Artist Day Schildkret was getting over a bad breakup four years ago when he discovered the healing power of art and the healing power of nature.
Schildkret makes what he calls "morning altars" by gathering stray twigs, flowers, pinecones and leaves, and turning them into beautiful works of art.
Two hours after making his first one, he discovered he "made something really beautiful and I felt better,” Schildkret told Well + Good. “I realized, 'Oh, this is something that is so healing, healthy, and helpful.'”
According to Schildkret's website, the altars started as "a daily spiritual and beauty-making practice as a way to process his grief and heartache."
After his first one, he challenged himself to make one every day for 30 days — but four years later, his small project has turned into a passion and a career.
Honestly, it's easy to see why. His dazzling creations are a celebration of life and nature.
They're both intricate and calming at the same time.
Some, like this one, are relatively small and simple.
But others, like this one that was commissioned for a summit, are amazingly big.
No matter what he creates, Schildkret says he wants his altars to show the fleeting beauty of nature. “That’s what my art is really teaching: how to love things because you know that they’re really limited."
