We are a Sea of Artists, Creatives, Innovators. Our habitat is precious and delicate in relation to our connection with one another and our overall environment.
Let’s take a deep dive into an artist’s life. During this global crisis I have had time to think, wonder and worry about the role of an artist in our world. Our museums, galleries, performances close, some forever and others indefinitely. The art fairs, boutique shops, the one-of-a-kind gifts — who will buy us now? There’s a wide open sea of artists on the internet, and a vast assortment of design industries. Find us on Instagram, Etsy, FB, Pinterest, in magazines, advertising…art activity like ocean activity is on the rise, and it is exponential. Is there an over abundance of creative creatures…???
NAVIGATING THE OCEAN OF CREATIVITY is HARD. It sometimes feels like I’m lost on an over-crowded beach just trying to navigate my way to an unobstructed spot so I can appreciate the view.
Marine life is highly adaptable to the physical conditions they live in. Sea life comes in all shapes and sizes (cute, creepy, gigantic, mininature). We artists are so very, very similar. Often we inhabit small spaces, we adjust to ever changing seasons, light, temperature and resources. Marine ecosystems contain a diverse array of living organisms (whales, dolphins, octopus, crabs, sea stars, mollusks, algae…). Some marine ecosystems are very productive (think of estuaries, salt marshes, kelp forests) while other systems, the deep sea darkness (abyssal plain) includes pockets of rare creatures that live in quiet isolation.
It is incredibly fascinating to discover the beauty of nature - artists (and scientists) pay careful attention to patterns, shapes and spatial relationships which helps properly illustrate the power of imagination, curiosity and sometimes the story of our living world. You should check out the organisms that create their own bioluminescent light sources, it’s like performance art - a glowing, glittering show of magic, you could study the architecture of a chambered nautilus shell or the check out the “flowers of the ocean”, sea anemones (1000+ species) with their abundance of colors, their flowing petal-like tentacles…nestled among delicate flourishing (yet threatened) brightly colored coral colonies.
Our oceans cover almost three-quarters of the earth. The grains of sand on our sea shores is like counting the stars in the universe…there is more than enough room for us all. We each bring a necessary voice & uniqueness to this complex yet simple shared habitat. This blog post started as a concern for how artists will survive, and prosper — until it turned into a discovery of our how complex the human experience is and how much we need to support, encourage and protect the ecology of our relationships, our talents and communities.
It is a fact that we can’t visit and explore the seashore at this time, but we can take comfort in remembering or finding music that plays the soothing rhythm of waves, or gazing at a photo, painting or drawing that depicts the beauty and majesty of the ocean crashing on a rocky coastline or that the sun and moon will continue to guide the rise and fall of the tides, refreshing our souls and rejuvenating our spirits.