Personal Aesthetic- Sunshine, Reptiles, and Color

My personal aesthetic is filled with bright colors, sunshine, nature, and greenery. I have always gravitated towards bold, contrasting colors in my personal spaces, and find that they make me feel more alive and present. I love natural light as well, and coupled with plants and nature, I find that these elements define my personal aesthetic well. 

I had an east facing room when growing up, and waking up to the sunlight streaming into my room was magical. Over time, I added suncatchers that splashed rainbows across my walls, filled every possible surface with plants, and featured bright colors like yellow, orange, and pink whenever possible. This aesthetic, whatever it is called, makes me feel at home. 

I have always loved nature, specifically animals, and even more specifically reptiles. I finally got my first reptile during the pandemic, a leopard gecko, which turned into an expansive hobby and passion. I now have around 15 reptiles in my “mini-zoo,” and teaching people about them has become one of my favorite things. I love getting to help dismantle the stigma around reptiles, and educate people about them. My personal aesthetic was heavily influenced by my love of nature and reptiles, and I would say that some natural element is prominently featured in my personal aesthetic. 

Keeping reptiles has also become a creative outlet for me as I have been designing and building my reptile’s enclosures for a few years. These terrariums are dynamic and filled with live plants and organisms like isopods that create a self-sustaining environment with the live inhabitant of the enclosure. For my project, I will be designing, building, and planting a bioactive terrarium for a pair of chameleon geckos. 

This project will be completed in the next few weeks, giving it ample time to grow in and become established before the pair of geckos move in. I will be using mostly materials that I already have to make sure the project is as sustainable as possible, and I have an old enclosure I will be cleaning out to redo.