Memories in Nature

My name is Juliet Brown, and my PhotoVoice project is centered around a girl named Bel, a fellow UCF knight and friend of mine. Bel is 19 and a sophomore at UCF. My participant fully consents for her photographs and explanations to be used for this assignment.

There may be a common misconception around older generations that the younger folk, who’ve grown up in an age defined by fast-paced technology and here-one-minute-gone-the-next trends, don’t have an appreciation for the world beyond their phone screens. But within Bel’s analyses, she paints a picture of herself, someone whose memories are cradled within nature. Take, for example, the photo of a sunrise below.

A sunrise is the mark of a new day – a fresh beginning. Like footprints in the sand, the events of the day before are washed away at shore, leaving a clear path forward. Looking at this photo, I am splashed with sparing memories of groggy mornings, sipping hot chocolate and blasting music to fuel my energy during the hour-long ride to Melbourne Beach. It wasn’t often that my parents took me to see the sunrise, so I cherish the experiences I have here. I take a photo or two, trapping the sky in my tiny electronic box so I can reminisce as my memory weakens later. I think this photo captures the beauty of our small sample of the universe in an artistic and poetic way. It serves to remind me that even in a time of darkness there will be light ahead.

Bel’s analysis of the sunrise and her memories surrounding it show how childhood memories shape who we are as people. Something as simple as the astrological cycles and the rising and setting of the sun can hold much significance to a person. Just like the sunrise is a brief, fleeting moment, the ocean pulling the sand away and eroding the shoreline goes to show that nothing ever halts in nature– it’s a continuous cycle, bookended by the rising and setting of the sun.

This water wheel works just down the street from my grandparents home. In my youth, it was nothing more than a signifier of distance from Nana and Papa – one quite pleasing to look at. I would sit in the rear of my parents car, sight stretching as far as it could to locate the blazing red hut spitting water from its belly. As I grew to understand the watermill’s purpose, warmth and curiosity grew within my heart. The structure offers a look into life before electricity consumed the mind of men. It produces energy all while avoiding harm to nature and maintaining a satisfying atmosphere. This photo captures a piece of my childhood while offering a reminder of the healthier industrial methods of the past.

Bel, like many young people who’ve grown up in the digital age, holds a certain admiration for the machines and technology of the past. Just as teenagers buy records and film cameras, there’s a certain nostalgic gleam to old technology, even if one were not around to experience it in the first place. Just as Bel mentioned, older methods of production such as this water wheel go to show how technology has evolved at the disadvantage of the environment, and this environmental degradation more heavily impacting certain groups such as Native Americans and other minority groups.

Trees are a necessity in nature, providing oxygen and shelter for a number of creatures. They are all around, in various shapes and sizes; like a zebra’s stripes, no two are the same. This tree stands tall in my backyard, each arm branching out in its own special curve, sliding in perfectly alongside the other offshoots. With a lounge swing hanging off the bough, I enjoy my afternoons sitting and staring up at the tree limbs mingling amongst the wind. This photo is taken from that seat, capturing my view of the branches reaching for the sky, encapsulating the warm bliss to simply bask in the nature surrounding me, sun-rays occasionally peaking through the swaying leaves.

Bel’s connection to the tree exhibits that despite the ever-changing and fast-paced manner of our society, people still find connections to nature, one additional example being the Santa Cruz community garden. There’s something so refreshing about just taking the time to turn your devices off and step outside to enjoy the beautiful environment. Bel’s appreciation for the tree is a perspective more of us should have on the world around us. While deforestation throughout the globe threatens the tree population, it is important to admire the pockets of nature within our metropolitan world.