Blog 1
After watching many of the lectures presented for this Better Lives unit, I found it difficult to choose which one to elaborate and discuss. I decided to focus on something that is very close to my heart ; Nature. Which is why I have chosen to reflect on ‘Nature’ by Kate Fletcher. I found this lecture to be very thought provoking, although I am already quite environmentally aware this lecture really enforced the thoughts I already had and made them more prevalent in my mind. Although I enjoyed listening to lecturers such as Teleica Kirkland, diversity and representation is already such an important topic in my life and something that I am passionate and have a strong viewpoint about already. It is something I already try to push forward in my work, especially being a person of colour.
In my creative work I find that I tend to rely on nature, and use nature a lot within the photographs that I take, whether it be for a prop or as a background. It is something that can enhance the beauty of a photograph greatly, even if it is something as simple as a litter free backdrop. During Kate Fletchers lecture she provoked the thought that a common idea in the human mind is that nature only exists to meet human needs. However, humans are a part of this world and this world is for all. Humans have come to completely dominate the earth and use all of its resources for themselves, taking less consideration for the other living things that sit on this earth with us. Fletcher made a point that “wildness is associated with things that aren’t human”, this quote really stuck out to me as I personally enjoy nature and find it bizarre that this statement is true despite us originally being ‘wild’ ourselves. We have disassociated ourselves from nature and have associated as something apart from us that we can take and manipulate for our own use.
I think it is so important to be aware of the environments well being especially when intending to enter the fashion industry as it is one of the worlds major polluting industries. I think it is important for the new generation of people working in fashion to take a step to be more mindful of the way we produce garments and have a more eco-friendly attitude towards fashion rather than seeing it as something that can be easily made and disposed of (fast fashion).
This also links to the ideas presented in Julia Crew’s lecture on power, where she discussed the subject of power in relation to fashion and sustainability. It was brought to light that power driven by profit brings many ethical and environmental issues but power driven by morals can be positive. An example of this would be supporting eco-friendly brands or brands that do not support animal testing. The consumer has the power to influence brands ethical decisions by enforcing more interest in eco-friendly brands and approaches, therefore making a bigger change in the affect we have on the destruction of nature. The power that a new creator or a consumer has is the power to change how the industry functions by challenging the system that is already in place with many brands.
After these Better Lives lectures I have been inspired to make more of an effort to be environmentally aware, especially as I often use and inform nature into many of my works. I also will exercise my power as a consumer and creator to be more aware of the actions I take when buying or producing, pushing forward the message of sustainability. All of these lectures have taught me to be more mindful in my actions and to understand the consequences of what I do, and will do in the future.