and I happened upon Andy Goldsworthy

As the usual procrastinator that I am, I left for the second and third rounds of NCAA at Stanford last Wednesday, without having completed my final cultural event. But thankfully, California is robust in the arts. I asked my mom (number one fan!) to join me in my cultural endeavors and we wandered to the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. Little did I know that outside of the building stood the work of my inspiration, Andy Goldsworthy. Now, I rarely freak out, but I was overwhelmingly excited. If you have never watched his documentary, “Rivers and Tides,” watch it on a rainy afternoon, snuggling on your couch, sipping a hot beverage and preparing for your life to be changed.

So, you can understand my elation when we happened upon one of his structures outside the gallery. Dedicated to the President of Stanford and erected from the rubble left in the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes, “Stone River” epitomizes his philosophy and inspiration to utilize nature to create fleeting works within its natural state.

Me being SUPER excited and my mom's shadow

"Stone River" -- Andy Goldsworthy

“At its most successful, my ‘touch’ looks into the heart of nature; most days I don’t even get close. These things are all part of the transient process that I cannot understand unless my touch is also transient—only in this way can the cycle remain unbroken and the process complete” – Andy Goldsworthy

The wonder comes not as much from this winding wall built from stone—there are many of those—but just from the idea behind it, this lifestyle of intentionality and creativity that finds so much beauty and potential in the smallest places.

Maybe it was from my already exceeded expectations, or maybe because a large, almost blank canvas was hung as art, but the gallery itself was rather disappointing. I took pictures because I couldn’t actually believe the work was displayed…Apologies for any copyrights I am abridging. 

This is what I call "Shit! My final project is due tomorrow"