47 Views of Leslie Laskey was an eye-opening, mind awakening piece, sparking creativity. I love how Laskey encourages others to notice the ordinary. Simply observing, allowing oneself to think, and allowing ideas to flow, can give ordinary objects and moments the power to be extraordinary. Travelling through life unconsciously, without taking notice of the power and beauty that exists in our surroundings, is how we lose ourselves as creative beings. This relates to Laskey’s idea that “free time only works if you steal it.” It has become a social norm to base one’s worth on productivity in terms of schooling or money. We become absorbed by our day-to-day tasks and lose our consciousness, losing what fuels a creative soul. In order to do the things that we love, we must steal time away from what we have to do, and do the things we want to do.
Laskey’s question “what colour did you see the most of today?” snapped me out of a stupor and inspired me to pay deeper attention to my surroundings. I took the time to notice the depths of light and shadow on a tree and the sounds of a fountain bubbling. The sights and sounds of nature are where I find the most powerful inspirations, but Laskey showed that inspiration can be found elsewhere, too, like in a melted piece of metal from a garbage pit. I love his devotion to learning and to having a constant outlook susceptible to change or newness. For example, he will never throw away a failed print, but instead do drawings overtop of it, reimagining it. He inspired me to reach beyond what I know is extraordinary and to take a closer look at the ordinary.
