Deep Sea Inspiration

Yesterday, I was on Yahoo News showing my boyfriend a photo of a pink translucent jellyfish that I thought was beautiful when he decided to show me an unusual sea creature called a Nudibranch. They can be most basically described as toxic sea slugs, which doesn't sound very attractive, but many of these creatures boast vibrant color combinations that do make them quite beautiful to look at.

A photo gallery of the Nudibranches on National Geographic's website is very appropriately titled, Living Color.

The Chromodoris annae. Photo taken by David Doubilet for National Geographic.

One of the first thoughts that came to mind when I first saw photos of this nudibranch was that I could immediately imagine a dress done in that pattern, or an entire room with that color palette. I want to emphasize that it's not simply just the color that is inspiring but the texture and pattern as well. The spot pattern of black in tiny dots all over with two large splotches in other areas, accented with a bright yellow is very interesting to the eye. It is almost like a new take on a leopard skin pattern.

The Phyllodesmium iriomotense, a translucent nudibranch. Photo taken by Jennifer Hayes for National Geographic.

This nudibranch, one of the few which are colorless, is still amazing to me for it's star-burst shape. It's a shape that looks very natural, and much more dynamic than something you could find on a rubber stamp. The contrast of it's smooth outer with the spindly insides is also lovely, especially with the blue glow. It reminds me of how people enjoy decorating with branches inside glass vases. They also remind me of how it looks when people use ribbons or lace in flower bouquets.

A smooth man-made glass vase contrasts against the natural curves of the branches, in a look similar to the nudibranch especially because of the translucent quality of the glass. Photo courtesy of Randy McManus Design.

The ribbon used in this bouquet creates a look that I relate to the blue glow of the nudibranch. Photo courtesy of It's All About Weddings.

I was really glad that my boyfriend showed me these sea creatures, as I probably would never have come across them on my own. It goes to show that opening our minds to more than what is involved in our everyday lives and personal interests can bring us great sources of inspiration. I feel that most students tend to explore within their own field of study, including myself, but having friends who study in many different majors telling me about the things they learned and found interesting has kept me open. I believe that the more places a person can find inspiration, the more unique their work will be from others because of the interesting blend of what they have been exposed to.