Nature As Art

"Nature is a revelation of God; Art is a revelation of man."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Connection

For as long as I can remember, I have been inspired by nature. There is just something about being in the 'great outdoors' that has always made me feel more alive. Now, that I am

interested in graphic design, nature has an even bigger impact on me. I made a connection not so long ago that has really made me look at nature and God in a different way. I have always thought nature was beautiful, but that was all the thought I really put into it. Then, one day it hit me... Nature is like God's canvas. God is the most magnificent designer that ever was. From that point forward, I have seen nature as art. Changing my perspective has transformed my creative mind. Now, when I see a beautiful sunset I see the colors and shapes that make up the artwork. Seeing nature as artwork is teaching me a few things that I think will help my creativity.

It's All in the Details

One thing I have discovered I am learning from God through nature is to pay attention to detail. Sometimes it's easy when I am in a rush to not make every last piece of a design perfect. I cut corners and make sure that all the pieces of my design fit just right. But then I saw this picture of snowflakes and the detail of each snowflake caught me by surprise. Usually when you see snow you think of how pretty it is when it covers trees or other things like that. It is not necessary really for it to be so beautiful up close. But it is. And because of that it is beyond amazing. This made me realize that paying close attention to detail in my designs can put me a step ahead of other graphic designers. It can take my designs from mediocre to something that deserves appreciation.

Variety Is Key

Another part of nature that really inspires me is the variety. There are so many different climates, seasons, animals, plants, etc. God could have created a world that was basic and boring, but he didn't. There are places that experience hot, tropical weather and there are places that experience snow and ice instead. When I was browsing through pictures of landscapes one caught my eye. It was taken after a sandstorm in Africa. It made me think about how different it must be to live there, and at the same time how amazing it is that there is a place so completely opposite of where I live. Seeing the amount of variety in nature shows that God is not just skilled in one form of art. This makes me want to continue to learn more about design so that I can be multifaceted as well. Being able to create a plethora of different things will certainly help me in my career someday.

The Endless Sky

The thing that probably inspires me most about nature is the endless sky. I love the sun, the moon, the clouds, and the stars. The sky is probably my favorite part of nature. It's so vast and beautiful and it makes me feel so small. The sky gives me perspective as to how insignificant my problems are. It is easy for me to have a one track mind and zone in on things that are less than perfect. But when I take a moment to look at the sky, I remember that there are bigger things at play. One of my favorite photography ideas that I have ever seen is star trails. I don't remember

the first time I saw a star trails picture, but it is still one of the most fascinating pictures I've ever seen. I think it is the epitome of a picture that captures how big the world is. This helps with my designing because it gives me perspective. It shows me that no matter how many times I hit a roadblock or I screw something up, I can overcome the problems I face because they are so small in comparison.

I think that making the connection from nature to God as an artist has really helped me open my creative mind. Whenever I see something I think is really beautiful I analyze it so that I can learn from it. Like I said before, God is the most talented artist that has ever existed, so I look forward to continually learning from His beautiful artwork.