I am fortunate to live less than five minutes from the Red Rock National Conservation Area, and I have been hiking a particular trail every day for the last nine months. Every morning before the sun comes up and when the stars are still out, I begin my hike. An hour or so later, just as the sun is rising above the horizon, I reach a ridge that offers spectacular 360-degree views. As you can imagine I rarely cross paths with other hikers on this trail. It is a precious time to get some exercise and gather my thoughts.
I can’t think of a better way to start my day. I occasionally contemplate taking a different route but rarely do. What is interesting is that this particular hike feels different every morning. Depending on exactly when I start out, the sun will hit the land in unique ways. There are always subtitle shifts due to the seasons and unpredictable encounters with wildlife. Some days there are clouds. Once I hiked the trail during a thunderstorm. The more I hike this trail the more I enjoy it.
I am reminded of the writings of artist Giacometti, who contended that we see things through our knowledge and understanding. When we look at something we don’t just perceive the reflected light that is hitting our retina. Seeing involves the accumulated knowledge and experiences we have with that particular thing.
For example, if we look at an apple, we know there is a core and seeds in its center, we also know how that apple would taste if we bit into it. If art is predominately about seeing, and representing what we see, the result should be much more complex and richer than simply depicting the light hitting a particular surface from a particular point of view. This observation explains what I have been experiencing on my hikes. Every time I take that hike and my knowledge and understanding increases, the more I enjoy it and the more I am enriched by it. It is very similar to a meaningful, long-lasting relationship. It is also the reason I obsess over a particular compositional exploration. By working in series my understanding deepens, which yields rewards and opportunities that would be impossible without a sustained commitment.