This is an info dump ! None of this has any validity or real pull, it’s more random words that I have vomited up and feel like placing somewhere**

I have been grappling with the interconnectivity of art and biology for as long as I can remember. Toying with the idea, or hope, of one day finding a way to make them seamlessly intertwined. Weaving a web that not only showcases some sort of biological process but illuminates a story—sparks a connection—that cultivates a longer lasting impact.

Throughout this brainstorming process I find myself reminiscing over my past—fondly trying to remember why my wandering mind was captivated by drawings of animal and plant subjects. Somehow, ironically, I fumbled to notice—or perhaps selectively ignored—a link between my inquiries: people.

Fundamentally, there are two questions that I feel the need to pose when thinking about this interdisciplinary undertaking: what can art offer the field of biology and how can, or does, biology influence the creation, and validity/absorption of an artistic message., respectfully. Now here is where I need to push beyond my mindset, into some sort of novel concept. The easy answer, or I guess solution, would be either scientific illustration or informational signage. Depending on project specifics, creating a piece of art that deliberately reflects the subject(s) offers a clear picture of the critical organisms. This, however, provides a surface level interpretation—pushing forward an image that the audience is already aware of.

I tend to gravitate towards my comfortability, reaching into the folds of my brain that were molded by illustrators like John James Audubon and David Allen Sibley. Scientific illustration, at first glance, is the perfect medley of these concepts. Combining scientific subject matters, brief writings, and realistic illustrations to capture the audience’s attention and allow them to absorb something.

While this seems amazing in theory, I feel like that’s the easy way out. I mean, hey, what better way to make it clear I am a fisheries and fine art combo major than painting fish? Point made, fish painted, but let’s dig deeper.

I have been exploring this concept through media—the social kind—pushing out various types of artwork, each attempting to challenge how people perceive, and thus absorb, different forms of art and marketing. This curiosity has been something I have cultivated since I was 16, admittedly as I have aged my internal motivators have shifted from activism to providing opportunities for individuals to voice their opinions through my art: monetizing the movement for my own financial gain. It is this selfishness, this greed, that fuels my desire to do more for my community. The money itself is a nice bonus, but realistically speaking, I give away enough ‘products’ to ‘customers’ to tank the notion of this becoming a sustainable source of income. I want to do more.

Working in the fisheries field for the past three summers has provided insight into the gap formed between public understanding of the research being completed, and the tools, or individual bandwidth, available to articulate what is being done in an absorbable fashion. Through my personal experience, I picked up on individuals’ tendencies to either avoid, or gravitate towards, members of “the public” while we were in the process of fieldwork. Attempting to address people’s inquiries in a way that benefits both the questioner and the questionee is not a light task.