Finding Beauty in the Everyday

While searching aimlessly for inspiration for a design one day, I found myself coming up short with all my usual outlets. There was nothing new on Instagram, no sparks on TikTok, and all my stock photo searches were turning up dull. I was hitting a wall, so I put down my phone and rested my head in my hands.

The day was quiet, I was sitting outside. I started to hear all the layers of sound harmonizing, and see all the colors and shapes around me. The linear lines and the soft curves of nature against man-made objects. Simpleness and complexity. It led me to ask myself how often do I look outside the internet for inspiration when I’m stuck. When do I take a breath and try to find and appreciate beauty in splendor in the way a single blade of grass has managed to come through the sidewalk, or a bird whose feathers are more colorful than anything Pantone could create?

The team at Points North all had similar experiences, and it turns out you don’t have to travel far to find something beautiful. Read about how we find moments to appreciate the splendor in front of us.

What’s your favorite spot to go to for beauty, or what’s something you found unexpectedly beautiful? 

• “There are several trails along natural springs where I live. I enjoy spending time there. This is one of my favorite state parks that’s a little over an hour away. Best part? No cell service 🙂”
  – Laura, Graphic Designer
• “In my neighborhood, after crossing a cobblestone street, there is a café on the pier, sitting on the harbor. It’s the perfect place to grab a croissant and a coffee. Then, you just sit and enjoy. You’ll see neighbors coming in and out, friends grabbing coffee after yoga class, ducks and birds in search of crumbs, and some of the best dogs you’ll ever find. It’s life and it’s happening all around you. It’s a reminder to slow down and enjoy.”
  – Jessica, CEO & Creative Director
• “Trees. I look for parks or settings with a lot of trees to park at and find peace especially when I’m on the go. Trees help me feel centered and remind me to be patient with life and myself.”
  – Kendra, Project Manager
• “I love running, and sometimes on the trail, I’ll see a tree that has grown at the most awkward angle. I always stop and admire them. I find them unexpectedly beautiful because they found a way to grow that worked best for them.”
  – Naomi, Account Manager
• “Living in San Francisco, beauty is right outside my door, whether it’s when I bike on the Embarcadero along the bay under the bay bridge with it’s lights at night (I can send pics), bike across town out to the beach through golden gate park or whether I walk up to get coffee on Potrero Hill and turn around to see a view of the entire city. Or even just rooftop dining in the Mission where I can see the mural at the Women’s Building. Beauty here is not unexpected but it is cherished.”
  – Elaine, Director of Client Experience

How do you intentionally make the space and time to just observe?

• “I’ve started leaving my phone in other rooms. Like when I wake up in the morning, I won’t check it. I’ll just leave it on the nightstand. Or if I take a walk, I’ll make a point to leave it at home. It was starting to feel like my phone was always following me and distracting me, and by leaving it somewhere, I’m creating the space to notice what’s in front of me and engage with it.”
  – Naomi, Account Manager
• “I’ll leave my phone in the car or in a different room with the intention of being more present.”
  – Laura, Graphic Designer
• “I’ve been taking Improv for a couple of years now, and one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that the moment you’re in is the most important moment. That means you have to be fully present to fully experience what’s happening before you. It’s how some of the best scenes are created. The same lesson can be applied to how I live my life. When I’m meeting up with friends, my phone slides into my bag or purse. And this is on purpose. I’ve never been great at multitasking, and social settings are no exception. I want the people I’m with and the moment I’m in to have my undivided attention. That’s where the magic happens.”
  – Jessica, CEO & Creative Director
• “As strange as it sounds, sometimes I intentionally go places without my phone. I leave it at home or in the car so I can use all five senses to be fully engaged with what I’m experiencing. Sometimes it’s fun things like going to a festival and sometimes it’s as simple as going into the drugstore. It almost feels as invigorating as a workout to have all five senses activated simultaneously or close in time.”
  – Kendra, Project Manager
• “I bike ride as a way to observe. Biking a city is actually the best way to get to know it and see what most people — residents and tourists alike — do not get to see. All the details, whether architectural or hidden gem businesses or parks that you otherwise wouldn’t either get to on foot or have time to see in a vehicle.”
  – Elaine, Director of Client Experience

What’s something simple that you find beautiful?

• “Every spring the ducks in the Baltimore harbor couple up, and soon there are little ducklings following their parents around in the water. I see them on my weekly morning walks, and they always bring me joy.”
  – Jessica, CEO & Creative Director
• “The silence and peace that flows through my home in the wee hours of the morning when everyone else is still sleeping.  I enjoy being the first one up to pray and meditate over my day and my family. The silence is so beautiful to me because I can hear and see so clearly.”
  – Kendra, Project Manager
• “The first signs of the season changing. Like the first leaf on a tree that decides to turn red, or the first flower that stretches its petals. It’s like a slow clap from nature, and you know applause is soon to follow. It symbolizes change for me, that everything can be renewed.”
  – Naomi, Account Manager
• “I’m lucky enough to get to lay down with my toddler-aged daughter every night as she drifts off to sleep. There’s so much sweetness and innocence in those moments.”
  – Laura, Graphic Designer
• “I find people watching to be unexpectedly beautiful. To watch the interactions between friends, family, strangers and often, the dogs they are walking.”
  – Elaine, Director of Client Experience

Take a moment to take in the beauty of the world around you and be inspired to explore and appreciate the simple joys of life. Nature can be a reminder of our own strength and resilience, and can help us to remember that simplicity can be a powerful and meaningful way to live.

And while I’m very aware that you’re reading this blog on your computer, I now encourage you to click the “X” on this browser tab (or minimize it, if you are a tab collector), close your laptop, and make it your mission for the next 15 minutes to find something simple and beautiful to appreciate.