One thing I love about art, is how it can make you feel like you aren't alone. There is such relief in someone putting into words what you are feeling, or a painting that manages to capture an experience that you felt no one shared. And there is also a lot joy in realizing that your daily joyful experiences are shared with humans! It's human connection, captured in a bottle. Or on paper. It's art. You know what I mean!
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If there is a piece of art that has brought you comfort this winter, please share it down below in the comment section!
In this blogpost you will find a collection of my favorite poems, quotes, illustrations, paintings and songs about January!
In this blogpost you'll find:
A John Green Quote and Pieter de Molijn Painting
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If I had to guess what modern author I quote most, it would be John Green. I devoured his YA books, adore his podcast with his brother (Dear Hank and John) and now I read his adult books. The quote above is from one of those adult books: The Anthropocene Reviewed, a series of beautiful essays, written review style, about his experience of the anthropocene (aka the world we live in).
The painting is by Pieter de Molijn, a Dutch painter from the 1600's. I love the misty, wide view that feels just like Green's quote made me feel. You can admire the painting in its full (albeit digital) glory on the website of Het Rijksmuseum.
January, 1795 by Mary Robinson
Once January hits, it sometimes feels to me like there is no hiding anymore. No Christmas cheer or warm autumn nights in the park to hide behind. The difference between people's situations become starkly apparent. The cold and the worry of some and the empty, unearned riches of others. Mary Robinson captured it beautifully in the late 1700's. It's so long ago, so many words in this poems I had to translate because we don't use them anymore. And yet...
Wordlist:
- Dainties = Delicacies
- Garret = Attic
- Misers = Someone who hoards wealth
- Simpering = Pretentious or coy
- Lordlings = Minor lords
- Knaves = Someone who is a scoundrel or otherwise untrustworthy
- Spurned = Rejected with disdain
Under my Wings by Anna Vaus
I could gush about Anna Vaus, and this new song of hers, for a long, long time, but I'll do my best to keep this description blog sized. The song speaks for itself anyway! Anna released it with the message: 'A song to keep you warm this winter'. And that's exactly what it is doing for me, the sweet reassurance that it's okay to rest, paired with the low key piano and Anna's gorgeous vocal performance, just makes for such a warm winter song!
Cosy Illustrations by Monika from @Och_Monika
Monika is one of my favorite artists I follow on Instagram. For my birthday this year, I got a couple sticker sheets and postcards by her, and they are now the cornerstone of my bedroom decorations! (Yes, the sticker sheets are hung up like cards, I don't think I'll ever be able to use the actual stickers, the sheets are just too cute to ruin!!) The warm, sweet color schemes are just so enjoyable to look at and I love how her illustrations always focus on slow, small, natural, cosy moments. The exact things I cherish most in life and thing I especially rely on during darker days! She mainly posts on Instagram, but if you (like me) are keen on reducing your social media time, you can also find a lot of her work on Pinterest.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
As I have been getting more into poetry, I've come to love Robert Frost for his easy to follow, yet atmospheric and layered poems. This one in particular has stayed with me during still, slow, winter days.
Baby Steps by Olivia Dean
Olivia Dean's most recent album is filled with soulful, jazzy songs about love. I adore the entire album and I highly recommend giving it a full listen from start to finish! This song called baby steps in particular has stuck with me. Lyrics like 'I'll be my own pair of safe hands, it's not the end, it's the making of' and 'There'll be roses on the shelf, 'cause this house gon' love itself' are such beautiful combinations of being kind to yourself while also standing strong. I've been singing 'I'm taking ba-ba-ba-baby steps' to myself for months now, whenever I feel like I've taken a baby step in my life. It's a welcome bit of whimsy added to my day to day!
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