When people talk about art, what are they usually talking about? Paintings, sculptures, and portrait drawings? All of these are great art forms that I appreciate, but there are so many more throughout nature. I believe that everything in nature, whether it is natural or created by us humans, can be considered art. One part of the reading ‘Peace Is Every Step’ by Thich Nhat Hanh stood out to me. He said ‘Our life is a work of Art’.
For me personally, practicing art in life comes in a few different ways. The main way would be expressing myself through coding and design. When I am styling a webpage for example, picking color palettes and design elements is a form of art. Even though the drawing process isn’t involved, for me it is still an art form. Another art form could also be writing code. When coding, practicing proper methods and writing code out on the screen is a form of art in itself.
Another part of art I want to talk about is the natural world and the beauty of its simplicity. In an article by Terry Ward, he says “Rather than complete silence, natural quiet is defined as the sounds of nature.” When I see simplicity in the natural world, it brings me peace on the inside. Whether it is just simple rain falling down outside of my window or some water flowing in the local canal, I get peaceful vibes. Like the poem ‘The Mirror of this World’ says, every simple object in the natural world reflects something. One line of the poem that stood out to me was ‘In the pupil of the eye, an endless heaven.’ I think this line is a representation of how everyone sees the world differently through their own eyes. In the ordinary things in life, I see the extraordinary things by just taking a closer look and observing. Sometimes when I am sitting quietly outside I look around at things in my backyard. The different trees. plants, and flowers all around me with their own colors and shapes. These are just normal things, but when I look closely I can see how much different they actually are from each other. Being able to see things more clearly lets you really live life to the fullest. Having the experience of looking at things in detail is much better than just going about with the thought that everything is the same.
One other thing I want to talk about is the freedom of expression that comes with every art form. In my life, having freedom of the mind and body leads me to a better life experience. Experiencing freedom of the body to me is being able to express yourself no matter what surrounds you. Whether it is in your own room, or out in public, being free is something I believe people should try to live for. Having the freedom to be yourself and not conform to things around you is important to living a good life. Expressiveness comes from being able to act however you want without the feeling of others judging you for doing it. As a human, being myself is tied to freedom. There’s hardly any moments in life where I can’t be free and express myself the way I want to. I want to try and be myself even more when I am in public places or job settings in the future. The ability to always act like myself no matter the situation is a valuable skill to have in life.
The last aspect of art and nature I want to mention is the feeling of awareness and aliveness. To me, awareness means being able to read your surroundings on a personal level. Being aware of nature and what is around is very important to me. Having that extra knowledge about things around can help improve your life so much. It lets me be able to think clearly knowing about what things are also going on at the same time. Personally, there aren’t any specific memories of this experience I can think of, but I am sure I have had this experience a few times at least throughout my life. Understanding and experiencing aliveness to me is that fresh feeling in the morning after waking up. Getting out of bed, starting the morning routine, and getting fresh air makes me feel alive. That burst of energy I get in the morning helps me get through the afternoon with all of my school work and studies. Feeling alive also comes to me when I am having a great experience in the world. Whether it is experiencing nature or the company of good friends it brings the same feeling of being alive in the moment.
Below are a few photos that I believe express art and nature:
For my creative work, I wanted to share a drawing I previously did. The feeling of drawing again after not doing it on paper for a long time felt refreshing. Back in high school and a bit after I would draw way more than I did now. Being able to do it again felt almost nostalgic for me, but in the best way possible.
Works Cited:
Easwaran, Eknath. God Makes the Rivers to Flow. Nilgiri Press, 2009.
Hanh, Thich Nhat. Peace Is Every Step. Bantam, 1991.
Ward, Terry. “National Geographic.” Discover the Planet’s Last Few ‘Naturally Quiet’ Places, 2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/discover-the-planets-last-few-naturally-quiet-places.
