Deep immersion in nature and art is the key to inspiration

Artist Vincent van Gogh was in the news again recently. Well, sort of. He made a comeback on social media with his ear bandaged. You may remember who triggered (sic) that analogy.



But let us not digress, for Van Gogh had many beautiful things to say about art. “I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” said the master in the late 1800s.

Also from his pen came “I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.” If Vincent van Gogh could be inspired thus, we could take a leaf from his book. Or how about Gustav Klimt’s example: “Art is a line around your thoughts.”

With such inspiration from the world of art, what can Nature offer us mere mortals? The very best, in fact, designed by the supreme Creator of all. Into our homes, schools and places of work we can extend the natural world and reap all the health benefits as well. (Except, perhaps, for those plants that make us sneeze and wheeze.)

And it seems that the mental health of millions can do with architectural and interior designs aimed at bringing nature closer. In the UK, reports Mental Health First Aid England, around 51% of long-term sick leave is due to stress, depression, or anxiety. School children in our age, glued as they are to screens, have coping problems that us Baby Boomers find hard to grasp. Not surprisingly, Columbia University research recently pointed out that young adults’ weekly smartphone screen-time was over double their green-time.

Biophilia is the human need to connect with nature. Ultimately, says Bill Browning, a green building industry strategist from New York, "biophilic design is the theory, science and practice of creating buildings inspired by nature, with the aim to continue the individual’s connection with nature in their environments.” This connection is said to foster well-being, creativity and performance.

Globally, in environments with greenery and sunlight, a 15% higher level of well-being was reported, a 6% higher level of productivity and a 15% higher level of creativity than in spaces with no connection to natural elements. This transpired from a UK Robertson Cooper report in 2015.

Australian biophilic design guru, the late Stephen R. Kellert, believed wellness benefits relied on sustained interaction and not the mere adding on of some natural element. “The benefits of biophilic design depend on engaging contact with nature rather than occasional, exceptional, or ephemeral experiences.”

For art and nature to inspire our lives and properties, we need to immerse ourselves and our space in them. Superficiality or half measures will not make the cut.

Christine Stoman