I have a confession to make. Some of my favorite things in our house are tucked away in our bedroom, where hardly anyone ever sees them. Not because I'm trying to hide them, but because I like having them there. They're things I've collected over the years, things I find beautiful, and I don't particularly care whether anyone else would agree with me. In fact, some of them probably wouldn't make much sense to anyone but me.
I've always been someone who notices beautiful things. An interesting piece of pottery, an old book with a wonderful cover, a fabric with colors I can't stop looking at, or something in an antique shop that I absolutely don't need but somehow can't leave behind. I don't necessarily have a plan for these things when I find them. Sometimes I just know I like them, and that's enough.
The funny thing is, I don't need other people to see or appreciate them. Some of the things I love most are in places where guests will probably never go. I see them when I'm getting ready in the morning or winding down at night, and they make me happy. I suppose that's a little selfish, but I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping a little beauty just for yourself.
It has made me wonder why we become so attached to certain things. Why can we easily give away something we spent good money on, yet hang on to a little object that has almost no monetary value? Why do some colors, patterns, and pieces of artwork stay with us long after we've forgotten where we first saw them?
I think it has less to do with what something is worth and more to do with how it makes us feel.
Beauty Is Personal, and I Like It That Way
One of my favorite things about art is that people can look at exactly the same piece and see something completely different. I might fall in love with the colors in a painting while someone else thinks they're terrible. Someone might love a simple, modern design while I'm drawn to something with layers of color and interesting little details.
Neither of us is wrong. We just like different things.
I see this all the time when we're working on new designs for Big Raven Yoga. There are pieces of artwork I immediately fall in love with, and others that take me a little longer to appreciate. Then we'll introduce a collection, and a design I wasn't sure would be particularly popular becomes someone's favorite.
I love when that happens because it reminds me that I'm not designing yoga mats just for myself. I'm creating artwork that will hopefully connect with people who have all sorts of different tastes, personalities, and experiences.
And sometimes that connection is immediate. You see something, and before you've even thought about where you'd put it or whether you need it, you've already decided you love it.
I don't think we need to explain that reaction. There are plenty of things in life that require careful consideration, research, and practical decisions. It's rather nice to have something that simply makes us happy without needing a lengthy explanation.
Sometimes It's the Memory, Not the Object
Of course, not everything we keep is beautiful simply because of how it looks. Sometimes there's a memory attached to it, and that changes everything.
Think about the things you've held on to over the years. Maybe it's a bowl you bought while traveling, a piece of jewelry someone gave you, or an old photograph that isn't particularly good but captures a moment you never want to forget. Someone else might look at it and see an ordinary object. You see an entire story.
I've noticed that memories can also influence what we find beautiful in the first place. A particular shade of green might remind you of your grandmother's kitchen. A botanical illustration might bring back memories of helping someone in their garden. An old-fashioned floral pattern might remind you of a favorite dress or a quilt you grew up with.
We don't always recognize those connections right away. Sometimes we're simply drawn to something familiar without knowing exactly why.
I find that especially interesting when it comes to artwork. The artist creates something based on their own ideas and experiences, but the person looking at it brings an entirely different set of memories. The same piece can mean something different to every person who owns it.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy creating art for things people will actually use. Once something becomes part of your everyday life, it starts collecting new memories of its own.
Does Everything We Own Need a Purpose?
There seems to be a lot of pressure these days to simplify everything. Clean out the closets, get rid of what you don't use, and stop buying things you don't need.
And I understand the appeal. I don't particularly enjoy clutter, and I certainly don't want to spend my life organizing things I don't care about.
But I do wonder when we decided that everything we own has to justify the space it takes up.
I have things that don't serve any practical purpose whatsoever. They don't hold anything, organize anything, or make a task easier. They're just beautiful to me.
And I'm perfectly fine with that.
I think there's a difference between keeping something because you feel obligated to and keeping it because you genuinely enjoy having it around. We all have things we hold on to out of guilt, habit, or the thought that we might need them someday. Those are probably worth reconsidering.
But a piece of art you still love looking at? A handmade bowl that makes you smile every time you walk past it? An old book you keep because the illustrations are wonderful?
I don't see why those things need to go.
Sometimes I think we've become so focused on making our homes efficient and organized that we forget they're also supposed to be places we enjoy living in.
And enjoying where you live doesn't necessarily mean having a perfectly decorated house. It might mean having a few wonderfully mismatched things that make absolutely no sense together but somehow feel exactly right to you.
Why Shouldn't the Things We Use Be Beautiful Too?
This is where my love of art and Big Raven Yoga come together.
When we started creating yoga mats, I kept coming back to one question: Why do so many everyday things have to be so boring?
A yoga mat needs to do its job, of course. It needs to provide cushioning, stability, and a surface you feel comfortable practicing on. Those things matter, and I wouldn't want to sacrifice them for a pretty picture.
But once you've taken care of the practical side, why stop there?
Why shouldn't a yoga mat have beautiful artwork on it? Why shouldn't it reflect your personality or remind you of something you love? And why should you have to choose between a mat that works well and one you actually enjoy looking at?
I explored this idea in an earlier Big Raven Yoga blog, "Why Are So Many Yoga Mats Boring?" It's a question I still think about whenever we're developing new collections.
For me, the artwork isn't something we add at the end to make a yoga mat look more interesting. It's part of the reason we're creating it in the first place.
I want someone to look at one of our mats and have that same reaction I get when I find a beautiful old book or an interesting piece of pottery. That feeling of discovering something that seems like it was made just for them.
Of course, I also want them to love practicing on it. A beautiful yoga mat that doesn't perform well isn't much use to anyone. But I don't believe function and beauty have to compete with each other.
The Little Things We Look Forward To
I have a favorite coffee mug. Actually, I've had several favorite coffee mugs over the years, and I'm sure I'll have more. There's usually nothing particularly remarkable about them. They hold coffee just like every other mug in the cupboard, but for whatever reason, I find myself reaching for the same one again and again.
Maybe you do that too.
I think we all have little preferences that make our everyday routines more enjoyable. A favorite blanket, a notebook we like writing in, a chair that feels like our spot, or a particular bowl we always reach for.
These things aren't going to change our lives, but they do make ordinary moments a little nicer.
And honestly, I think ordinary moments deserve more attention than we give them.
Most of our lives aren't spent on wonderful vacations or celebrating big occasions. They're spent making coffee, doing laundry, working, cooking dinner, and trying to find a little time for ourselves somewhere in between.
If something beautiful can make one of those moments more enjoyable, I think that's worth appreciating.
The same goes for yoga. Some days you look forward to your practice, and other days it's hard to find the motivation. Having a beautiful yoga mat isn't going to magically make you want to exercise, and I wouldn't pretend otherwise.
But if you love your mat, maybe you're more inclined to leave it where you can see it. Maybe you notice it while walking through the room and decide you have ten minutes to stretch. Or maybe you simply enjoy having something beautiful in a space you've set aside for yourself.
I like that possibility. Something practical can also be something personal.
Beautiful Doesn't Have to Mean Perfect
I've never believed that beautiful things need to be perfect.
In fact, some of the things I find most interesting have a little age, wear, or imperfection to them. I love old illustrations, unusual textures, handmade pottery, and artwork that has enough detail to make you stop and look a second time.
There's something about an object with character that appeals to me more than something that looks exactly like a thousand others.
That appreciation has influenced quite a few of our Big Raven Yoga collections, including our newest Witchy Garden Collection.
I was drawn to the botanical details, the deeper colors, and the feeling of old garden illustrations and well-loved books. I wanted the artwork to have some personality, with details you might not notice the first time you look at it.
It's a very different feeling from some of our brighter, more colorful designs, and that's intentional. I don't want every collection to look alike. Our tastes change, our interests change, and sometimes we want something completely different from what we loved a few years ago.
Which brings me to another thought. Just because you once thought something was beautiful doesn't mean you have to keep it forever.
I've certainly had things I loved years ago that no longer appeal to me in quite the same way. Sometimes I keep them because they still hold a special memory. Other times I'm happy to let them go and hope someone else enjoys them.
There's room for both.
A Little Beauty Just for You
I've been thinking again about those things I keep in our bedroom, the ones most people will probably never see.
There's something rather nice about having beautiful things that aren't there to impress anyone. They're not part of a decorating project or something I arranged because I thought visitors would like them. They're simply things I enjoy, in a space that's mine.
And maybe that's the part of this whole subject I find most interesting.
We spend a lot of time thinking about how our homes look to other people, what we're wearing, whether things match, and what someone else might think of our choices. But the things we genuinely love don't always follow those rules.
Sometimes the most meaningful objects are the ones nobody else notices.
I hope that same sense of personal connection is something people find when they discover Big Raven Yoga. Whether you're drawn to flowers, bold colors, quiet landscapes, vintage-inspired artwork, or something completely unexpected, I want you to find a design that feels like yours.
If you're curious about what we've been creating, take a look at our artistic yoga mat collections. Maybe something will catch your eye.
But more than anything, I hope you'll take a moment to appreciate some of the beautiful things you already have. The little things you walk past every day, the ones you've kept for years, and especially the ones that make you happy even if nobody else understands why.
I know I have a few of those tucked away in my bedroom, and I have absolutely no plans to get rid of them.