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Seeking Communion & Connection Through Nature & Art

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Note: I wrote a lot, but you do not need to! In fact, the more that your photos do the storytelling, the better. I just love talking.

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I was happily surprised to find some lower-than-usual flight prices to Milan, but felt a little anxious to bite the bullet.

So, I went about my week, continuing to hold this idea of a dream trip to Italy in the back of my mind.

This was all happening in May 2023, a time that I was also feeling a closeness to the mystery of the universe-a sense of wonder and appreciation for the world around me. As somebody who had been hesitant to find meaning in signs or synchronicities, I had experienced quite a few of them in a short amount of time.

So, what did I do? I put some feelers out. I wrote in my Notes app, "Give me a sign.🇮🇹" After all, I couldn't get Italy off my mind, but I needed a push in any direction.

It was a warm Monday afternoon that I had written this, and because the weather was so nice, I texted my friend Molly to go on a walk. We met in between our houses and went on our merry way. I secretly was looking around, wondering if somebody might walk up to me and say "Book the flight!" but I realized that I truly just had to trust. I put my feelings aside and had a beautiful walk with Molly. Afterwards, I ran some errands.

As I neared my apartment complex, I drove by a bulletin board that I've passed hundreds of times, only to notice new messaging on it: "GO ON VACATION." I asked for a sign and the universe had given me one. I Face-timed my mom with excitement (and bewilderment-like wow, the universe was really delivering!) before getting home and immediately booking my ticket to Milan. How could I not? I surely wouldn't be so silly as to not listen to what I was being told. Okay, T - two months until I go to Italy.

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Chronicling my Solo-Trip to Northern Italy

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I was happily surprised to find some lower-than-usual flight prices to Milan, but felt a little anxious to bite the bullet. So, I went about my week, continuing to hold this idea of a dream trip to Italy in the back of my mind.

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Land Of Awes - How can art and nature inspire awe and creativity, shaping our understanding of the world and our place within it?

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Our adventure in Arkansas was a blast with my previous friends and new ones as well. We started our adventure by going on a walk through Crystal Bridges outdoor walk with art along the way (pictured below)

Next, we made our way to get a drink from Onyx, after we walked around the town square. Then, we ventured to the 21C museum. And finally, headed to our Airbnb.

After we explored the house and picked out where we would stay a few girls and I hung out and talked for hours until bed.

The next day we woke up and got ready to head out to the Crystal Bridges Museum. We explored fascinating pieces that showcased everything from older art to modern art soon after we rode our bus to the momentary, where we walked through colorful art pieces and the butterfly exhibit.

The next morning, we woke up and packed up our things. We cleaned up the Airbnb and then headed out to visit our last stops. We headed to Mildred B. Cooper Memorial where we journaled and reflected on the past few days. Our last stop was Airship. A coffee shop that you take a small hike to from parking. It was raining but we still had an amazing time.

Reflecting on the trip... Along the way, we encountered breathtaking museums and hikes, encountered wildlife, and shared plenty of laughs and stories.

Our hikes weren't just about the destination; they were about the journey and the state of awe along the way. Whether we were wandering around the museums or talking late at night, each moment brought us closer together.

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THE HUMAN BODY IN NATURE
why can't we admire ourselves the way we admire nature?
Finding fault in our bodies is something we are conditioned to do as humans, especially as women. We are taught at a young age that perfection is expected but unattainable.

Therefore, we spend our lives looking. in the mirror wishing that something was smaller, bigger, tighter, smoother, "normal", unique, and so on. Nothing is every seen as perfect on our bodies but we manage to turn around and admire every imperfection and dent in nature. While walking around and engaging in our hikes I found so many parallels outside that are talked poorly about inside.

Some examples I found

The first shining example of this idea I found hit very close to home. I had tripped on a crack on the trail and as I was catching myself, I also caught a glimpse of the foundation I was standing on. The waves in the pavement looked strikingly similar to stretch marks. However, instead of scoffing and walking away disgusted, I found myself captivated. I stood and stared at the pattern beneath my feet for longer than I would like to admit because of how amazed and comforted I felt. Which then led me to ask myself: Why can I not look away when I can't bring myself to look at the ones on my body?

This discovery and inquisition led me on a mission: find human "imperfections" in nature. To my surprise, I found that I couldn't take more than five steps before coming across more and more comparisons. I was truly amazed. I thought, "Well, it must true that no one notices my imperfections unless I point them out, just like I am doing now."

As this went on I saw more similarities that I would have never noticed if I hadn't been looking. Comparisons such as cellulite and a rock, psoriasis and moss, vitiligo and a sycamore tree, leg hair and a thorn stem; I could go on and on.

OUR INSECURITIES ARE NATURAL.

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Land of Awes: Exploring Nature & Art through Storytelling

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The Land of Awes: Exploring Nature & Art Through Storytelling

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OVERVIEW ON WHAT YOU WILL SEE

Throughout my Land of Awe Deep Dive, I challenged myself to stick with a theme. You won't really see a theme, but my main focus was to try to grab pictures of paintings/sculptures/nature that would naturally capture a human's eye attention. Whatever my eye first got attracted to that's what I photographed. When you scroll down you will see many pictures that in my opinion were eye catching and many tiny details that would put you in "Awe". Their will be simple things like rock and water and more complex things like painting and sculptures that will draw your attention, but each piece of art will have a different feeling each time you look at it and that's the beauty of Art!

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Exploring Arkansas through art and nature

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During our deep dive I had the chance to deeply embrace the beauty and experience the connections of Nature and Art. We visited many breathtaking museums and did numerous Hikes throughout the week. I am so glad I had the opportunity to participate in this awesome journey.

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Arkansas: Land of AWES Deep Dive

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The world's most successful publishers & communications teams use the Shorthand visual storytelling platform to engage audiences and move them to action.