Impact

COMPELLING OCEANSCAPES: KRISTIN HETTERMANN

Gorgeous blue water with white foam in the ocean in Maui, Hawaii.

by Kristin Hettermann. Ocean. Maui, Hawaii.

OCEANSCAPES -- KRISTIN HETTERMANN

Can art save our oceans? Underwater photographer Kristin Hettermann creates underwater ocean photographs for that very purpose with Oceanscapes, a new fine art photography platform focused on ocean conservation.

With oceans under growing threats due to global warming, overfishing, and pollution, Hettermann is motivated to help be a part of the solution with something she calls artivism -- the fusion of art and activism.

Hettermann’s goal is to produce work that elicits feelings, questions, and a desire to experience oceans deeply and consciously. She figures that if she can first get you to look and then get you to care about our planet’s oceans, she can get you to take action to help protect and restore them.

White puffy cloud floats in sky above still blue ocean waters in Maui, Hawaii.

With decades of experience in public relations, brand development, and communications strategy, Hettermann developed strength in storytelling and advocacy. Her platform, Grace Delivers, represents her personal conviction to stay true to grace. “I believe a world with more grace would be a kinder, gentler and more successful place, and I am committed to my role in that.”

Swirling blue waves in the ocean in Maui, Hawaii.

Oceans have been calling to Hetterman for decades as well. And over the years, she spent more and more time underwater, witnessing their incredible beauty as well as their decline. She began taking photos to document her findings and developed her underwater photographs as works of fine art. The photos she has taken for the Oceanscapes series look especially powerful blown up large format prints.

Sea turtle swims underwater in ocean in Maui, Hawaii.

Based in Maui, Hawaii, Hettermann has easy access to the sea, But she spent most of this past winter there confined to the surface of the ocean under doctor’s orders, while she healed from a perforated eardrum -- it happened while scuba diving in Indonesia last November. While this would normally be bad news for an underwater photographer, this time spent at the surface gave her an opportunity to get a new perspective.

Sea turtle swims under the sea in Maui, Hawaii.

After 3 months of being out of the water, Hettermann’s eardrum had healed enough so that her doctor finally allowed her to enter the water, but only with special earplugs and a headwrap and she was limited to staying on the surface. “I was so happy to just be back in the water - and it awarded me an even greater appreciation for the opportunity to experience the beauty and wonders of the ocean,” she tells us.

Sea turtle swims underwater through bubbles in the ocean in Maui, Hawaii.

“Sometimes the best way to feel even deeper layers of appreciation and gratitude for something is to experience it being taken away from you,” Hettermann muses. It underscores the urgency of saving our oceans before we lose them.

Beautiful pastel colors of the ocean in Maui, Hawaii.

“I just did my first dive in 6 months this past weekend, and I certainly appreciated every foot deeper as I submerged, every time I was able to clear my ears -- and I definitely appreciated the 3 rare Frogfish we discovered!"

Kristin Hettermann swims with a sea turtle in the ocean in Maui, Hawaii.

It’s all just in time for her debut of Oceanscapes. With this platform, Hettermann envisions design experiences that bring the beauty and energy of the ocean into the forefront of people’s lives. Oceanscapes will work with designers, galleries, and collectors to encourage a greater connectivity to ocean life and to save our seas.

The Oceanscapes fine art collection was recently featured by SDG Media Zone and The United Nations Ocean Conference.

Kristin Hettermann strikes a yoga pose on the beach in Maui, Hawaii.

Hettermann serves as an ambassador to the Ocean Conservancy and Oceanic, Alliance Partner for Mission Blue, and field ambassador for luxury adventure luggage brand Arlo Skye. Her environmentally-focused awareness work is often featured on Scientific American and the Virgin platforms, and she shares wellness stories through her blog on Thrive Global.

Learn more about Hettermann’s work at Grace Delivers and follow her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Sunlight on the water in the ocean in Maui, Hawaii.

Read more about Ocean Beauties in It’s Time To Visit & Save The Great Great Barrier Reef and Beached Make Our Minds More Beautiful.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

Beautiful ocean waters below clouds in Maui, Hawaii.

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Bottom of the beautiful blue ocean waters in Maui, Hawaii.

IMAGE CREDITS:

All images by Kristin Hettermann.