Images That Inspire Me

     Fairy Glenn on the Isle of Skye in Scotland

The Isle of Skye is not only a place that my parents vaguely named me after, but also a location at the top of my travel list. I picked this image specifically due to its vibrancy and whimsical otherworldly feel. The Isle of Skye has been inhabited for thousands of years and  its castles, natural pools, and rock formations connects me to the imagery in Celtic myths and history I grew up studying.

That staircase scene from The Labyrinth

The Labyrinth was a movie I watched a lot growing up and I've come to realize that it may be partially responsible for my love for dark fantasy aesthetics and weird surrealist architecture. The scene in particular toward the climax of the movie has always stood out to me. I'd watch the movie if you'd haven't, although the goblin kings a creep he's played by David Bowie and its a classic! I like how yo can't tell which way is up or down, its very disorienting.

Statue of Boadicea and her daughters in London

This statue is one of my favorite statues in England. Boadicea (also spelled Boudicca) was a Celtic warrior queen who ruled the Iceni tribe.  After the Romans pillaged her village, publicly beat her, and did all but kill her daughters, she led an army in a rebellion against the Roman Empire, nearly defeating one of the biggest empires in the world. I love how this statue captures the commanding presence and how the angle of these photo almost puts the viewer in the perspective of her warriors as she stood on her chariot and roused them for battle. 

A gargoyle on the Notre-Dame Cathedral

I find something so compelling about how this gargoyle is looking down at a city that has been changing around him for centuries, yet it remains stoic and unchanged as the world around it continues to move with time. Even the lights and the shadows of the stone seem to contrast with the city lights and rushing cars below it. 

An obnoxious amount of disco balls

I have an odd fascination with disco balls and 70s dance music. Admittedly, I even have a disco ball in my dorm. The way that light bounces off the mirrored tiles and the different distances and layers make this image visually compelling to me. I'm also a sucker for a good curtain backdrop, although I feel like a different color would have mad the disco balls stand out even better.

Fairy circle of mushrooms in the woods

I like how the darkness of the edges in this image put more emphasis on the foliage in the center. The woods are one of my happy places and the ring of mushroom ( fairy circle) have significance in folklore, which I find fascinating. Though there is a scientific explanation, legend says they are portals into our world for fairies and elves. I have always been interested in mythology and folklore, and even had a blog about it in high school, so images such as this tend to creatively inspire me.