Miniatures Breathing Retroactive Life

Miniatures as art

Miniatures have always been an escape from the big wide world. To shrink your problems and see yourself through a different lens. Many with the need to hold on to what’s most important use them to control what they can. It’s hard sometimes to coherently hold on to what’s dear in your life so making it smaller can help.

I use miniatures to create art and make people reflect on themselves. A fun day they had and are fond of, a day they spent with family, or maybe even a day that wasn’t very good and they can look back on with a new perspective. For instance, with miniatures, you can create a scene that allows a viewer to look from above with a wider view in mind. That their problems aren’t as big as they really feel.

Miniatures as therapy

Beth Moore writes in her article on miniature therapy “These miniatures represented my reality, my life, my own choices.” She creates a scene and relives her choices that she’s made in life. Creating the scene allows her to remember that taking care of others isn’t taking care of herself.  She explains that “Whenever I fly, the flight crew explain that parents need to put on the oxygen mask first. Because if you as the parent, put on your child’s oxygen mask first, you may pass out before getting your own oxygen mask on. Then your child will have no parent to help them survive”

In other words taking care of yourself isn’t a selfish act but an act to help others in a different way. Create your space and live your choices. Without taking care of yourself you leave others to be by themselves.

Disclaimer: all opinions in this article are of Garreth Niklaus and not The Simple Herald.