If you’re like me, your entire social media feed is populated by independent artists and craftspeople. No? That’s just a me thing? Good. Okay.
Well one trend I’ve been keeping a keen eye on in the hipster art circles is art ft. cacti and succulents. Cacti are very trendy right now. Let’s look at some examples:
We’ve got paintings:
Pins:
Desk mats (?):
Wallpaper:
Balloons!:
[Side note: All of these items can be purchased from cool independent sellers! Because cacti might be overrated, but supporting artists definitely isn’t.]
The point is, cacti are everywhere. They’re trendy. And I just… I don’t get it? I mean, cacti are cool and all, and they are really good at water retention. But why are hipsters so obsessed with buying things covered in them?
I think we should expand the plants we’re featuring in hipster art, and I’ve compiled a list of sweet photosynthesizers to start with:
- The Pine Tree
Ahh the noble pine, rising majestically above the leafy forest. Our coniferous friend is an especially cool plant because it is really good at converting CO2 into H2O! How about that! Doesn’t that sound like the kind of cool plant that should be embroidered onto an organic cotton handkerchief or something?
- The Corpse Flower
This plant literally smells like a rotting corpse! Isn’t that fun? Some independent crafter could be bottling corpse flower perfume right now to sell in their Etsy store! Corpse flower buttons! Corpse flower prints!
- Algae
Speaking of things that are good at producing oxygen, algae is pretty much a standout. Did you know that algae produces up to 87% of the world’s oxygen?? Are we having fun yet?? Plus isn’t algae just beautiful?
I’d like to see it printed on a mousepad that a hipster will buy but then never use because who even has a desktop anymore?
- The Dragon’s-Blood Tree
Is that not the most badass plant name you’ve ever heard? Cactus who? Everybody go get a mug with a graphic dragon’s-blood tree printed on it right now.
See? Aren’t these plants waaayyy cooler and more deserving of their own trends than spiky little succulents? Maybe I don’t get the cactus fad (I feel like “fad” is a word used only by middle-aged moms named Debrah?) because I just don’t identify with cacti, while other youths seem to find them relatable: they’re cute, they’re low maintenance, they don’t drink enough water, they’re a little rough around the edges, but inside they’re juicy and full of life.
I identify much more strongly with plain ol’ trees. I need water in excess, wither with the changing seasons, like to be hugged, am bushy (interpret that as you will), I don’t bend easily (do I sound sexy yet?), and deep down you’ll only find more layers of hard, unfeeling bark and wood.
Images via Alexa Barrett, various independent sellers on Etsy linked above, via, via, via, and via.
