Enjoy a "Beauty Safari"
A friend recently went on his first Caribbean cruise. After he got back, we went for a walk so he could tell me about his trip. Among other things, he shared how taken he was with the beauty he experienced. In some cases, he was so taken with beauty that he had to search for words to explain what he felt.
At one point, he was describing his visit to the cruise line’s private island. He recounted how he walked a long way through the beach’s shallow, clear, Caribbean water. During his long walk through beauty, he noted the sculpted forms in the sand beneath his feet. He was so overcome with the rhythmic beauty of these forms that he thought that the cruise line must have created them artificially. It was my pleasure to explain to him that yes, they were purposefully created. But not by the cruise line. They were sculpted by The Master Artisan using wind and wave. So lavish is His goodness that He does this constantly on beaches all over the world for our enjoyment as those created to thrive on beauty.
My friend’s recollections of his trip’s beauty-experiences reminded me of at least two things. First, aesthetic beauty really matters. It’s like oxygen to the soul and is essential to human flourishing. Second, we must seek and remain attentive to beauty. When we find it, we must let it drift through the windows and doors of our senses on its way to our soul. Once there, we must let it revive and rejuvenate.
One way my friend ratified these two ideas was by buying a new camera and taking it with him on his trip. He explained how taking his camera reoriented him as a beauty-seeker. When he went out with his camera in hand, he went out looking for beauty. When he found it, he’d stop to consider it and take a few photos. The whole practice pulled his attention away from his Apple Watch and just shuffling along looking down. It transformed his walks into soul-reviving “beauty-safaris.” Yay!
What a great idea for us all! Consider your next outing a beauty safari. Next time you go out, take your camera (smartphone, D/SLR, or even the disposable variety will do). Let it compel you to look for, appreciate, and record the beauty you find. You can do this in nature, of course, but you can also do it in more “human” environments like an art museum, historic district, or downtown area. There’s aesthetic beauty, everywhere, really! It’s just waiting to revive and restore. So, in the name of self-care, embark on the hunt for beauty!
By the way, here’s a brief recollection of my practicing the ideas, above. It begins with clips from a beauty safari I took at the beach many years ago. It concludes with my artistic translation of that experience in a sculpture called “Sand Scrawl.” Enjoy!