DYLAN HALL: Taking in Nature Despite its Abundance
Meet Caroline
Caroline is a 22 year old woman, student, and artist living in Orlando, Florida, where she works doing digital art for Universal Creative, the company behind several of Orlando’s premiere theme parks. When she’s off work, she’s pursuing her degree at Savannah College of Art and Design- a degree which, since moving to Orlando, she’s worked on remotely. A couple of years ago, a job in themed entertainment in the theme park capital of the world would have been Caroline’s dream, and to that dream’s credit, it still is. However, working with PhotoVoice, Caroline and I (her boyfriend) aim to capture not what that dream looks like, but what the reality of moving from studying and growing up in naturally beautiful part of Georgia to working a gig-based creative job in suburban city Orlando, Florida looks like.
Statement One: Ducks in the “Park”
“It’s a pretty insignificant picture of a duck, a classic theme park resident. But after living in Orlando and acclimating to the lifestyle of the city, the picture shows a moment of peace and tranquility that is almost rare to come across in this place. I really appreciate the pros and cons of the city after being here for over a year, and am continuing to learn about them more everyday.”
An Analysis
In this statement and picture, we can see nature’s role in Caroline’s life start to shift. In Orlando, wildlife reflects gaps in the hustle and bustle of having a regular job in the city. It’s an “almost rare” second of peace, but still she keeps an optimism and positive attitude towards the city. While it’s such a departure from the town where you can see the stars that she comes from, there’s still natural peace that exists if you know where to look. In the photo, I see a fun fusion of both worlds- nature existing in a land that was designed and manufactured to be entertaining to people.
Statement Two: Hurricane Ian’s Damage
“I’m a huge fan of this picture. It was after hurricane Ian, and me and Dylan were walking around a park late at night. I really love the juxtaposition between the man made structure and nature sort of reclaiming it, in a way. It was haunting and beautiful to stumble upon. Little things in this city are so special and integral to living in Florida.
I also feel as though it accurately represents how I often feel about juggling a full time job and school. Halfway underwater, but the lights are STILL ON!”
An Analysis
Again, Caroline find beauty in nature’s relationship to the city. Here, it’s almost bleak, yet still she describes it as beautiful. To one, it’s nothing more than destruction to what once WAS a pretty part of the city, but to her, it’s remarkable in a way that’s new.
The images symbolism to her, I believe, is the closest look into the personal, emotional environment of Caroline. She alludes to the destruction being a representation of juggling her responsibilities, and the huge undertaking of being a full-time employee and a student. However, Caroline remains optimistic, pushing through a “storm” of responsibilities to produce art and survive here.
Statement Three: Sunset in South Florida
“One of my favorite places to visit since moving to florida is the incredibly unique Florida Keys. I never would’ve imagined them being so accessible before. The wonder and amazement with nature that I feel here is unrivaled, and it’s such a nice escape from the city. I find myself returning to work inspired and excited after visiting.”
An Analysis
Once more, Caroline emphasizes the beauty she can find in the natural world around her, although here she leaves home to do so. Florida has a vast wealth of nature, with this photo representing one of the extremes of such, and to Caroline, this is something to be sought after. It’s inspiring, it’s revitalising, and more than anything, the natural environments around her are beautiful. Finding them is the tricky part in the city, but if one’s willing and lucky enough to travel out like Caroline, natural beauty can be seen in absolute breathtaking abundance.
Caroline’s Theme
Through Caroline’s photos and statements, there exists a theme of nature as something that needs to be witnessed. It’s a hybrid between two perspectives discussed in class, “Humanity as Inseparable from the Earth” and “Nature as a Teacher”. I don’t believe the statements provided fully capture one or the other, yet reveal hints of perspective in both. Our relationships to nature are incredibly complicated, as “nature” describes something so broad that it’s impossible to boil down to a single meaning. What we can learn through Caroline is a perspective on listening to nature where it exists, and finding it where it might not be obvious.
Nature is inseparable from the worlds we construct. Storms will roll through them, and ducks will stroll along their paths. In that, anywhere you look can exist something beautiful. It reminds us of our place in reality, and temporarily whisk us away from the busy responsibilities of the lives we build. I think, like Caroline, I too will focus more on the flowers growing up through cracks my sidewalk, and try to see a fraction of that beautiful sunset.
A Conclusion
When I began working with Caroline on this page, I thought moving to her new city would have reflected a total world shift, and highlighted an absence of nature. Interestingly, what I found was the opposite: Caroline still finds a way to absorb natural beauty, regardless of how its abundance may initially appear. Nature is inseparable from humanity, but there is a wonderful grace of witnessing nature that Caroline’s statements and photos delightfully remind us of.
Media Attributions
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