Recently, in a class I'm taking on conscious social change, I was asked the question, "What is one thing you know to be true from your own life experience?"
After thinking about it for quite some time and then trying not to think the answer, but feel it, I wrote: "I know that beauty and creativity are very powerful, but often underrated."
In my explanation of this, I wrote how I often feel so burdened by the world and the injustices I hear about daily. I care deeply about equality, justice, and social causes, but I find that when I surround myself with only the bad news, I myself become very negative and this attitude spreads quickly to those around me. I bring beauty and creativity into my life on a regular basis so I can focus on what gives me hope and inspiration in the midst of the burdens of the world. When I do this, I spread joy and hope rather than negativity and despair, which is just one reason I see beauty and creativity as powerful, but underrated forces.
My favorite source of creative inspiration is, by far, nature. Nature requires us to pay attention to her and, when we do, she rewards us in ways we can't quite put words to.
Sometimes I like to simply notice the different forms of life all around me at any given moment or stop listen to the all the sounds my ears can pick up. There is something very powerful in the simple act of noticing.
Lately, I've been noticing the patterns that nature shows us. She reveals stunning patterns to us in everything from animal skins, rock formations, leaves, and bugs. Here are some patterns I have noticed within nature. I hope it inspires you to notice, too.
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