Be, Contemplate, Imagine
I have been spending the past few days doing an large amount of research on the life cycle of acrylic paint all the way from how the very first raw materials are sourced to how it’s disposed of and where it goes. And if I’m completely honest, it’s got me down. And I mean REALLY, REALLY down. Over the past year I have done quite a bit of research on acrylic paint and the more research I do, the more disheartened and disgusted I get.
Although, I strongly believe that one powerful way forward for change is through education. How can we even want to make a change if we don’t truly know the impact of our choices? Another, is through reconnecting with nature. Somewhere along the way a lot of us have become disconnected and we’ve lost our curiosity.
So, on this Earth Day, I put my research to the side that was making me sad, and I headed outside. Nature showed up in a big way!
In my biomimicry project, I researched how perennial prairie plants, such as switchgrass, are able to regenerate the ecosystem they live in and how it’s becoming an important focus for regenerative agriculture. The plants are planted only once, they re-seed year after year increasingly benefiting the entire ecosystem. The alternative is planting annuals which only seed once, are harvested and then have to be replanted. This often disrupts the ecosystem and leaves the ecosystem out of balance and less healthy.
In an art studio, we can take this example into our art practice by going all the way back to the beginning of our design practice and looking at what sort of inputs we are putting into our art. There needs to be a system where we make intentional choices on the materials we are choosing in our art which will affect the end of life of our products. If the goal is to make art that doesn’t harm the planet or the people on it, then we need to be looking at what we are using to make that art.
I find it increasingly interesting how many artists create art to speak about environmental issues, but how so few actually consider how the art they are creating impacts the environment. Hopefully, creating new systems and processes inspired and measured by nature herself will really bring that connection full-circle.