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The Design Inspirationalist

~ Inspiring Ideas | Spectacular Creations

The Design Inspirationalist

Tag Archives: mind

Inspiration Photo Friday: Patterns

09 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Inspiration Photo Friday

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art, bigger picture, blindness, design, emotion, equation, evolution, evolve, growth, heart, life, love, math, mind, numbers, patterns, realization, relationships, self portraits, strength

I believe everything is some sort of equation. Numbers are the building blocks of everything even though we don’t see them. Change is inevitable and growth is essential. We live our lives chasing love, working hard, creating memories, and doing our best to stay afloat when things come crumbling down. Among all this we cause patterns.

Some patterns are good but most just hurt you in the end. It’s tricky because you find yourself acting a certain way or reliving the same moments and it wakes you up. Having the ability to see these patterns shows you are intuitive to your well being. Actually doing something about it and changing for the better proves you are strong willed and ready to evolve. When nothing is seen or done, the same pattern repeats. You could go through various jobs, be in a number of relationships, have moved to different locations…but those patterns are still there. They are something you cannot escape until you are ready to truly grow.

I have undergone therapeutic realizations in my life, many times. Most of these were in my twenties and some even younger. I saw the patterns in my life that weren’t healthy and certainly not doing me any good. Some of them had to do with how I saw myself but most were happening in relationships. I think its interesting how you notice so much more of yourself through other people and the relationships you have with them. It’s truly eye opening.

About 7 years ago I had enough of it. I was in my last year of art school and found myself analyzing who I was, inside and out. I explored this a lot through my writing and artwork as well as through numerous series of self portraits. My BFA show even revolved around my life experiences and how I dealt with them. Even though I will always remember time spent with people I was with in the past, I really didn’t gain or learn anything from some of them beyond this eye opening realization. It has has shown me to lead life with my mind and not to get lost in the fantasy of emotion when it has no foundation. Unfortunately, something that seems beautiful and out of this world, can eventually show its dark side.

So, I’ve taken this lesson and applied it to pretty much everything in my life. Considering myself first, above all, helped me work toward my dreams and hold on to the confidence I deserve. Only then could I give a true part of my heart to what I admired. I stopped my patterns in their tracks and moved on to the next phase. Everything is just so much clearer when you see the bigger picture and when you break those ties that bind you, the bigger picture is so much more than you could’ve imagined.

This self portrait was taken during the late summer of 2006 when I still lived in Jersey. I love the look on my face because its just so true to how I was feeling and encompasses everything I was going through within those few years. And just like the mirror states, I was closer than I thought. Slowly going down the path that would eventually show me the light. Soon I wouldn’t feel the need to cover myself with emotional blindness and my mind would crack the code.

Inspiration Photo Friday: Patterns - © Melissa O'Connor-Arena

Color in Films: Inception

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Color in Films, Color Inspiration

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beige, blue, brain, christopher nolan, city, color, cream, dark, dreams, earthy, films, gray, idea, Inception, mind, movie, muted, nature, palette, tones, white

Inception is one of those films you will remember forever. Not only do you feel you need to watch it a few times, you actually want to. A genius script, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, tells the in depth story of how the mind can do amazing things. The act of inception, in this case, is to implant an idea in someone’s mind but to do it in such a way that they will never know how it got there and actually feel like they thought of it themselves. A brilliant idea for a film I must say.

The cast was amazing and the effects the film explored were truly mesmerizing. The color palette was somewhat somber and city like. Dark earthy hues such as brown and gray teamed up with a scale of blues, beige, and whites for an all around smart and sharp color scheme. Anything but would not have worked. Bright and saturated choices just wouldn’t have made the proper contribution.

This film had me thrilled and entertained all the way through. Not to mention, giving my brain a workout. Superb production in my eyes. Definitely, one of the best films I had seen in a long time.

Color in Films: Inception

Inspiration Photo Friday: Reflection

26 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Inspiration Photo Friday

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art, building, city, creativity, dark, design, explore, inspiration photo friday, light, manhatten, mind, modern art, MOMA, museum, new york, new york city, perspective, photography, Reflection

This will always be one of my favorite photos I’ve taken. It was captured about 5 years ago while I was visiting the MOMA in the city. I turned around to look out the window and was fascinated by my reflection and how the light perfectly lit up a scene outside where people were gathered. The street seemed bare and quiet except for that one entrance area. And I just happened to be standing right above it.

The dichotomy of this photo will always amaze me. On one side, the dark city. On the other, a moment captured through my lens showing the lighter side. Here my reflection acts as a shadow allowing the darkness to come through while the light that surrounds me, brings attention to the subjects outside. Two worlds coming together. What do you think the main subject is here? Outside the window or in?

Sometimes if you step outside yourself for a moment, you can see a much different perspective than before. Reflections don’t always show you what everyone else sees. They can offer a glimpse into a new realm where the mind can wander and explore.

Inspiration Photo Friday -  © 2012 Melissa O'Connor-Arena

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