Peace, Love and Valentine’s Day – Comfort and a Smile

It’s funny how a theme gets into your head and you seem to see it everywhere. This is what’s happening to me as Valentine’s Day approaches and I think about it from many different angles. Because of my shop, I focus on the merchandising standpoint as I see opportunities to spread the joy of marking the day with wonderful mementos in the form of art pieces and unique decorative accessories. But then again other things just happen spontaneously and through the window of a bus the other day while toodling about in Mexico I spotted this very animated VW bug adorned with curling graphics ala the 60s with the universal peace symbol and its bilingual version of love and amor.
Like Austin Powers’ spoof on psychedelia, what goes around comes around and if you wait… you’ll see the design trends repeated in the reactionary realm of art and fashion. With our world today getting smaller ,with the increased access of high-speed transportation and cyber communications, instant gratification and homogenizing of cultures, people tend to want to slow down, relax, return to an earlier time – it’s all relative. For some that might mean surrounding themselves with organic materials, and/or slow food, to others it might mean listening to music from a past era or immersing themselves in historical research. Some jump off the grid and really get back to basics. But regardless of the manner in which one reverts to the past or reminisces about the bygone days – one common denominator is true – comfort, wherever one finds it, is a human need. What’s funny is how different those definitions of comfort can be.
As simple as something that makes you smile like this whimsically artistic little love bug did for me the other day, I hope this coming Valentine’s Day brings a smile to your face and that you can, in turn, bring a smile to someone too!