Guest Blogging It With RI's Own Beth Braganca Bell Of Embee Studio
When Patty asked me to write a post for her blog I thought "wow, absolutely!" then I immediately panicked. I would rather eat cold brussel sprouts (if you know me you would understand that I suffer PTSD resulting from said childhood torture) than talk about myself. So, I decided instead to tell you about my addiction to chasing beauty.
I am an illustrator and graphic designer, so it shouldn't be strange that I have a penchant for the visual, but I've found that it is really what inspires me to get moving every day. Whether it is taking the long but scenic Route 114 to Newport just to breathe in the scenery, or having dinner at the Alice in Wonderland-like Duck and Bunny, or my compulsive need to collect every piece of driftwood I come in contact with. Like every. single. piece. I've found that my surroundings play such a huge role in my creativity that I make it a priority to fill my life and house
with as much beauty as I can.
The good news is that this teeny tiny state is chock-a-block full of loveliness, nevermind what you'll find in divine Providence alone. Just take a walk down Benefit Street, the longest stretch of historical homes in the country, and you'll find the Atheneaum where if you're lucky, you could run into Edgar Allen Poe's ghost sitting on its steps. It's eccentricities like those that make me so glad to be raising my twin girls here. Such an amazing mix of New Endland history with the new wave of arts and spectacle. I mean, where else could I foster in them a love of the wacky like Big Nazo and PRONK, as well as expose them to all kinds of arts and culture. Living in Foxpoint, they can have the diversity of a city with the feel of a small town. And most of the people we know here are also in pursuit of some form of beauty or another. Whether it is our friends who dance for Festival Ballet Providence, or over at PCFF and the Cable Car Cinema with their amazing children's programming, or the many artists who get involved in the doings and politics of this city to make it such a unique place to live.
There's never a shortage of beauty or those that create it. Go chase some.
More About Beth
Beth Braganca Bell is an illustrator and designer, born and raised in RI. She came back to Providence after moving to Boston to attend MassArt, to live and work alongside her husband, Mike at their multimedia production house, embee studio and raise their twin girls. You can see more of her work at: bethbragancabell.com.
Photo Credits: All pictures courtesy of Beth Braganca Bell.