Being Inside
My first thought, when presented with the opportunity to focus on something outside, was rain. And more importantly, how present it is even when I’m inside and dry. It is comforting to listen to when you’re inside working, it’s calming, and has found its way into a lot of people’s study culture and general work settings. I won’t lie, I do in fact also listen to “studying in an old library in the melancholic rain (dark academia playlist).” It is a type of serene calm I don’t think can be found elsewhere, and has been vastly important to my own work. I included the exact video I’ve frequented during my studies below. Example
Being Inside (2)
Though, being inside my own dorm isn’t exactly the point of this sort of assignment. So, to fit within the spirit of enclosed spaces and comfort, I’m hoping to focus on a past visit of mine’s to Howe Caverns, truly a place I wish to never return to. To provide a brief description of the location before you analyze the picture I’ve included below, it is a tight, colorfully lit and wet piece of space. To be away from natural lighting was, for a short period of time, beyond terrifying of course. At one point during the tour they take you on, the guide will call for the crew to shut off the lights, and leave those in attendance in both uncomfortable silence and darkness. I have this very distinct memory of the event though, not of the quiet or the dark, but of the water slowly shifting as the awkward small shuffles of the people on board rocked the row boats. Each small movement causing a ripple that was just about all you could hear, underneath the breathing of most every other person on the same boat as me. It in a very similar sense to the rain and music I discussed above, felt beyond comforting. To sit amongst so many peers, yet feel alone in such a meaningful way was an experience without comparison. The waves were slow, pushing against only the rocks holding us. It is a calm I hope to reach again, and have actively sought out via noise-cancelled headphones. Yes, this is the incredible reveal that the things I wear around my head, sometimes referred to as headphones, do tend to have sound coming out of them as I find it calming.
Being
Sound, from the rain hitting windows, to waves launching into each other, means so much to me. My appreciation for sound isn’t something I see going away anytime soon, and though not mentioned, this love extends beyond the water you can find underground. Thoreau shares this love as well, within the section of Walden dedicated to the bodies of water surrounding him, he shows it the same care. We certainly get rain here, but it certainly feels like bodies of water have a much more subtle presence up here. Though that doesn’t make them any less deserving of appreciation. And yes, the title is a reference to that one movie I have not watched.
“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature.”
I got the picture working! It is now here.
