A break from the mundane, last week’s adventure was a long-form hike up some treacherous grounds for an editorial shoot for Naked Feet shoes. The brand is a footwear label that specializes in unearthing true comfort through simple, luxury style. The concept for the campaign was unbelievable comfort, so these sacchetto styles were shot unbelievable backdrops – namely the Appalachian mountains.
The journey itself was an adventure – from long gravel roads to a broken down car and a few miles hiking up the wrong direction, we never actually made it to the destination. But a loss? Far from it. Not only were we able to capture a beautiful part of nature and fashion colliding, we were able to enjoy the luxury of taking work outside the office breathing in the fresh summer air. Scaling sharp rocks in heels and luxury fashion? Sign me up. Not a soul was spotted up in this remote sanctuary, and the silence was a blessing of its own. It really made me think… Why did this small, truly chaotic escape feel so damn good?
Instagram notifications, group texts, office interruptions, work meetings – it’s easy to get caught up in the noise of the world around us. A single vibration and our attention is shifted from the present to a small digital box that consumes hours upon hours of our days. The sun slowly rises, but how quickly it sets. Time truly is the new luxury, and it’s been a deep matter of importance in recent conversations regarding the evolution of our generation.
In media, there’s often mention of what is known as “white space.” That blank area on the canvas with no type, no imagery, just space. What a scary thought. A place where nothing exists at all? No messages, no communication, not even beautiful photography or entertaining video clips to hold our attention. But it’s not an emptiness, there is beauty in white space.
White space provides perspective, focus and guidance for the eyes to better understand the most important content on the page. It is enlightenment. It provides direction and a hierarchy of understanding of the most important and necessary information we would otherwise be inundated with. Pages cannot be filled, because when everything is a focus, nothing is a focus at all.
In our own lives, so often we refuse to acknowledge or allow ourselves to have any margin of white space at all. Our days are chaotic, filled with responsibilities, and packing in experiences in every open moment. Traveling the world is an adventure. It is important to accomplish goals. It is equally critical and rewarding to reflect, process, and fully understand the importance and impact life’s journey is creating before you eyes.
Consider your life a canvas of art, a printed page or a sculpture. Do you have room to breath, think, and understand the beauty around you? Allow yourself enough time to afford the luxury of a clear, unobstructed view. There is beauty in white space, and value in emptiness. A moment of stillness can change the way you value those moments when stillness is not possible. It can change your perspective on what is most important.
I encourage you all, leave white space in your life. Your focus will become more clear, and you will learn to experience the luxury of time in a whole new way. Clean out your wardrobe, be a minimalist, blog only what’s important, learn to live with less, and carve out 10 minutes of your day to experience something wonderful. You’ll be amazed how nothing at all can transform your life in so many powerful ways.
If you’d like to keep up with the campaign, check back on Naked Feet next spring when this campaign is revealed, along with a half dozen styles of sacchetto craftsmanship you won’t want to miss.