Grappling With Nature Series - No. 3 (Negative View of Nature) | Mixed Media Project

They will never see the beauty. They will never enjoy. They will never appreciate. They will never accept. And, they will never change their minds. No. Matter. What. This is the attitude of many individuals who don't partake in nature.

And there exists numerous reasons why these individuals are not close to nature. In my second Grappling With Nature Series, I defined the meaning of Nature.

In this No 3 of the Series, I present some of the reasons why individuals have a negative view of nature. Nothing is ever as cut and dried as one would believe. Numerous factors go into an individual's choice. And the choice is a personal one, not pressured or endorsed by society.

• No conversion necessary
  It is reported that some individuals simply don't like the outdoors. They have their personal reasons, and no one can convince them otherwise. They don't need to be "converted" to the belief that nature is good for them. In fact, numerous individuals, and especially people of color, have developed their own individuals hobbies and activities, The bottom line is that individuals are exactly that "individual". And that means that they can choose which activities that interest them without worrying about what others think or believe they should do. It's a matter of choice.

  However, not all decisions are a matter of choice, as seen below:

• Cost Factor
  Even if being among nature and enjoying it may be free, the expense of driving to a location, for example, a campsite, or natural park, isn't. Currently, gasoline prices are at an all-time high than twenty or thirty years ago. The money spent on travel, food, specialized equipment and wardrobes, entrance and other fees, and other costs associated with vacations or leisure activities may be out-of-pocket costs the family can't afford. A living wage, which has escaped the majority of individuals, comes into play. The wages a family do secure are applied to meet the immediate needs of the family.¹

• Access
  As I reported in my previous No. 2 project in the Series, many individuals weren't originally included in the concept of enjoying nature and weren't allowed access. This feeling of non-inclusion doesn't just fade with time. History remembers. So does the descendants of those individuals. They have elected to find other ways to enjoy themselves.

  This is especially true since the same individuals who started the national parks and other outdoor adventures didn't see fit to include those same facilities in neighborhoods where the individuals with moderate to low income resides. The disparity in the facilities is striking. Low income districts don't enjoy the same outdoor activities, partly do to the lack of access to safe local parks.¹

• Phobias and Negative Interactions
  The benefits of interacting with nature are presumed to be positive and have a positive influence. However, there exists negative benefits that result from these interactions. Individuals may be afraid of contracting certain diseases, such as Lime Disease, bitten by various animals, insects, and reptiles, or encountering an accident. Those incidents lead to funds that the individuals may not have in reserve to use toward medical treatments. These incidents are known as adverse health outcomes due to contact with nature.

  Also, people fear what they don't know or understand. The natural environment has to be learned and understood to ascertain the dangers when interacting with nature. Only then can people be prepared and not caught unaware.

  Still others fear a natural disaster occurring while out in the elements, such as sudden weather changes that produce torrential flooding and other disasters.²

• Nature Disconnectedness
  Studies have shown that increasing children’s outdoor time can improve their emotional and physical health, as well as improve cognitive abilities. However, in 2005, a researcher introduced the idea of Nature Deficit Disorder. This term is not an official medical condition, but accepted as is an "idea". The premise is that as humans, especially children, we are spending less time outdoors than in the past. This switch is contributing to a range of mental and physical issues like attention deficit disorders and obesity.³

  One reason for the switch is that children’s lives are often heavily scheduled and regimented with after-school activities and sports, lessons, and classes that take up a huge portion of their time, making less time for unstructured outdoor play. I remember the time-consuming and rigid schedules of band practice, karate, and piano lessons. These activities also consumed much of my after work and weekend activities.

  With the introduction of technology to occupy not only adults but children's time, the gradual switch made it easy to overlook and adjust to.

• Medical Conditions
  Years ago, I underwent a vigorous round of tests for allergies. I discovered a large number of elements that I'm allergic to. Most deal with the outdoors. I even paid for an Ash tree to be completely cut in front of my home. Let us always consider the disabled members of society. While many enjoy nature, being outdoors, and participating in sports, others may not feel comfortable with being so close to nature for their well-being and safety concerns.

• Outdoors Go Indoors
  The travel and vacation industry has in recent years developed indoor nature dynamic fulfillment. I call them artificial nature. They include indoor parks that include activities for the entire family. These facilities are not free. In fact, they are barely affordable for an entire family. If a family decides to undertake such a venture, they must plan well in advance the time and cost.

Just as there exists a nature disconnectivenes, there is a connectiveness to nature. This concept includes recognizing the importance of nature and embracing it as part of your life and identity. I remember when my children were young. I wanted them to love, understand, and have an appreciation for nature. I saved and planned for their attendance at summer camps. They loved it and was eager to return. Nature connectedness can also be defined as nature relatedness, connectivity with nature, emotional affinity toward nature, or inclusion of nature in self.⁴

^{[Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4 below]}

To illustrate the negative view of nature, I envisioned a collage project that exuded fear among beauty composed of various mixed media.

I began with an AI image of a lovely demure female in a white blouse which is the focal point of my design that I retrieved from Ideogram. With this program, I was awarded four images.

Ideogram Text Prompt enhanced by Magic Prompt:

^{"A striking studio portrait photograph captures a woman of color, embodying the captivating blended features of Natti Natasha and Karol G, radiating confidence and modern elegance. Her hair is styled in a sleek, tight medium-high bun, framing a face with deep-set, captivating brown eyes and bold, glossy lips, her gaze directly meeting the viewer with a subtle, knowing expression. Dressed in a crisp white turtleneck, she is centered against a minimalist white background subtly textured with soft shadows, illuminated by diffused, even lighting that highlights her features. A single, delicate gold hoop earring adorns her left ear, adding a touch of understated glamour to the clean and balanced composition."}

---

Below are my procedures after choosing the first image below in which the female is facing the camera as I wanted to adorn her head with a mask.

---

Additional images I included in my collage make for an interesting background. I point to a pure fractal I created in Apophysis 7X, the advanced fractal rendering program. The iterations in this design are lovely in that they project a round pattern that resembles a piece of fine dining china. The overall image is that of a frame in which multi-colored edges around the plate brings out the elements in the circle. I was careful to render this fractal on a transparent background.

Another interesting images that blended well with the scene is the mask made of skulls. I used this image to layer over the female's face. But first, I needed to detach the skull from the man's face. In Canva, I can accomplish this with the "GRAB" feature and utilize individuals elements in an image. I also separated the flowers from another image that sat on top of a skull.

Purple clouded sky and landscape ~ Skull with flowers on top ~ Crown of skulls ~ Green flowers ~ Abstract yellow and pink flower cloud

I share with you my completed project:

Thanks for taking the time to view my post. I hope you like my mixed media collage project.