( Be Inspired )
Creative Imperfections BY CHRISTIN DAUBERT AS I WRITE THIS COLUMN, I’M STARING INTO THE SEA. The Atlantic Ocean, to be more exact, but that doesn’t sound as poetic. I can’t say exactly when it was that I first visited the Outer Banks, but I know I love it every second I’m here. Living locally in North Carolina has made me love this place even more. I love meeting so many people who are as enchanted by this little strip of land. My own little piece of paradise lies exactly eight miles after the road ends, in Carova. It’s an untamed beach with wild horses and nary a street light (or sign) to be found for miles and miles. Being here centers me and brings me back to myself, bringing me closer to my creativity. I’m always barefoot and maybe I’m simply soaking up the minerals and energy that makes this beach hum with life. Or maybe it’s more about a different perspective and the 36 | SAND& PINE MAGAZINE June/July 2022
natural beauty I am surrounded by every moment I’m here. When I’m here, I don’t bring paint and canvas, or really anything other than books and the essentials. I admit that I don’t travel with art supplies (unless I’m working on an embroidery). What I am fascinated by is how the constant metronome of the waves compels me to write. Sometimes it’s a short story about the lives of tiny crabs and mollusks that occupy a chaotic cluster of shells I find in the surf. Mostly, though, I write poetry here. I’m deeply inspired by nature and the beauty and destruction of the ocean. (Probably worth mentioning I’m a Pisces.) Whenever I’m walking along the beach, I’m on the lookout for shells and little treasures along the way. Sea glass is always at the top of my list. As I look through the ebb and flow of the water, I think about the
