Macon, MS
Another creative specimen of hand-painted text. Another BBQ joint in Mississippi. And another spelling of our favorite food group!
Archive for March 2011 – Page 3
I really enjoy pillows because they are a relatively inexpensive way to add a touch of great design to the common experience of sitting or resting. And, they are also easy to interchange, so they can bring freshness to a changing mood or season. I’ve been collecting images of inspired pillow designs for quite some time, and I’ve had a very difficult time narrowing them down to just these six. [Which probably means you’ll see another pillow post at some point!] Nevertheless, I really love the touches of whimsy found in each of these designs — perfect for the coming of Spring. Visit each of the designers for more stunning inspiration!
D. EMILY SUTTON
E. THOMAS PAUL
F. HELKATDESIGN
I’ve been noticing some of those blossoms making an appearance in my outdoor spaces over the last week or so. My backyard is telling me the next stop on the color train is Purple! Of all the colors in the spectrum, the one that often signifies the most depth to me is purple. From the shades of magenta to deeper eggplants, it just seems to have a complexity that always attracts me. It makes me wonder. It makes me imagine. Let’s take a look at the hidden messages the color purple delivers.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS:
A combination of red’s excitement and blue’s calm, purple is a complex medium that is most commonly associated with royalty. Unlike some of the other colors, cultural background plays a strong role in how the color purple is perceived in different parts of the world. It’s kind of an uncommon color in marketing applications, but in the right context, it can offer a sense of the daring and dramatic that is powerful. Because of its connection with royalty, purple certainly adds an air of elegance and wealth wherever it is used.
Because purple does not occur as often in nature as other colors, the associations related to it tend to be a bit more introspective. Purple is perceived as a complex and contemplative color often signifying creativity, eccentricity and unpredictability. It sometimes signifies an artistic bent as well as a sense of daring. In many cultures, purple has been used to signify spirituality, and offers a sensual depth of feeling. Colors in the purple family also connote a sense of mystery.
COLOR VARIATIONS:
Blue purple tones that are on the more radiant end of the spectrum are most often associated with New Age philosophies as well as futuristic ideas. The deeper royal purples represent a perceived value in many cultures, particularly in European societies where they are closely associated with royalty. These purples lend a regal and majestic quality to design applications. Lighter, grayed-out purples like lavender evoke softer, more sentimental and nostalgic emotions and are associated with gentility and refinement. They are also perceived as delicate, embodying the sweet tastes and scents present in the plant bearing its name.
NEGATIVE ASSOCIATIONS:
Because purple does not hold as many references found in nature, its associations are more cultural and therefore, more subject to individual tastes. Therefore, it can be challenging to choose where it might appeal to a wide audience. It’s association with New Age and mysticism can be a negative association in many aspects of Western society. In addition, it is also sometimes associated with an exploration of gender roles which can make the color subject to being politicized.
Purple can infuse color palettes with a uniquely rich quality in the right context. It can add a balancing cool undertone to warmer color schemes and conversely a warmer tone to cool schemes. Because purple hues can be pushed from the cool to the warm ends of the spectrum, the color be a powerful counterpoint in color combinations, adding depth and vibrance.
I’ve been thinking about opportunities lately. Over the last year I’ve been presented with many opportunities. Some disguised as changes or challenges or even as catastrophes. As we turn the calendar on March, I’m reminded that Spring is the season of opportunity where buds long dormant begin their trek toward blossoming. Sometimes it happens overnight. Just last week I noticed that from Tuesday to Thursday, the Bradford Pear tree outside my window transformed from a woven pattern of bare gray branches to a fluttering display of white-petaled blossoms.
As I’m considering the opportunities before me, more and more I’m feeling the weight of a choice — the choice between what is familiar and comfortable and what is new but uncertain. It’s the choice that must be mastered with virtually every opportunity. I’m recognizing about myself that often that place of familiar wins out simply because it has the assumption of security and stability. To reach toward something that is unknown is scary, even when the possibilities of that something are abundantly apparent.
This life doesn’t come with annotated step-by-step instructions. Each twist and turn in the road requires some sort of risk and unknown. The only alternative is to stay still and close off that every-widening journey of opportunity. When I take time to think about how I really want my life to be — my work life, my home life, my digital life, my inner life — I find that I don’t want to let simple familiarity govern my attempts to attain it. I want to embrace the opportunities that take me where I want to be. I don’t want to settle for simple security. I want to dare to imagine that day-to-day existence that inspires me. And I want to orchestrate whatever comes my way to help me achieve it. Thoreau expressed it well in his Walden treatise…
“if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
Success unexpected in common hours. In finding the courage to choose to move in the direction of that life we imagine, we are most assured of success. Each step toward what we dream brings with it the freedom and joy of moving. Moving forward. Moving toward something, even if that movement contains a little retracing.
That’s the inspiration for this month’s desktop wallpaper design. I want to reach forward. Spring forward. Even March forward. And, as I begin acting with confidence, reclaiming areas where I’ve surrendered my dreams to the commonplace for the sake of what’s simply become habit, I find myself gaining that familiarity that was so comfortable. I find myself gaining a familiarity with my own dreams, with my own abilities, with my own voice, with my own direction, with my own confidence and courage. So, I weigh those opportunities, and I know. I know from that most familiar place–the heart of me–what will get me closer to that dream. I know what it feels like to reject standing still. To move forward.
[Click the desktop wallpaper version above to download and enjoy with your technology and grab these iphone and ipad wallpaper version as well.]
“Metallic”
They’re still hanging on after all this time. I’m betting they drop this week to make room for the glimmers of green I see!
Hello & welcome! I’m Haley Montgomery, and I’m the designer and owner of Small Pond Graphics. I sometimes fancy myself a frog kisser— a documentarian coaxing poignant moments from unexpected places. This blog has evolved from those moments.
The small Pond FIELD GUIDE is part diary, part sketchbook, and part wish list – an archive of ordinary wonders. For years, this space has housed my stories – creative ideas, vintage inspiration, our forays into curious places, and the simple artifacts of quiet of conscious living. Through watercolor, photography, and illustrated tales, these pages uncover the blessing of ordinary days and the wonder found in authentic places and pursuits.
I invite you to open the boxes.
Peek into the drawers.
Rustle through the pages.
I’m honored to have you here.
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Phone: 662.312.4001
Contact Haley to dive in