 | “There are lots of things to see, unwrapped gifts and free surprises. The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But – and this is the point – who gets excited by a mere penny?”(Dillard 15) Who gets excited by a mere knothole in a tree? For that matter, who gets excited by a tree? In this rush rush world, we tend to look at things, but not truly see them. It is when we get excited by the pennies, trees, and knotholes that we see them, and appreciate their beauty. |
When the human race was in it’s childhood stages, it was in the primal paradigm. During this time, there was no hierarchy of value of life. The people saw spirit in everything. Because of this vision of divinity in their surroundings, they saw each blade of grass, each stone and tree, each animal and insect as something extraordinary. There was a oneness with the rest of existence. These people, the ones we call primitive, got excited by “mere pennies.”
 | “Specialists can find the most incredibly well hidden things.”(Dillard 17) A specialist in any given field sees the beauty of everything in said field. Because of the passion, knowledge and understanding of say, a bird watcher, he will notice if a certain bird has an unusual coloration. This will excite him. What a movie critic will look over and not give a second glance to, the birdwatcher will be fascinated by. These are the “mere pennies” that excite specialists. |
“Creativity is a moment when we look at the ordinary and see the extraordinary.”(Jones) This past summer, I was leaving my subdivision on my way to work one morning, and as I turned the corner, I noticed that the street sign, which had been there the previous night, was no longer. The pole still stood, but the green nameplates were gone. This made me chuckle. It also baffled me for a couple of reasons. The first thing that came to mind was, “WHY would someone feel the need to steal a street sign?” Soon after that, it occurred to me that my sister had already left for work, and she obviously hadn’t noticed. Was this just one more “mere penny” that we pass every day, noticing, but never acknowledging its existence?
 | This lone pole seeming to serve no purpose without its signs that it once held did in fact serve a purpose that is more profound than one might realize. I photographed that pole. I did not realize why I felt the compulsion to photograph it as I was doing it. I just wanted to remember how I felt when I first saw it. It still makes me chuckle. However, when I had developed the picture, I saw why my eye was attracted. That photograph is one of my favorites now. It is an ordinary pole, standing in the middle of a field, and yet, it is extraordinary to me. |
There is value in every part of life. We must notice these things because life is beautiful. It is the task of those who see that to attempt to convey that to the rest of the world. It is through this showing, that we can achieve true art. True art will show the world the extraordinariness in ordinariness. Shall we make our lives art?
