photography > fascinating worlds.


I so love getting lost in dreamy pictures, but sometimes it’s even cooler when dreamy pictures look like they could have actually happened in real life. Today’s feature is about a photographer who infuses elements from dreamland, the imagination, and fairy tales with reality in a way that makes the impossible seem really quite possible after all.

Anja Stiegler (also known as Photoflake) is an amateur photographer from Wolfsburg, Germany. By trade she is actually a multimedia engineer who discovered her passion for photography and image editing in 2006 as a way to balance out the left-braininess required for her studies. Anja is completely self-taught and uses surrealism, conceptualism, and the fascinating idea of a world of daydreams as inspiration for her incredible photographs.

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art > optimistic impact.


When illustrators are optimistic and excited about their work it really, really shows. Today I’m excited to share the day-brightening work of someone who, as a child, would trade Barbies for a drawing pad and art supplies any day, eventually leading her on a straight shot to creating art as a full-time gig.

Marisa Seguin is a Vancouver native who relocated to Milwaukee, WI where she went on to graduate from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and it’s very clear that she has great passion for what she does. In an interview with Artists Who Blog, Marisa said, “I believe that when people love what they are doing it shows in their work and people will be excited about a product that the maker was equally excited (if not more) to create.” Her work is full of colors that bleed into one another in a really beautiful way. She paints adorably stylized maps, cakes, architecture, animals, and anything else she can dream up. If real life looked like a Marisa Seguin painting, I would not mind at all. Would you?

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fashion photography > butterfly caught.

Mohamed Gaff

Lately I’ve been seeing more and more photographers embracing the creation of their own magazines as a means to display and spread their own work. One of these photographers turned magazine art director, Armin Morbach, has been featured on The Flood a couple of  times for his stunning photography for self-produced magazine Tush, and today I’d like to introduce another in the form of the magnificent and mysterious Mohamed Gaff.

Mohamed Gaff is an Iraqi fashion photographer who was raised in Germany where he still resides today. His work is extremely dramatic and striking, making it perfect for those moments when you’re flipping through a magazine and you suddenly have no choice but to stop and stare for that extra moment or two. In an interview with Factice Magazine, Mohamed says, “I am on the hunt for the power of authenticity. I believe in the magic of the moment and I like to create atmospheres with lots of effort that allow extraordinary magic to happen in my work.

See more work and read the rest of the story below…

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design > dream up a new life.

Welcome back! A few changes have been made over the past week to our layout and you’ll soon be seeing a small shift in the quality of our content, too. Who best to usher in this new chapter than by featuring someone who decided to start over with their own chapter, too?

Kate Thomas is the founder and designer behind Little Things Studio, a design shop that is all about celebrating the joy and beauty found in the seemingly insignificant things in life. Kate went through 27 years of life without realizing that she was someone who could create beautiful things. She went to college to get a Public Relations degree and spent a few years writing sales promotions for a mid-sized bank. In 2007, she was really beginning to realize that this was not what she wanted to do nor was it what she was meant to do…

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news > updates coming!

Hello everyone! Over the weekend, insanely enough, the 400th blog post came out on The Flood. That’s a whole lot of creative inspiration and artist love! To celebrate this momentous occasion, I’m really excited to say that I will be making a few updates on the site over the next week. I’m talking web design improvements, more interviews, and more ways to connect with other artists. The only catch is that the site will not be updated with new life until next Monday while these preparations are made. So hold tight and get ready for the next chapter, it’s gonna be a good one!

P.S. If you have any suggestions or would like to recommend artists, designers, or photographers, feel free to send me an e-mail at thefloodzine [at!] gmail.com. I’d really love to hear from you!

this week’s creative resources.

Creative Resources is a weekly feature that showcases links to inspiring articles & other resources found on the internet for emerging to established artists (or art lovers!).

Here’s this week’s round-up:

1. February Desktop Calendar- The ever-talented Geninne has created a desktop background from paper for February and has shared it on her awesome art blog.

2. Must See Painting Shows: FebruaryNew American Paintingshas compiled a schedule of must-see painting shows around the United States to check out this month.

3. 5 Tips for Great Outdoor PhotosA Beautiful Messkicks off their photography tip series with some great advice for taking pictures outdoors and finding a great shot at the best time of day.

4. Is the University Route Right for You? - These days, with the internet and its plentiful resources, it is no longer absolutely necessary for an artist, designer, or photographer to go to school to learn how to do their jobs. 1st Web Designercompiles a list of pros and cons to compare going the university route or opting for a self-taught learning experience.

5. Tutorial: Create a Time-Lapse Movie - Lizzy Mary Cullen explains how to use stop-motion and time-lapse techniques make make your illustrations move.

Happy Sunday surfing! Do you have any helpful or interesting articles you’d like to share with us? Comment below!