Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Cityscape Photography
January 10, 2016

Mesmerizing Moments of Symmetry in Everyday Life

Symmetry is an aesthetically-pleasing quality that's been celebrated throughout history–perhaps most famously in architecture. In Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and the Renaissance, this characteristic was a mark of a structure's true beauty. In modern times, symmetry is still celebrated, especially on Instagram. The popular Instagram account Symmetrical Monsters (#symmetricalmonsters) is dedicated to finding it in everyday life.Symmetrical Monsters scours Instagram for the greatest in balanced landscape compositions.

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Design
January 1, 2016

Interactive Music List Features 1,387 Genres for Your Endless Listening Pleasure

What kind of music do you feel like listening to? Perhaps some bubblegum dance or Japanese standards, maybe even some chamber pop? With the website Every Noise at Once, you can effortlessly scroll through 1,387 genres, jamming to your favorite tunes while also discovering something fresh and exciting for your ears. The site has everything you could think of, from German punk music and French hip hop to Christian metal and Indonesian pop.

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Environment
December 16, 2015

"Frost Flowers" Form an Ethereal Meadow of Ice Crystals Around Japan's Lake Akan

When the weather dips below -15C (5F), a beautiful natural phenomenon can occur, producing a fractal flourish of ice known as “frost flowers.” These delicate blooms are made entirely of ice crystals that grow in patches around three to four centimeters in diameter. They are specific to thin lake ice in calm weather conditions, and they form in a branching, tree-like pattern that mimics a rose or petal.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.