Image Insights: The Introvert

Hands down, this is my most popular image. I think it speaks to a lot of people because I managed to capture the inspiration, which is the calm and warmth of a personal favorite spot on a quiet day. Introverted people love their friends and family, but need alone time to recharge. Even people who are generally outgoing and extroverted need quiet time and comfort.

In this image, Dog is the extrovert and Cat is the introvert. There's a mouse tucked away next to a book, and you can see a part of his mouse hole along the baseboard under the window.  Dog and cat are best friends. Dog wants Cat to come out and play, but today, Cat will stay inside, probably in that sunbeam on the floor.

I was originally inspired by a photograph of a big window with a pile of books nearby. I immediately knew the story I wanted tell. I chose a washed out color palette to keep the whole image soft and highlight the textures of the floor and the fabric and the wall outside the window. 

If you look closely, you'll see I chose book covers with a Cyrillic font. I found a bunch of old book cover reference images in this language, which was perfect because I didn't want the titles of the books to be readable—and therefore distracting. Rather than just scribble nonsense titles, I chose these because these because they wouldn't draw your eyes and engage your brain the way words/titles in your native language often do.  It was important that the whole image be like a deep breath, easy and comforting and restoring. Full of details but not demanding your attention to figure anything out.

This one really seems to resonate with a lot of people, and I hope you enjoy it too.