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Your mood through the seasons: Winter
You may think of winter as a gentle and slowly season. When nature takes a short, perhaps refreshing, rest and covers everything under a white quilt. Kisses fauna and flora to sleep, until the burst of spring.
Isn’t that a romantic vision? We can now, finally, enjoy lazy days with hot chocolate, warm blankets, sparking lights by the fire and scented candles.
Yes, that part of winter is fairly romantic. Until the days become more and more monotone, flat and fleeting like a butterfly. In the opposite cheerful and airy way, they have around spring or summer. The days move on without any natural flare or direct sun light. Wrapped, endlessly, in a neutral veil that turns life into a black and white film.
If you live in Germany, you know what I mean. And, let me add, I love black and white films! But sometimes, winter can be a little bit too long. Having a perennial kind of soul.
Everyday life starts to feel dull (and let me use “dull” as a not so flattering synonym for gray), long, cloudy, even repetitive. You may forget all the colors and nuances of spring, summer or fall. There are not enough color charts from Farrow & Ball, Little Green or Designer’s Guild to cheer you up. And you can’t burn scented candles four months on a row.
Cloudy and muted days wander like forgotten spirits. Waiting to wake up, to break with this ghostly routine.
Against the winter blues
Perhaps you feel me, perhaps you don’t. If you think I’m overreacting, stop! Let me share with you, I was born and raised in Argentina. The most Parisian city in South America, Buenos Aires, is my hometown. The south of Germany, near to the Alps, is my second hometown since 2010.
Quite a challenge for this porteña (a person who was born in Buenos Aires). I tried sun lamps, long walks in the forest (until the weather is so cold, I don’t dare to go out), even the fairy lights shine from November to early March and, of course, I eat tons and tons of chocolate.
Either way, a more colorful side of life is still missing.
So, to escape this visual routine, lack of glow, and train my photographic eye, I’ve started taking one picture a day.
Awaken your creativity
I must admit, I’m not a big fun of pre-made formulas. Something like: “the best ten tips for…”, or “try this for changing that” and so on.
Being an Art Director, I find photography a big part of my working day. And, personally, I’ve been always fascinated by still life or editorial images. So, some years ago, I started shooting myself. Got a reflex Canon for my birthday and already felt professional!
I’m the living proof, practice makes perfect. Something I try to train with the help of workshops, editing what I produce and reviewing other people’s work. This part I enjoy the most. Just finding inspiration and admiring other photographers. Wondering, with hungry eyes, their own creations and how they come to those results.
Again, a soft reminder, like the first snowflakes falling in November, comes to my mind “practice makes perfect”. Do you agree? If you do, from the bottom of my heart, I encourage you to try something daily. Until it becomes regular, standard.
You will find yourself creating new ways to approach a familiar task. You trigger your creativity as you learn to master a new hobby or skill.
OBJECTS & DECO
Bedside table: hand-made!
Caramel vase: Jysk
Colorful bouquet of flowers: Kerstin "Florales & geschriebenes", present from Womempower e.V.
Black vase: Arket
Scented Candle: H&M Home
Glas frog: a present from my father, Murano, Italy
White vase: Arket
Coffee table: a present from my mother-in-law
Wine glasses: Anthropologie
