Wisdom is living life down a moonlit path
Category Archives for Aesthetics
Having a bad day? Picture yourself here.
When I was in college, I constantly daydreamed about travel. I would search for beautiful images of places I’d never been and collect them into a folder. Just the prospect of going, and the possibility of having a life where I could travel was enough to help me bang out those papers. I suppose this obsession with beauty and adventuring led to my career as a travel writer.
I remember buying a poster very similar to the photo above and every time I would get bummed out or bored with school, I’d think about: Vacation. Relaxation. Exploration…just about all of the ‘ations’ I aspired to integrate into my everyday life. These photos (via Interior Design Magazine) are stunning, striking, unbelievably incredible combinations of nature and man-made beauty. They make me feel better, and I hope they make you feel better too.
So, if you’re in the mood to daydream or you’re having a bad day, picture yourself here.
Emerald sails.
“We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Happy Friday.
Thanks for sharing Sky.
An important message from a great friend
@SkylarStetten‘s beautiful and inspiring blog Honor Your Moments recently posted this message. Amazing advice.
Winter beauty from my favorite New Mexican artist
Winter Cottonwoods, by American painter Georgia O’Keeffe.
I bought this print while traveling through Santa Fe, NM. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Georgia O’Keeffe is my favorite artist. Many of her paintings are of landscapes, flowers and trees from the Southwest region of the US.
Winter Cottonwoods, by Georgia O’Keeffe
iPhoneography tips from a traveler
This morning I published a new article on Forbes featuring the iPhoneography wisdom of travel photographer Jimmy Cohrssen.
The iPhone is replacing traditional camera alternatives. Almost every travel writer I know publishes articles that feature their iPhone photos. The camera quality is incredibly crisp and professional…I love it.
Click here to check it out.
I couldn’t resist…EMERALD is the color of the year
The Pantone Color Institute chose “emerald” as 2013′s color of the year. Here’s why emerald is my color of choice.
Model at Kenzo, via bellasugar.com
In the beginning of this year, I began to travel often. Since January 2012, I’ve visited 17 countries, and each place I traveled to was entirely different from the last. I decided I had to record my personal experiences from all of these amazing destinations. Thus, I created Emerald Traveler, a journal of my travels and a site to compliment my lifestyle articles on Forbes.com, found on my Contributor page called Emerald City.
The color “emerald” is meaningful to me for a variety of reasons: I write about “green” subjects, ecotourism and ecofashion; my last name is Greenstein; emeralds represent new beginnings; and, they are valued more than any gemstone on earth…in some cases, they are worth more than diamonds.
The capital of the Land of Oz in The Wizard of Oz is “Emerald City”. Emerald City is thought by some to be a political allegory for Washington D.C., our nation’s capital and the center of powerful tourism policy (my favorite!), legislation and international diplomacy.
“Scholars who interpret The Wizard of Oz as a political allegory see the Emerald City as a metaphor for Washington, D.C. and unsecured “greenback” paper money. The city’s illusory splendor and value is compared with the value of paper money, which also has value only because of a shared illusion or convention.”
The Wizard of Oz is the ultimate travel story. Dorothy had a goal in mind…go to Emerald City. Every obstacle and unexpected turn came her way, and these obstacles defined her journey, her story. This is travel. Every trip I’ve taken has never worked out the way I thought it would. You can’t predict the journey, you just have to take it.
So, emerald is the color of the year. You’ll start to see it everywhere – I already have!
VIA PANTONE.COM:
PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald, a lively, radiant, lush green, is the Color of the Year for 2013.
“Most often associated with brilliant, precious gemstones, the perception of Emerald is sophisticated and luxurious. Since antiquity, this luminous, magnificent hue has been the color of beauty and new life in many cultures and religions. Also the color of growth, renewal and prosperity, no other color conveys regeneration more than green. For centuries, many countries have chosen green to represent healing and unity.”
VIA BELLASUGAR.COM:
“Tell your tangerine (2012′s Pantone color of the year) to tango right out the door, because the color experts at Pantone have just named emerald the 2013 color of the year. Described as lively, radiant, and lush, the color was seen on the runways of Stella McCartney (eyeliner), Christian Dior (eye shadow), Marimekko (eye shadow), and Kenzo (nails and eye shadow, pictured above).”
“Symbolically, emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal, and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said. “This powerful and appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.”
Awesome!
2012…a colorful year.
The Travel section of The New York Times is my favorite early morning read. From NYT Style Magazine, to In Transit, 36 Hours to Frugal Traveler, The New York Times is my source for all things travel.
Today, The New York Times published “The Colors of Travel 2012” and it presents nature (and, human nature) at its very finest. Expect an array of shades and special sites from all over the world. Visuals from the Spanish Pyrenees, New Zealand’s Hobbit trail or Penang, Malaysia all come prepared with an explanation: what the writer saw and why he or she felt compelled to photograph it. Travel photography is a brilliant hobby. And, the best part? As long as you have a camera, be it an iPhone or a fully equipped DSLR, you can photograph your way through the great outdoors and love every minute of it.
Click here to see the polychromatic pictures.
nytimes.com
A taste of the digital exhibition:
Turkey.
India.
Russia.
Malaysia.
When I was in Ireland earlier this year, I met photographer John Minihan. A Dublin native, Minihan cruised his way through the 1960′s, capturing every essence of elegance, grace and freedom that he could possibly express through his lens. When I asked him for advice for a novice photographer – yes, yours truly – he said, “it’s so simple. Just photograph anything you think is beautiful.”
Yep, that’s actually all there is to it. Here’s a shot from Minihan…living out the 1960′s for those of us who couldn’t make it there in time!
Photo Credit: John Minihan. Hyde Park, London, 1969.
My favorite American artist is a lover of faraway places…
I thought I’d post one of my favorite paintings of all time, The Lawrence Tree, by Georgia O’Keeffe, created in 1929.
O’Keeffe is typically associated to paintings of flowers, but her body of work encompasses just about every element of nature: trees, seasons, animals, landscapes and the occasional modern composition. Flowers and trees are the best subjects to photograph when traveling. It’s amazing how varied nature is on the other side of the world.;)
While in Santa Fe (an incredible American city) I visited the Georgia O’Keeffe museum…it’s a must-see if you’re in town!
The Lawrence Tree, Georgia O’Keeffe, 1929
This is the tree that inspired the painting. O’Keeffe saw this tree when she visited author D.H. Lawrence’s ranch near Taos, NM…which, by the way, is an awesome travel destination for spa or ski!
