Thom Merrick 2004
"A Wayward Approach"
What do we see in our mind's eye when we think about nature? Where do
these images that haunt our minds derive? Are they real places and things
we have seen before, do they rise from the land buried tight below the
surface? We see the traces outlined on the surface. The images in the
mind are released by our imaginations: the need to escape, forget, near
our instinct for variation, for survival. Weave and dodge. A good artist, like a good tour guide will take you places that you can
take to the bank. They will take you to the momentous, to the most popular,
the most discussed. You will see what there is without mishap, on time,
and in style. You will have got your money's worth; you can impress people
at parties. You will be like an explorer coming in from an expedition,
your treasures always in the mind's eye. A good artist will support you
in spirit, keep you on track, keep you safe, on the pavement, the tread
and map in communion. A bad guide, like a bad artist, will do just the opposite. You will be
lost. In some dim outback, toiling in obscurity, a stick in the wash.
At parties, people won't talk to you, your conversation will have no dazzle;
you won't get invited the next time. There is no reason logically to pursue.
A bad guide will take you to the remote places of little interest, take
you in the back way, where you might get stuck and perish or have to sell
your belongings and go native to survive. What we are interested in here is the latter rather than the former.
Leave your phone at the hotel. We are looking for creation that is noticed
less. It is unpopular. Unpop. Connect the dots of some falling down structure,
pick up the garbage on a remote vista, save it to take home with you,
put it in a frame, or on your desk at work. Park you car on the side of the road and wander out into nature without aim. Fill your car up with rocks. The smallest things are of the most importance, marvel at the ground. The ground! A remote shard of rock might be the giant idea in waiting, part of an ancient dragon. Hunt for your thoughts. The mouth of the head, a rock jaw.
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