delicious honey just like unrecognized human workers make the world go around.

Coastal dinnerware with seaside patterns

Unlike the coastal dinnerware examples you’ve seen above, everything else that follows includes no lyrics.

There is no text available because these products include repeating patterns inspired by the seaside.

The coastal patterns from the pitcher, the 2 soup mugs and the coffee mug below were all inspired by the Black Sea. This is the place where I unknowingly became a seashell collector when I was a toddler and it is also my favorite place for brainstorming and active meditation.

But even if this is the large body of water which inspired these coastal designs, some seashells I used here are not native to this area.

In contrast to the seashell patterns you already saw above, the serving tray below houses a different kind of repeating pattern which looks quite Asian and Oriental. I created it from a visual poem called “Scar Collector” which was originally published in Volume I in the Diamond Dust Poems From the Black Sea photo book series.

Coastal dining accessories

You have already seen the coastal dinnerware ideas featuring either full marine Ikebana poems or repeating patterns inspired by them.

Now comes a third category of coastal dining accessories. These feature just one central motif, such as the marine Ikebana bouquet or the murex seashell from the 2 glass coasters below.

And while any of the coastal dinnerware products seen above can be customized as you wish, the last 2 examples I’ll mention next were specifically designed as templates.

For example, if you’re looking for a coastal kitchen gift, the dinner bowl below features an easy to customize “Happy birthday!” text and you can change it to whatever you like.

Or if you already own too much dinnerware, but you’d still like to add some blue accents with coastal vibes, you can organize what you already have with these easy to customize food and drink labels which come in sets of 10.

In this case, the template food storage labels feature a nautical blue iris flower inside a navy blue rectangle. You can change the rectangle color, the background color, you can pick a different type of label or even transfer the design to any other product from the Zazzle marketplace.

And with the last 2 templates, we have now reached the end of this blog post on 15 coastal dinnerware ideas for inspiration.

If any of these ideas inspired you, I’d love to know in a comment below!

Wabi sabi memory box ideas

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If you’re searching for some amazing memory box ideas with a special aesthetic angle, you’ve come to the right place!

Wabi sabi memory box ideas

Why make a memory box?

As its name suggests, a memory box is a box for storing your memories of a certain event or person in the form of treasured items from the past. Storing everything in just one box will naturally limit you to NOT clutter your living space or mental space. While it is nice to go down the memory lane from time to time, it is counterproductive to be reminded of the past when you’re trying to focus on work. It is just as counterproductive to store only things you use in the present. Because things from the past allow you to connect the dots, notice some progress and form the story of your life.

When it comes to choosing a memory box for keepsakes, you can definitely use any kind of container, but what these 6 memory boxes below have in common is a Japanese aesthetic concept called wabi sabi.

What is the concept of wabi sabi?

It is amazing that the wabi sabi aesthetic concept appeared in a country famous for its quality products because wabi sabi is the art of finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence and incompleteness. The wabi sabi style focuses on simplicity, minimalism, natural materials and a color palette reminding you of the natural world. Speaking of colors, I favor the blue and brown combination because it is a nice memento of the dominant colors of the planet we live on. You will encounter this color palette in all my poem designs from the memory boxes below.

If you are a perfectionist like I am, adopting a wabi sabi attitude will encourage you to embrace your imperfections, the imperfections of your home and work and to find beauty in everyday items and in your daily routine. You can start by trying more creative and offline activities when at home, such as reading poetry from an actual printed book or drawing with colored crayons.

Gathering a collection of treasured items from your past is another offline activity you can do in your free time. This could be especially valuable at the end of a project or during mourning to wrap things up and move forward with your life, hopefully learning something from the experience.

Each of the 6 memory boxes below includes one visual poem on the lid. Since each event or person around which you make a memory box is unique, you may find it useful to customize things. All these box designs are available on Zazzle and you can personalize many things without any extra charge: you can change the background color, add text, add photos, remove text or photos, choose different options regarding the box itself and even transfer each design to a different product.

Have you ever made a memory box for keepsakes? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below!

11 blue home accents ideas to inspire you

11 blue home accents ideas featuring blue wall art poetry posters, beautiful poem photo displays, blue throw pillows, blue fine art trinket trays, blue artistic mugs, a blanket with a seashell coastal surface pattern and a glass coaster with a blue Murex snail shell

Adding blue home accents to your place is a subtle way to make it more serene and relaxing. If you’re looking for ideas of blue decorative objects to add some coastal vibes to your place, no matter how far away you live from the sea, then this blog post is for you.

For your convenience, I grouped these blue home accents ideas per room.

11 blue home accents ideas featuring blue wall art poetry posters, beautiful poem photo displays, blue throw pillows, blue fine art trinket trays, blue artistic mugs, a blanket with a seashell coastal surface pattern and a glass coaster with a blue Murex snail shell

Each of the blue decorative objects seen below features my own designs of either marine Ikebana poems or bits of them as surface pattern designs. Furthermore, they are customizable at not extra charge to you. As a side note, there is no visual poem I designed which doesn’t include at least a bit of blue because it is my favorite color 🙂 Other than blue, they include a neutral color palette of black and white and varying shades of brown.

Blue home accents ideas for your living room

There are several decorative objects you can add as blue home accents in your living room: wall art with beachy vibes, some coastal desk decor (which you can also use as a shelf styling idea) or a blue and white throw pillow.

Blue home accessories for your bedroom

When it comes to blue home accents for your bedroom, you can start with a blanket featuring a coastal seashell surface pattern. In addition, you could also include any of the blue pillows below or a blue poem artistic mug by your nightstand.

Blue home accents ideas for your kitchen

Next, using blue sparingly in the kitchen can give it a crisp, clean look. Here are some inspiring ideas of blue kitchen decor! You can try a glass coaster with a blue painted murex snail seashell or a set of coastal nautical and floral blue iris flower food drink labels.

Blue bathroom decor ideas

Lastly, blue is very appropriate for the bathroom due to it being associated with the sea. If you only want to add some blue nautical accents, you can start with the blue iris flower tray below to gather all your trinkets or with a coastal bath towel set in blue and beige.

Finally, did you find an idea for what you were looking for? Which one of these is your favorite one and why? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below!

Moreover, if you’d like more such ideas, you can subscribe to my newsletter and/or follow me on Pinterest.

8 coastal aesthetic desk decor ideas to inspire you

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Have you ever procrastinated for hours instead of just doing your work at the desk and then enjoying your time off?

I know I did.

Let’s just say I can easily miss the seaside when I spend too much time at my desk. The seaside – and to a lesser degree the swimming pool – is where I get my best ideas, but realistically speaking, working at the beach or during a cruise is not my cup of tea. I’m not efficient at all and while being at sea, I prefer to let my mind free anyway. I don’t want briefs or deadlines.

And while literally being by the sea is not how I would like to work on my laptop, I indirectly brought the sea to my desk by creating coastal art in the form of visual poems.

This is how I ended up gathering these 8 coastal aesthetic ideas to decorate your desk and make it so beautiful, calming and inspiring, that you actually want to sit there and do your work!

8 coastal aesthetic desk decor ideas featuring photo block displays, glass paperweights, desk organizer boxes and latte mugs and cups, office and school supplies, desk accessories,

All these desk decor ideas can be customized once you click on the images or the links which will take you to the Zazzle platform. You don’t have to be logged in to customize the products and if you like a design, but not the product itself or the material on which it will be printed, you may also easily transfer it to a different product.

Desk decor ideas 1&2: try a coastal art photo block on your desk as an inspiring mood board.

As you may have guessed it from the name of this website, I’m very much into minimalism and clutter is not what I want at my desk, so I limit desk decor to just one item at a time, unless that decorative object also has some kind of function, e.g. if it’s a mug or a desk organizer for office supplies I use all the time. You can easily do the same by rotating desk decor accessories.

The photo block below features a visual poem called “Swimming in 2”. I gave it this name because this is how it felt to swim during pregnancy once I started feeling the fetus in my womb, especially if she was active during my swimming sessions. If you are female and you are experiencing this stage of life or you reminisce about it, this poem will inspire you to do your best for your (future) child and to not skip your swimming, if you happen to practice this sport.

This next photo block for your desk features a concrete poem called “In the reign of parasites”. If you’ve viscerally known perfectionism or if you are constantly criticized by a nitpicky person, you are going to like keeping this poem on your desk to remind you to take it easy.

Decorating ideas 3&4: bring beachy vibes to your workplace with just one glass paperweight revealing an aesthetic design which inspires you.

If you are an artist secretly working on your creative masterpiece, this shape poem about ephemeral art is going to inspire you to not take everything so personally when things don’t go your way. Many creative people before you have toiled to create awesome art which would outlast them. Unfortunately, that art either doesn’t physically exist anymore or it is hidden or forgotten.

If you needed a reminder on the importance of being healthy or not getting sicker, the poem below is just what you need to read.

Desk decor ideas 5&6: if you don’t feel like working because your desk is a mess, gather all your small office supplies in a beautiful box reminding you of the seaside.

If you procrastinate and you can’t work because you doubt this is taking you anywhere, the poem below, besides being available as a desk organizer box to keep your desk free of clutter, is going to give you an efficient solution to find meaning and purpose in life. The main idea is to avoid the extremes: not outsourcing anything or outsourcing everything.

Sometimes what you need at your desk is a calm reminder of how everything flows. Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed. Things just change shape, just like water which you may notice as frost on your window to the outside world.

Decorating ideas 7&8: if you always have a mug by your desk, why not have a beautiful one to inspire you with a bit of poetry?

Sometimes what we are working on is not (properly) credited to us, but just like in the poem below about anonymous worker bees, the final result may be valuable. Or just sweet:)

Given the content of its lyrics, the poem mug below is a great option for a new mother who is overwhelmed with all the new unpaid and unsung roles she will take or for an older mother who forgot the many unpaid and unsung roles she became good at.

As a side note, all the concrete poems mentioned above were originally published in Volume I of the Diamond Dust (Poems From the Black Sea) photo book series, available as hardcover or paperback.

Which coastal desk decor idea did you like the most? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below!



7 golden ratio examples in art and design

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As a seashell collector with a background in engineering and medicine, it was only natural to turn to the golden ratio when I decided to make something beautiful by starting to design visual poems. If you’re not familiar with the golden ratio, this blog post will tell you what it is, how to use the golden ratio in art and design and it will show you 7 examples of how I used the golden ratio in visual poetry.

What is the golden ratio and why is it important?

Imagine a line split in two parts: a and b. If (a+b)/a=a/b, then that ratio between a and b is called the golden ratio, the golden mean, the golden section or the divine proportion.

The golden ratio is important in art and design because proportioning one’s creation by making use of this irrational number (which is approximately 1.618) leads to aesthetically pleasing art and design.

how to use the golden ratio in art and design

How to use the golden ratio in art and design

There are probably ways to use the golden ratio in non-visual arts such as music, but here I’ll give a few ideas on how to use the golden ratio in visual art and design with examples below on how I used these in my own visual poems:

  • fit the image you create inside a golden rectangle. A golden rectangle is a rectangle whose width is a, whose length is a+b and if you divide a/b you get the golden ratio.
  • place the main part of your image in the left or right third of the image (leaving the other two free) by using a golden ratio grid as your guideline instead of using the rule of thirds, thereby dividing the grid in 1:0.618:1 instead of 1:1:1.
  • place the main part of your image in the origin of a golden spiral. A golden spiral is a spiral which gets wider by a factor of the golden ratio with every new quarter turn.
  • if your image has a shape other than a rectangle or if it contains different shapes which increase in size, you can use a different golden shape to balance the elements inside your image or to place the main part of your image. You can have circles, triangles, pentagons and many other shapes increasing in size by a factor of the golden ratio and following a linear path (sitting next to each other, e.g. squares) or the path of a golden spiral.

How I use the golden ratio when designing visual poems

1. Seashells

I start each visual poem by sketching an Ikebana flower arrangement, but instead of using cut flowers, I use English words and seashells, the latter being an example of the golden ratio in nature. While the growth path of each seashell made by a mollusk is different depending on its species and environment, I have inadvertently included many logarithmic spirals into these poems through this choice.

2. The golden spiral

While there are many ways to use the golden spiral when you create something beautiful, I use this golden spiral image 4 times as a separate layer in Inkscape, the main open source software I use when designing marine Ikebana poems from lyrics and photos of my seashells, mainly to find the perfect place for the title and/or logo/signature of each poem:

The golden spiral superimposed 4 times on the "Time" visual poem from Volume V of the Diamond Dust (Poems From the Black Sea) book series
The golden spiral superimposed 4 times on the “Time” visual poem from Volume V of the Diamond Dust (Poems From the Black Sea) book series

3. The golden ratio grid

I also use the golden ratio grid when deciding on where to place the seashell vase of each Ikebana arrangement as you see below:

The golden ratio grid superimposed on the "Time" visual poem from Volume V of the Diamond Dust (Poems From the Black Sea) book series
The golden ratio grid superimposed on the “Time” visual poem from Volume V of the Diamond Dust (Poems From the Black Sea) book series

Ready to see some examples of the golden ratio in art and design?

Scroll down to see 7 examples of everyday items on which marine Ikebana poems designed with the help of the golden ratio are available.

Which one do you like the most? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below!