Archive for the ‘Eco-Art’ Category
Create joy with the 'Bag of the Year'
Monday, January 17th, 2011
A cool way to use your ‘Bag of the Year’ .
Hang in your cupboard or room to store all the happy memories of 2011..letters from loved ones , birthday cards, your accomplishments etc. Dive into the bag at any time of the year and fish out a happy memory. The joy it brings will send out vibrations to attract even more joy !:)
Hmmm….maybe we should call this ‘Bag of 2011 Joy’ !:)
Soar beyond your fears
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.
Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky,the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.
The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch. Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, “May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a farmer.”
In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens.He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle”
The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king.
The king asked him, “How did you make the falcon fly?”
With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, ” It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”
We are all made to fly — to realize our incredible potential as human beings. But instead of doing that, we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us, they remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable, the mundane.
So for the most part, our lives are mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and fulfilling.
So let us learn to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to the glory of flight.
From the Book “Why walk when you can fly”
Acqua viva
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
Love the zen like look of Acqua Viva. This by itself can persuade anyone to turn eco !:)
Bamboo grandeur
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
The pictures above are of a massive structure made almost entirely of bamboo and other natural materials. Designed and constructed by Vo Trong Nghia , who is known as a somewhat of a bamboo building virtuoso, the domed structure is called the Water and Wind Cafe and resides in the Binh Duong province of Vietnam. Not only does the cafe showcase how versatile and strong bamboo , which is a rapid-growing renewable material, can be, it was also built without the use of even one nail!
The cafe’s frame measures 30 feet high and features an opening at the very top of the dome that allows daylight to stream inside. Like many other Vietnamese structures, it is covered in a local bush plant, which evokes an African-esque aesthetic. And contrary to what you might think about building with natural, local materials, the end result is not “homemade” looking at all and is actually rather streamlined and majestic.
This is a trail blazer in several ways-
- It’s possible to design large structures with natural , renewable , biodegradable materials
- It is possible to design something this huge without a nail
- The structure built can look awesome and inspiring
- The wisdom of a culture can find new and beautiful expression while creating a sustainable world
Each industry is plagued with self and world limiting beliefs . Creations such as these jolt , delight , inspire us to look afresh and create anew.
Gift Green
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
GIFTS now have a new color – GREEN !
At Clean Planet we are committed to creative solutions for a joyous , sustainable world. A step in that direction is GIFT GREEN - fun , green gifting ideas. A space where you can get inspired and inspire others with your ideas for cool , green gifts.
The joy of creating something yourself is indescribable. In that sense a green gift is first and foremost a gift you give to yourself. To the recipient it’s an honor that you took the time and effort to create something. Besides the joy it brings – a green gift is planet friendly.
Welcome to Gift Green.
Triple gift
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
Can you remember the gifts (including cards) you gave in the past year . Or the gifts received in the past year . A few perhaps. One possible reason is that the process of buying the gift was one of the countless trips to retail stores. Contrast that with the experience of a gift you made or the gift someone specially made for you. Doesn’t that bring back a huge smile and plenty of memories ?
Birthday coming up ? Search stores for some cool cards . Larger , pop up type cards stand a good chance of being purchased. Or search the net for some equally impressive online cards complete with animation , music. In all of this the best you feel you can do is to make a trade off among available options based on -
- What you feel the recipient would appreciate
- What you find acceptable to give
- Price of the product
In the modern day urban world most things are bought (v/s created yourself). Most things have gotten complex (some unnecessarily so). Ads pop up everywhere we go creating expectations and aesthetic standards that need a whole eco system of companies to create.
Now , let’s explore creativity. Many people still associate and confuse creativity with the ability to draw. If you did not do well in art class you probably labelled youself as ‘not creative’. Nothing could be further from the truth. You ARE creative.
Time constraints coupled with unrealistic aesthetic standards can cause most of us to shy away from expressing their creativity and love by way of hand-crafted gifts.
The next time you want to give a gift consider making something. Build up muscle . If the idea of making a gift sounds daunting start with a card and the packaging. You’ll enjoy making it. The persons you give it to will LOVE it.
A gift you make would be a gift thrice over – it’s a gift to be recipient , a gift to yourself and a gift to the planet.
Past and future of a product
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
Interesting chair by Scott Garcia that serves as a reminder of the origin of the chair.
Awareness of the origin and the future of a product may enable more thought in purchases ? More thoughtful
purchases ?
DIY CD cover
Saturday, August 7th, 2010
Few days ago we had to include a CD in a courier to a client . We normally buy the CD packs i.e without individual covers because the cover is normally plastic besides being rather uninspiring.
Inspiration and enthusiasm came together to create a CD cover from wood free paper . On which a print of the SoulQuest Tree was pasted on one side . The other side was adorned by a hand embroidered paisley. After seeing the end result we solemnly swear to always make customized CD covers.
This idea can be adapted creatively on a variety of packaging – envelopes , gift packs. You can paint them , use cut outs from magazines , add cloth cut to shapes , buttons , lace . A whole range of items in your home and office can be used for it.
Ingredients for DIY -
- desire to create something unique
- willingness to experiment
- imagination
- glue (hey you need something to stick the desire , willingness and imagination together )
- odds n ends
Do experiment n share your ideas with us.
Have a creative week-end
(via SoulQuest)
