Art by Marianne Monto

Originally published 8th of December 2022

I have lately been intrigued about temporary art. For example sand forms, snow statues, leaf mandalas. You put in the effort and elements will dismantle it.

I find this kind of freeing. You don’t get caught in this perfectionist mind set, where you start to overthink and question yourself. You just create and don’t think “is this good enough” as you know that it will be dismantled sooner or later. If you aren’t happy with the result you either start over or just move on. 

Of course, when you make something beautiful you would like to preserve it. So it takes some mental work to accept that there is beauty now, soon it will be gone. Maybe it helps to enjoy life NOW and not just wait for the future or wallow in the past.

I actually also like the surprise element of nature art. People who might not otherwise seek out art will stumble upon it.