Celebrating Lindsay at When We Were Young.
Chillhouse
ube-bae latte
Niece and nephew time: CC 4yrs starting kindergarten this year. Lowell 2yrs curious, sweet boy.
Rei Kawakubo at the Met
Brooklyn giving me the feels forever.
Duh.
There's always something...
Coming from New York which had very little natural elements besides Central Park I have come to really appreciate being outdoors and nature. It's pretty easy to do in Southern California since the weather is predictable and sunny. I love taking walks outside, because the weather is great and there are so many varieties of flowers to see. The main reason all of the beautiful plant life is able to thrive here year round is because of the awesome sunny weather and great soil.
Looking into symbolism of the sun I came across the Egyptian Sun God Ra. His tears were said to be honey bees sent down to man to deliver a message (honeybees again playing a huge role ;) ). The Sun God was buried in a monumental obelisk shaped structure inscribed with Egyptian hyroglyphics.
Pyramids are known for their stable, everlasting structure. The Egyptian pyramids shapes were designed to symbolize the points of sun rays.
Place de La Concorde in Paris France. The obelisk structure that symbolizes one of the suns rays. (Photo found on Pinterest)
Writer Carl Hoffman took a trip to the Giza Pyramids. This is how he viewed the pyramids on his camel ride.
The Pyramid of the Sun (aerial view) in Teotihuacan, Mexico
Now I'm starting to see pyramids...
Miniature pyramid I caught a shot of walking to the bank.
With some insight to the inspiration behind the Hex Collection (previous blog post) I decided to write a blog post on the significance of the relationship between humans and bees. A couple of months ago I hosted my first Instagram contest. One of the rules was to post an image of bees and flowers. I had flowers as the backdrop for my pop up event, and images of flowers are just about the only bright pops of color on my Instagram feed. The reason being is that since living in California I have always noticed and mentioned my appreciation for the year round plant life that is able to sustain here. The thriving plant life here directly relates to bees and our natural food sources. If we do not take notice of the small factors in the big picture of our food chain then we will eventually suffer the consequences. The winner of my Instagram contest was a gardener and bee keeper from the Salt Lake City area named Rette Green. She went above and beyond for the contest by simply tagging me in multiple existing pictures in her Instagram library full of bees, flowers, and her garden. I asked Rette what she thinks is the easiest solution for people to do to help save and foster the bee population. She replied:
"Based on zero scientific research, I think basic problem is that most people don't eat things that could have dirt on them-- meaning (like in our Idaho community) farmers are cutting crops or not planting them altogether because it's just not profitable anymore. Fields are being sold for cheap, identical houses are sitting full of weeds because farmers can't survive in the current market. A basic solution to dwindling crops is flowers. Groups have been pushing people to plant flowers, because it feeds and encourages bees. Even if you can't plant a garden, flowers will support bees.
Honey bees and humans are in this together. If we support them by keeping crops and not eating genetically modified plastic foods, it saves us all. The fact that bees are in trouble only points to a larger problem-- we aren't eating the foods nature intended us to. I guess the easiest thing I can think of is to turn people to their plates. Are you eating something that came from the ground? How many steps has your food transformed through? Keep it in it's basic form, and eat lots of it. Support the farms and communities that bees need, and everyone will be healthier. Healthier bees, healthier communities and healthier you."
Rette's Instagram feed (@rettetrospect) features beautiful images of her home grown garden, healthy recipes, her adorable babies, and her appreciate for bees.
I've briefly mentioned and posted images of things I like and am inspired by. Geometric architecture, symmetric patterns, and nature are things I am constantly amazed by and drawn to. When I first moved to California I immediately noticed and appreciated the immense about of nature. The beach and mountains are easily within reach, and the vibrant, beautiful flowers that thrive here year round make simple walks outside worth while. I happened to watch a few bee documentaries regarding Colony Collapse Disorder and the deep impact of "disappearing" bees. After I learned more about bees and how their role in the environment sustains life I began to really take notice of two things: 1) Bees pollinating 2) The Hexagon/honeycomb shape
The relationship between bees and the honeycomb/hexagon shape is the inspiration behind my first collection.
I took notice of this bright pink, fuzzy flower walking in my neighborhood. Took a closer look and this guy was doing work!
Bees and flowers have played a big role in my first collection and presentation.
Hanging light fixtures outside my bank
Parking structure on Wilshire Boulevard with interlocking hexagons
I love the hexagon shape because it can create such interesting patterns connected or standing alone
Bees are physically small, but are such a big part of everyday life. They are responsible for sustaining our natural food sources and pollination.
Even though honeybees are small they are incredibly hard workers. Their efforts directly affect our lives. The Hex Collection embraces the honeybee and honeycomb. Although the pieces are small and delicate they are part of your everyday life and wardrobe.