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Flowers And The Science of Positive Emotion

      I swear that Valentine's Day is in February because everyone has the winter blues and is too embarrassed to buy flowers for themselves. Just when it feels like there is no bouncing back from the long nights and incessant blizzards (okay, maybe this is a little biased coming from someone in Upstate New York), a beautiful reminder of life is placed in your hands and under your nose. 
      Being as I'm almost always plastered in floral prints, doodling flowers, and trying to find creative uses for the petals, I started to wonder why this symbol seems to have such an extreme impact on people. Throughout history people have spent countless hours working on cultivating flowers. The perfect shape, color, and smell are just some of the qualities that individuals have dedicated their lives to. However, unlike so much agricultural work, the flowers produce no food and not all posses medicinal qualities. 
       According to an evolutionary psychology study entitled An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers, there are three possible reasons why flowers act as a mood enhancer for humans, "(1) simple learned associations of flowers with positive social events, (2) associations of flowers with food that could be part of an evolutionary response promoting food search, and (3) flowers as specially evolved human sensory mood enhancers." The concluding hypothesis in this study supports the third reason, "cultivated flowers fit into an emotional niche - their sensory properties elicit human positive emotions. The flowering plants are thereby rewarding to humans and in return, the cultivated flowers receive propagation that only humans can provide."            
       Studies have shown that flowers elicit a longer-lasting positive mood than other "similar stimuli" (for example: candles, fruit baskets, etc.). People who received flowers also tended to display them in a living room or shared space, and had more consistent positive behavior around their peers.
      So if you find yourself moping around on a slushy day, take the time to go out and buy a bouqet. Your mood may just lift enough to bring a little bit of spring into a dark February evening.
      

"…[I]t was the flower that first ushered the idea of beauty into the world the moment, long ago, when floral attraction emerged as a evolutionary strategy" (p.xviii)…[one of]…"a handful of plants that manage to manufacture chemicals with the precise molecular key need to unlock the mechanism in our brain governing pleasure, memory, and maybe even transcendence." (p.xviii) I would be the last person to make light of the power of the fragrant rose to raise one’s spirits, summon memories, even in some not merely metaphorical sense, to intoxicate"…(p. 177) (Pollan, 2002).  (source)

Artist Q&A: Gabrielle Brittney

See the beautiful logo at the top of the page? Or how about the buttons you click to get to the Typographie Etsy, Facebook, or Instagram? All the artwork used for Typographie Vintage was done by the talented and crazy cool Gabrielle Brittney. I sat down to ask her a few questions about her art and her creative process.

1. What inspires your art work?

I am always inspired by my surroundings... I like to find the beauty in the every day. I love all kinds of art and design, but I find myself fascinated by details and colors. I think being surrounded by beautiful things sparks the creativity in me, which hopefully produces beautiful things as well!

 

 2. You have a unique aesthetic style when it comes to both your personal style and your artwork, what influences do you attribute to shaping this?
I think my love for vintage things and feminine design shape this specific style... I've always been attracted to antiques and all things floral, so that may explain my reoccurring theme of flowers in almost everything I do (and wear!)  

3. Do you have any routine or ritual that is unique to your own creative process?

A cup of coffee is a great start! I think being in a clean and spacious environment with good music playing helps me when I feel like being creative and making something. I usually start by spreading out and organizing my materials on my desk or table... but it always ends up as a big creative mess.

4. Who is your favorite artist?
 My all-time favorite is Gustav Klimt. I admire his attention to detail and the delicate female form. Since reading blogs & the birth of Pinterest, I have discovered hundreds of other great artists such as Leah Goren, Charmaine Olivia and Jessica Hische.

 

5. What is your favorite medium to work with?
Lately I have been having fun with acrylic paints on canvas and wood... although I will never get bored of old fashioned pencil and paper. 

6. What is next for you and your work? 

This year I hope to revive my Etsy store with new prints and original paintings. I envision the designs on textiles like totes or scarves. I would love to get back into blogging about inspiring things and my creative journey, too!

 

Thanks again to Gabrielle Brittney for all her help on the blog, and for taking the time to answer some questions about her beautiful artwork!  To see more of Gabrielle's work, check out her portfolio here.