OBSRVNC

The cold, bleak weather—along with the infiltration of AI across practically every content platform—has sparked my desire to connect with intentionally made work that was created by hand (and no, I don’t mean the hand of someone writing AI prompts). I’ve been using art to keep me inspired, to spark a sense of awe.

This winter has been kind of brutal for the past two months. When I started this draft, the temperature read “feels -14,” and the winds were howling against my windows. The vibes outside have been harsh, so I’ve felt called to seek beautiful spaces.

I want to be around calming scenery and carefully curated spaces. I spend too much time in fluorescent, unnatural lighting, and given the chaotic nature of the internet and the current state of society—I am yearning to admire the magnificence made by artists and craftsmen.

Intentionally finding the spark

I recently set the intention to admire art. To immerse myself in worlds that remind me our imagination can be the impetus for masterpieces. Masterpieces aside, a lot of care and consideration goes into the simplicity of a still life painting. That vase of flowers or bowl of fruit required concentrated energy—the choice of paint colors, the attention to detail, the shading that indicates depth and light hitting the surface, allowing you to interpret the object as multi-dimensional.

Recently, I’ve admired vintage emeralds and rubies, sculptures carved from stone, hand painted religious manuscripts and ornate silverware. I saw a piece of art that literally stopped me in my tracks. And it felt good. I felt the reaction in my body—there was a connection. I enjoyed having the energetic space to take it all in. To not just scroll on a device, where I enjoy something for a few seconds and keep going. The Internet, with all of its benefits can also feel like a hollow wheel of entertainment. You just keep going and going. And then you forget what youeven saw. I know, I am guilty of this.

To be honest, I’m just tired of the all-consuming Internet and enshittification of life. It feels like society is becoming numb. We increasingly accept “simple” and “modern,” which ends up translating to clean lines and muted tones. Everything gets reduced to function.

We’re force fed air-brushed images of people that don’t look truly human on ads, AI-created videos of dancing animals and dead celebrities in modern situations. It’s madness.

What happened to care and quality?

We adorn our bodies with polyester, rayon, and other synthetic fabrics, keeping us literally entangled in the world of chemicals. Of the fake. Lacking good quality. How can any of this be good for our mental and physical health?

I miss beauty, I miss quality—and good customer service. I miss people caring about their work and how it impacts others.

For instance, my first youth job was at a big grocery store and we were trained on how to bag groceries for customers. Keep the cold items together. Form a foundation at the bag. Don’t over pack. Be gentle with the eggs. Today, we have to bag our own groceries. If the cashier does decide to help, more times than not, you’re left with a hodgepodge mess of a bag, simply so they can clear you out the way and make space for the next person. It’s almost like no one cares anymore.

It feels like society is being led to the proverbial slaughterhouse where the main focus is cheap thrills, external accomplishments, and quick hits of dopamine. I know I’m overgeneralizing—but this reflects my common experience in society. We’re so caught up in expediting everything or creating cheap garbage that I fear people will slowly lose their appreciation for quality. And that’s important.

It’s a mess. I can only do my part. And in this madness, I do my best to care. To find inspiration, to set aside time to create and not always consume. How are you staying inspired? How are you keeping sane? Share with me —reply or message me.

Thanks for reading!

B.

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