Inspired Image: Sarah Stover Hannevik

Hello, my name is Sarah Stover Hannevik

You can find me at Sarah Smiles (my blog), my portfolio, and my etsy shop

This image comes from my friend Kiley Arial who takes amazing pictures with her Holga camera.

It inspires me because it reminds me that the hunt for something amazing is always possible. You can always find a treasure in these small curio shops in China, Korea and Japan. This image seems to capture the ancient dusty mystery of China. The markets in many cities in China, this one is from Beijing, are a history lesson in the handicraft of the country. Many of the small glass bottles shown here are painted from the inside, totally incomprehensible and beautiful.

I particularly love the variation of color of all the little bottles and figures all displayed in a dim, fuzzy light, it looks like this picture was taken as the sun was setting.

It makes me feel dreamy, and curious. So much fun to find some amazing treasure in a shop like this, something that will always remind you of the mystery of this place.

The 3 words it conjures up are mystery, beauty and curiosity


I am a huge fan of Sarah's work and couldn't consider this post finished without showing you some of my favorites of hers. Sarah, who lives in South Korea, makes mixed media designs with fabric, paper and stitching. This first one is my absolute favorite for the mix of colors and textures.