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I am at Pollen, Gardens By The Bay with botanical illustrationist Lucinda. Today is the first of her weekly botanical workshops at this surreal location. One of the things about working closely with an insightful artist like herself is that you learn a lot and not just work-wise but she actually has a significant impact on your perspective towards life.
Today, before the nature-inspired art session began, we went for a plant identification tour in one of the lush flower domes at Gardens By The Bay guided by Lucinda. Walking amidst such a vivid range of breathtaking samples of nature inspired me in so many ways. When you go on one such tour with someone who is so learned and well-versed about the botanical world, nature speaks to you. You get an altogether new perspective towards life in general.
From dahlias to roses and sunflowers to pansies – we discovered an array of vibrant flowers striking against the background of different shades of green leaves. But what inspired me the most, was a closed look at one of the orchids. Surprisingly, this flower also happens to be one of Lucinda’s illustrations that I came across before even I knew her well.
Here’s how the orchid spoke to me:
The pink orchid inspired and reinstated the idea of balance, the concept of dusk and dawn, failure and success – the principle of balance.
If you take a close look at the full bloomed petals of the orchid, it has a lot of pink patches with white in the background. The whole flower is not pink in its entirety. The fact that it has a white background makes the pink look even more beautiful, doesn’t it? It adds a sense of contrast to the overall look of the flower.
Now, consider the white parts as the bad days of your lives and the pink parts as days of happiness. Doesn’t it all fall right into place? For dawn to be special, dusk has to come. For us to know the value of good days, we have to experience the bad ones too. And eventually, it is after a mixed platter of experiences as we age, our life blooms to look like this whole beautiful orchid.
So, next time whenever you are low, just look at an orchid and it will inspire you. It will tell you that despite the whites showing up at so many turns, significant pink awaits your journey. All you have to do is keep going!
Note: All pictures are subject to copyright of Surabhi Pandey. The illustration is courtesy Lucinda Law.
[…] wrote this blog while attending one of Lucinda's workshop at Pollen Gardens By the […]