“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
🌟 Check out the making process of the Garden Floral Dress 👗🌸
Fashion design & Digital art: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert
*All outdoor photos taken with no one else around. Keep safe social distancing.
The Garden Explorer
I remember when I was a kid, every day I woke up with excitement and anticipation. The outside world always seemed colorful and magical. A park, a playground, a plot, a back yard, even a sidewalk can make me stop and wonder for a while, and of course, there is the wonderful light from the sun, mystical clouds, aromatic herbs, the pleasant sound of birds……I was always interested in and inspired by the simple things around me. I could make many places my secret garden, a hidden alter for me to paint and write all the untold stories.
Fashion design & Digital art: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert
Find Inner Peace & Joy
As I’ve got older, for a long time, I felt I lost the ability to sense and explore the charms around me, because life got too busy and complicated. I either did not have time or I did not have the energy to cherish the lovely little things around me, instead, I was stressed with other things, the same stuff all adults stressed with, I felt just stuck in repeated circles…….Till one day I realized it is actually pretty simple to get myself grounded again.
Fashion design & Digital art: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert
I have noticed that when I choose to listen to my heart and allow myself to enjoy the things around me, allow myself to be simple again, I automatically let go of unnecessary anxieties that distract me. The same simple things inspire me and present new ideas if I allow myself to be open. The desire to explore and create, which not only brings me joy but also brings me inner peace. The secret garden is always there.
The Secret Garden
Image by USA-Resisebologer from Pixabay
Brooklyn Botanic Garden was founded in 1910, a beautiful estate located in between prospect park and Brooklyn Museum. The combination of exotic plants and the unique ‘Garden within the Gardens” design highlights the whimsical charm of this place. I visit this Botanical Garden every year, every season. Every visit brings me something new and refreshing, the smell of flowers & trees, the sound of birds and bees, the cross-cultural architectures …… maybe they are exactly the same plants, the same buildings, but there is always something different when you let yourself to explore.
Photo by Joel Halbert
The truth is, no matter where you are, no matter how many times you pass through the same things and situations, you are not trapped. It is up to you to discover the beauty around you and you can build your own secret garden.
Terrisa Chen 