The Beauty of Nature

In the past few weeks, I have dedicated about one hour every Sunday afternoon to take a trip to a local park and hike with my dog. It is a wonderful escape from being cooped up in the same house every day, and hiking on trails in forested areas has given me mental clarity and stimulation for creativity.

I think most people during the pandemic are living a relatively similar lifestyle of rarely leaving the house, sitting on Zoom calls, and staring at a screen all day. I have not travelled outside of the city in about a year and a half, and I spend almost all of my waking hours staring at either a computer or phone. This lifestyle has killed my creativity. Besides attending the Adobe Max Conference a few weeks ago, I have been struggling to find sources of inspiration and motivation. I do believe the constant repetition of mundane activities in the same setting is starting to get to me.

However, a thought occurred to me a few weeks ago. While it is not yet safe to travel via bus, plane, or train to a distant location, travelling to a nearby park that is not very crowded is a great way to get out of the house and away from the same boring sites of my neighborhood. Plus, my dog loves to travel, so these little trips were rewarding as I could see the excitement she had as my mother and I granted her a little adventure every Sunday.

November 1st was the day that I discovered the beauty of nature and began to find inspiration through simple observations. There was beauty in the way the sunlight filtered through the trees, how a thick vine protruded from the ground and climbed up a tree to stand thirty feet in the air. There was beauty in how the leaves on all the deciduous trees were turning lovely tones of yellow and red, how the autumn breeze was making the grasses and trees sway left and right.

There is something truly magnificent about the air in the forest. It feels cooler and cleaner than anywhere else, and even in a region of Texas where the air quality is not particularly poor, there is a vast difference in air quality from the open-air to within a forest.

In my opinion, taking a hike to reset your mind and find new sources of creativity is a great and healthy option. Whether I am struggling with finding a topic for a presentation, getting frustrated with other school assignments, or anything of the sort, taking a step back from those responsibilities and stabilizing myself with an otherwise unproductive activity for one hour once a week has helped me drastically.

No, I may not have come up with ideas or shot a short film this week. I may not have delivered the best presentation, had the best interview, or taken the best photo. But all of these things are part of a process, and creativity takes time. In a world where there are set deadlines for almost everything, sometimes it is better to take a step away for a week and try to enjoy some more “simple” joys in life.

I did manage to take a few photos of things I found inspirational or beautiful. But other than that, I was unproductive in furthering my studies in filmmaking this week, other than speaking to a creative director whom I admire. Although our conversation was relatively brief, I gained insight not only into creative directing but also into photography as well.

However, above all, success is not measured in productivity. Perhaps the goals I set for myself are too much for me to keep up with every week due to the unpredictability of school assignments, and I have been stressing myself out about not making achievements or hitting goals fast enough.

As I approach the coming weeks with the intent of securing a mentor, my goal is to "stop and smell the roses" or enjoy the beauty in nature. I want to ensure that I am taking enough time away from the chaos and stress of my daily assignments and responsibilities to take a moment and enjoy the unmatched beauty of nature and find something inspirational every day. Yes, I want to keep consistent with my photography and creation of content, but these creative endeavors cannot be executed well without motivation and inspiration first.