Happy Birthday, Mod & Bean! (feat. Danikation)

The title says it all: Mod & Bean turns one today! *cue streamers, noise makers, and sprinkles of all sorts* I actually feel like such a proud mom - as if I had a child and said child was celebrating a momentous occasion. I guess that feeling is semi warranted, given that Mod & Bean (a brainchild) was birthed a year ago!

Without getting too sappy (because I know how much I tease my own mother for doing that), I want to take a moment to celebrate the growth of not only the blog, but of me as an adventurer on this journey. A year ago today, Mod & Bean hopped on the internet with the dream to provide an artistic outlet for others (and, honestly, an excuse for me to explore off-campus and purge all the photos cluttering my camera roll). Throughout this year, Mod & Bean has been the vehicle for endless opportunities and the conversation starter for meeting countless, incredible people. Instead of turning this post into a "here are some of my favorite moments from the past year" kind of montage, I'd like to celebrate another artist who's niche is juxtaposition: kind of like a metaphor for Mod & Bean helping me see things in radically new ways.

I present to you @danikation. I think I first encountered her account when spotting this photo on an explore page, and being instantly intrigued by her eye to find things in nature that weren't actually there. I also can't help but heartily chuckle at her puns (a comedian after my own humor) and be reminded of the line "Why is the chair smiling?" that some friends and I heckle at a scene in the movie Love Story featuring a particularly happy seat.

I find her outlook on life so fresh: constantly spotting similarities in materials that couldn't be more polar. Like a soft looking egg made of rocks, or an egg made of a noodle, absence, and a cherry tomato:

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There are several plays on anatomy like "veganatomy" (center pic), "phandtom limb" (bottom right), and "nice plum" (bottom left):

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She also won't leaf autumn images alone, and I honestly don't mind ("tiny lungs", "fall lip color", and "bonflower"):

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Sometimes I even think it's a foodstagram (okay, no, not seriously, but her food puns are pretty unbelievable):

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I am constantly impressed and inspired by her ability to see familiar objects in venues out of their element - a mantra I try to apply to in taking on new challenges no matter how unfamiliar they may feel.

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So cheers to one year of Mod & Bean, one year of actively fleshing out my artistic inclinations, and to many more years to come!

(All photos courtesy of @danikation on Instagram)

Xx, Maia (proud mother of a "one year old"!)