“How does nature….”

I seems like such a simple question: How does nature…. Yet, before studying biomimicry, it’s a question I would never have used when looking to solve a question that wasn’t already directly related to nature. If I wanted to know how certain types of clouds appear in the sky, then it’s a question I would probably ask. But when trying to develop a system for running a business that thrives or when developing an idea for a new product, it’s definitely not a question I would have even imagined of asking. But, quite honestly, now I can’t imagine NOT asking the question almost right away. It now seems so obvious. Nature has evolved over 3.8 billion years. We spend countless hours, weeks, months, years looking for mentors and I venture to say nature is probably the most experienced.

At the very beginning of the semester I was struggling a bit with the word “innovation”. In the end, the innovation of the industrial revolution ended up not being so great for us and our planet. In my own artistic practice, I have been spending time looking back into more historical documents to find recipes for paints and textiles that didn’t involve chemicals or fossil fuel based ingredients, so the idea of innovation was a bit nerve wracking for me. I was more drawn to looking backward in order to go forward.

However, throughout the semester, what unraveled was actually a beautiful opportunity of ancient knowledge and hopeful, sustainable innovation. Yes, there’s knowledge and still opportunity in the wisdom of nature and also in some of these ancient arts, but there’s still opportunity to expand on those and innovate for what we need now that could even solve some of our current problems.

I started to not only see product design differently, but whole ecosystems differently. I was no longer looking at the future of just a painting, but at the future of spaces. With the work of other biomimetic engineers and architects and how they are reimagining sustainable spaces inspired by biomimetic design, it allowed me to contemplate what the roll of art would play in those spaces? That leads into what would art based on biomimetic design look like, which was the basis for my individual project for this semester. I imagined a Regenerative Art Piece to live in a sustainable designed building like an apartment building or hotel.

But that still wasn’t the end. Beyond that I still had to think of a bigger ecosystem. What sort of business framework based on biomimetic design would make these sort of art pieces AND how it would sit in the community?

The Life’s Principles also gave me a tool of measurement for designs going forward that I’m grateful for. Now, whenever creating something new, I have something to measure it against to know where it’s successful as far as sustainability and where it could be better.

As artists, we are very often inspired by nature in our work. But biomimcry is a very different way of looking at it. With a tool like this, it allows artists and designers to create work that is more conducive to life instead of something that maybe just looks like a forest but is potentially harmful to the environment.

This semester gave me the ability and the curiosity to look to nature for inspiration, to translate that into possible ideas and solutions and to give me another way to think outside of the box.