Growing up my entire life in Colorado, my personal aesthetic greatly mirrors the mountains, especially in the summertime. Since a young age, I have spent countless days in the Colorado mountains. A “second home” of mine is the quaint cabin that my grandparents have lived in. Every April through September, they stay at this cabin. It overlooks the Blue Mesa Reservoir outside of a town called Gunnison, and, each summer, we have visited them for at least four long weekends. Some of my fondest memories are collecting acorns scattered around the property, finding shiny rocks to “sell” to my dad and uncle, admiring my grandma’s daisy garden, and playing horseshoes at dusk. At night, my whole family and I will sit on the deck of this cabin waiting for shooting stars. My dad would take my sister and I on four-wheeler rides along the dirt paths that connect the small community of neighboring cabins, looking for deer hiding in the trees. I am so lucky that my grandparents found this gem of a home thirty years ago. The following photos come from this place, one featuring my amazing grandparents.

(My grandma is very popular with the hummingbirds)

As defined in previous posts of mine, I would say that my personal aesthetic can be characterized best by Cottagecore, which I’m sure has a lot to do with my summer experiences. I have always loved decorating my childhood rooms with crystals, plants, and posters that showcase nature. I often feel most at peace when hiking. The aesthetic itself, as stated in my first blog post, “romanticizes simplistic, pretty, and quaint rural life. Individuals who adapt this aesthetic typically expand it to their lifestyles, valuing quiet, slower life and creating for themselves. Cooking, gardening, and crafting are common, as well as heightened disconnection from social media and fast-paced culture. Defining artistic aspects of cottagecore spaces include floral prints, bright colors, vibrant greenery, rustic wooden features or furniture, and different earthy stones, rocks, or crystals. Flowers and plants themselves typically scatter these cottagecore spaces, and elements are arranged in collage or mosaic fashions; the cottagecore aesthetic does not have harsh lines.”

Regarding artistic movements, Impressionism definitely encapsulates cottagecore. The following painting by Claude Monet[1] is one example.

For my individual final project, I plan to embody this aesthetic by creating something that can be outdoors at my grandparent’s cabin. 

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