Exploring Creativity, Curiosity, and Conscious Thought

Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Enchanting Paradox - A BESTeam Feature

There is a mystical paradox in the life cycle of the lotus blossom. This exotic flower begins its life as a seed from its parent plant which germinates in the muddy waters of a pond or along the shallow shorelines of larger bodies of water. The magnificent flower which we recognize as the lotus is actually born of these muddy environs thanks to its special adaptation to be able to derive its nutrients in a magnificent way! Out of the mud and the muck, comes heavenly beauty. Much like the lotus seed finds a way to draw life from its environment and create beauty,LotusMiraGe , this week's BESTeam feature shop, offers beautiful jewelry created from vintage imagery, found items, and ephemera.

In addition to her shop, this busy wife is working on a law degree and a masters, and does what she can to support animal rights as well! LotusMiraGe also subscribes to something I also believe about people's views of handcrafted - that the talent and artistry of handmade is often undervalued, even by the artists themselves. She even shares this thought provoking quote by Mary Ann Williams, a lampwork artist and fellow artisan,"Many talented artists are discouraged from continuing their craft because they can't make a living at it and we are thus deprived of the beauty they could create and we could enjoy. Many people think nothing of spending $100 on a dinner out but wouldn't spend $100 on a piece of art that they could have forever. It's because they don't value it the same. It's not because they can't afford it."

LotusMiraGe is filled with just the type of things its owner finds fascinating - "things that speak of quirky-ness, campy-ness, geeky-ness, vintage imagery, the chaos of collage, and the simple beauty of something classic." Here's just a few samples of her unique items!