On Patterns
"Wherever we go, we are friends" -Sloth and Manatee
Sloth and Manatee
Our world is made up of repeating, self-generating, re-generating patterns. There is a pattern for “leaf” and a pattern for “shadow.” There are seasons and orbits and cells that have particular jobs. There is DNA.
There is traffic, and standing in line. There are tides.
There are rows of windows - on buildings, airplanes, houses, cars, trains. Dollhouses. Space ships.
We naturally find patterns. They give us a bit of a shorthand in an infinitely complex world. We can recognize people we know, we can find that thing at the store, we can appreciate the arrival of a birthday.
This can be dangerous. We can be talked into seeing patterns in unhelpful or unrealistic ways. Drawing conclusions based on aspects of people or things or communities or each other, that are not related at all. We have to be careful with patterns.
Patterns are beautiful. They give rise to new patterns, and mutations, and life. They self-generate and they shape each other. Like the tiny moon-shapes you can see on the ground when a solar eclipse is filtered through gaps in the leaves of a tree.
Patterns are dangerous. They can be reductive and cruel and used to justify awful things.
By being conscious of patterns, we can see the beauty in the natural world, and the built world, but we can also keep ourselves vigilant and remember always to question.
Brainwaves
Best of Brainwaves Volume One: The Fountain of Stuff
Best of Brainwaves Volume Two: Mom, Dad, I'm a Cat
License Cartoons from CartoonStock
Art!
I make patterns A LOT.
Do try it! You’ll find little mutations and all sorts of other things as you go.
Also I added these fellows to the print shop. They are running a lot of sales these days!
BunnyFrogCatSnake
These fellows even get in on the act
Also Bunny thinks this might be a good time to spend a few minutes staring into space
Things Of The Week
Hanging out with and cleaning up a fellow who lived an awfully long time ago
One of my very favorite pattern-makers, Cy Twombly
This is just a lovely collection of cozy looping animations with ambient music, 30 minutes worth.
Okay! That's enough nonsense for now.
May you see a satisfying pattern, may you doodle something over and over, won't you be my neighbor? - Betsy
HELLO AND THANKS FOR READING!!
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