THE POWER OF NATURE TO INSPIRE ART

The calm of the Nile. Viewed from cabin 6 Wildwaters lodge.

I am privileged to say that I wrote this on the banks of the Nile. Just writing that sentence excites my creative spirit with a spark of regeneration; a sense of timelessness; a touch of something much bigger than I; a grandness I simply cannot possibly claim. The splendid awe of nature reminds us of our insignificance in the grand scheme of things. It reminds us of the divine creator’s hand. Sitting by the banks of a river that has run through centuries; a river that bathed ancient Kings and Queens; a river that has run through numerous kingdoms; a river that is woven in Biblical stories; a river that will continue to flow long after we are gone. It is indeed an inspiring wonder. One of God’s grand gestures on this earth is the Nile.

This write up is a little bit artsy so the language is a bit flowery than usual but bear with it, there is a point in here somewhere.

The riot of the Nile

As creative artists we can be inspired by many things but nature is particularly inspiring. From the simplicity yet complexity of veins on a leaf to epic features such as the Nile, nature can perhaps have a more significant effect on creativity. Firstly, the subjective voice/eye can be egotistical but in the face of something monumentally greater than the individual one finds one’s view framed in a more realistic perspective. Nature can bring us back to reality. Yet it can also allow us to think outside the box. Very often artists can be insular and stubborn in the drive to put across a particular idea that we can’t see the forest for the trees. Nature can be a subtle reminder that ours is a footprint in the history of time where many have walked and many more will when we have gone. It is a humbling device. Other times it is not too subtle. Considering the power and beauty of the Nile I could also see in it violence and menace as the water crushes on the rocks. No doubt it has killed many who may have undermined its rapids and vehement currents. It is a beautiful flow that has aided life and caressed rocks for aeons but it is also a wild beast that must be respected. An inspiring beautiful beast.

EXAMPLES OF ARTISTS REVERING NATURE

It is no surprise that many a great artist has been inspired by nature. Claude Monet found serenity in his simple kitchen garden; the impressionist Paul Cezanne enjoyed the power of nature reclaiming our domain and was forever looking for dilapidated buildings overgrown with shrubs and vines; Novelist Virginia Woolf apparently “experienced profound pleasure in the fertility and wilderness of the gardens”; composer Beethoven famously declared that he preferred the company of a tree to that of a man; Mozart’s favourite workspace was an open garden; Wagner took frequent hikes in the Alps and to the glaciers and nature is littered all over his monumental works; French composer Debussy went further by actually observing ocean phenomena and often sought to capture the essence of landscapes in his music; celebrated playwright Bernard Shaw was a keen gardener and bee keeper, he actually died at the grand age of 94 from a fall while pruning a fruit tree, with nature to the end.

The Nile's wild waters

 It is also not surprising then that when most people are nearing retiring age they seem to develop a sudden interest of nature, the country side and simple commune with nature’s wonders. I consider myself lucky that from a young age I have been able not only to experience the effect of a quiet conversation between oneself and nature but also appreciate it. This to me as an artist is gold. At this very minute I can hear the wind whistle through the trees among birdsong and crickets whilst water is tenderly lapping on to low lying tree branches nearby, contrasted the sound of rapids with violent crashes of currents hitting the rocks in a riotous symphony of sounds. It is magic. It is music.

Such inspired music, no matter how simple, feels so good to write because it trickles down like a gift. It is literally in the air and one just has to listen and transcribe. It is a beautiful feeling. I am no painter but I imagine it could have a similar effect with the brush practically finding its own brush-strokes and the artist becoming simply a guiding conductor cum-voyeur. Many writers have definitely attested to their pen gliding better with the help of nature. A sticky idea that has remained stagnated can be unlocked by a simple nature walk. Perhaps these days we are not able to recognise these available fruits to pluck them from the air because our minds are so cluttered with modernity and contrivances of our grandeur as artists. Perhaps the ego blocks the channel.

Looking out to the huge gushing power of the Nile.

Well I am glad I was able to silently converse with the Nile and pluck a few fruits from our brief conversation of which one is a very simple song but it enchants me so. It came to me effortlessly trickling to my fingers plucking the guitar strings almost involuntarily, interpreting the surrounding sounds on the balcony of my cabin. I had to scribble the words down so fast for fear that they would fleet away with the wind as fast as they had come. I share it with you below and when you listen to it, perhaps you too might get a glimpse of the tales the Nile told me.

SONG OF THE NILE

This is not an advert but I was at Wild Waters Lodge on Kalagala island near Kangulumira when I wrote this and they treated us wonderfully. A charming little island on the Nile surrounded by volatile rapids. For those of us who don't fancy kayaking in a precarious dingy rubber boat, it is a great place to experience this awesome river up-close without getting washed away.