Access to nature can change a life. Access to art can change a life. Not everyone has access to those things. I feel it is a responsibility of nature photographers and artists to share their vision’s of the natural world with everyone, regardless of that person’s access to experiencing nature on their own.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is the descriptor first coined in the 1960’s as a philosophy for the Civil Rights movement. “DEI” was used to help add substance and language to acceptance of Integration. It has since grown to include discussions on gender, sexual orientation, religion, country of origin, and other identities. Additionally, DEI topics are used to explain the benefits of multiculturalism, and being aware of the achievements of various racial and ethnic minorities. DEI is used culturally, but more obviously as language used in workplaces to describe a company’s stance on “non-discrimination” policies.
Diversity - The word in this context refers to the consideration of all personal identities, which include race, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language used, veteran status, physical appearance, etc. It also includes the awareness of, and consideration of different ideas, perspectives, and values.
Equity - Is the consideration of systemic and structural barriers which might deny access of every person (diversity) to fair and equal treatment, opportunity and advancement both societal and professional. In this context, equality is the legal and ethical framework to say all people have a right. Equity is the application of systems to account for the great social and financial imbalances found in society today, in order to pursue that right.
Inclusion - The provision of equal opportunity to everyone, so they may engage in creating an environment and a culture in which everyone feels accepted and has value.
Me, teaching photography basics to young people at a boarding school, Costa Rica
Living in a city might mean someone does not have easy access to natural areas. 83% of people living in the United States, live within “urban Areas”. With a U.S. population of 331.9 million (2021), that means over 275 million people live in or near a city. Not every one of those people live nears parks or greenways, not everyone has a car, has access to tours, or money for a bus to the coast, forest or countryside. Furthermore, systemic racism and exclusion have kept people of color from accessing natural areas since the 1500’s. “Years of patchy investment in public parks has left 100 million Americans, including 27 million children, without access to decent nearby green spaces…” (Nina Makhani, 2020).
That some might never get out of the city deep into nature, or even have healthy in-tact public parks in their area does not mean people living in urban areas cannot enjoy and benefit from seeing images of nature. Researchers at Vrije University Medical Centre in the Netherlands conducted an experiment in which they tested the effects of viewing scenes of nature in order to reduce stress levels. After working through challenging math problems, participants then viewed photographs, some viewed urban scenes and some viewed nature scenes. With all sorts of monitors and parameters, it was shown that those who viewed scenes of nature experienced a much more rapid lowering of stress responses.
Mount Hood at Sunset
My father passed away when I was 9 years old. At that time I began to drift towards what I now feel was an unhealthy fascination with war, fighting and violence. It was a man, a professional artist, who redirected me towards art and being creative, and helped me to also find skateboarding. This simple redirection changed my life and put me on the path on which I still travel today.
In every State in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, every child who attends public or private school will be exposed to “art” at some point. Unfortunately, deinvestment in arts programs nation-wide means the continued exposure to arts programs is not guaranteed, or worse, is being eliminated completely. Less than half of the States provide funding for arts programs.
Me, 10-year-old shredder
Art redirected my mind and emotions, and gave me purpose and focus, whether I was drawing, working with clay, skateboarding or playing guitar. Nature, luckily, came to me at an early age. When I wasn’t inside drawing, I was outside playing. For me to combine the two - nature and art - and pursue a life as a nature photographer is a privilege and a dream. With that privilege I aim to share my work with everyone. My business is being built to offer photography classes and outings, as well as fine-art prints for sale to those who can afford, and the sharing of printed works hanging in public spaces for city-folk to enjoy.
Nature photography has many, many avenues of artistic expression for people to explore. I hope, whatever your passions is, you are willing to share with those who might not have the ability to witness in real life, the beautiful sunrise that you photographed. Let us all use our art to share nature with everyone, and lower each person’s stress, if only just a little.
Keep checking back in. There are some big things I am working on.
- Patrick