Poem: "Accidents of Art and Science"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem came out of the August 2, 2016 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from wyld_dandelyon and Shirley Barrette. It also fills the "accident" square in my 8-1-16 card for the Survival Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Shirley Barrette.


"Accidents of Art and Science"


Technology advances less by
cries of "Eureka!" than it does by
mutters of "Huh? That's odd!"

There are accidents of art --
spilled paint and unpredictable blends --
which give rise to techniques like
salt splash and batik.

There are accidents of science --
forgotten, moldy dishes and
unexpected reactions -- that
lead to silly putty, liquid paper,
and post-it notes.

To be an artist or a scientist
is much the same -- a life built with
situational awareness that revolves
around a sense of wonder instead of fear --
differing only in the mode of expression.

It is not what we intend which expands
our horizons, but our accidents, and that

depends on knowing which mistakes to keep.

* * *
Notes:

Accidental art can be very beautiful, and has inspired a variety of painting techniques.

Accidental science is an important part of history, which has led to numerous inventions.

Comments

[stardreamer]

#6 in your "Accidental Art" link is an example of Fordite, also called "Detroit agate". I've seen it for sale as cabs for setting/wrapping, but not as beads. And since the manufacturing technique that created it is no longer being used, it's becoming increasingly rare.

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I was originally introduced to it as "urbanite" and it wasn't from a car plant. It was from a railing that had been painted so many times, there was a layer over an inch thick. A rockhound friend had found a chunk that came loose, brought it home and sliced off some to polish en cabochon. But he kept part of the original to show off.

a sense of wonder

[callibr8]

>> a life built with
situational awareness that revolves
around a sense of wonder instead of fear <<

A powerful concept, beautifully expressed. Also, a modus vivendi which I try to promote in myself and others, on a regular basis. Huzzah!

Re: a sense of wonder

[ysabetwordsmith]

Sooth. It's a challenge to achieve, but worth the effort. Trying to turn off senses once they've sharpened is difficult or impossible. Diverting them to constructive ends is much more feasible.

dealing with enhanced senses

[callibr8]

>> Trying to turn off senses once they've sharpened is difficult or impossible. <<

*blinks in confusion*

It would never have occurred to me to try turning it off. Channeling in a useful direction, or "turning down the gain" to the extent possible, sure. But turning off? Sheesh, NO! OTOH, this does play in to why I avoid events where karaoke is a significant feature. There's only so much bad singing I can tolerate. *wry*

Re: dealing with enhanced senses

[ysabetwordsmith]

If you look at information on PTSD and hypervigilance, a lot of it is very judgmental on the topic of turning off the alertness. Obviously people who have come out of hellish experiences are rarely pleased by that. They know for a fact that if you let your guard down too far, then the world is quite likely to injure or kill you. However, if you're wired all the time, it not only wrecks your health but undermines your ability to identify and handle real emergencies.

Hypervigilance is simply a problem of your alert system getting stuck on 11. You need the ability to modulate it, turn it up and down in response to accurate observations about the environment. That means keeping a "relaxed alert" awareness most of the time, being able to relax completely in a secure environment with trusted persons, and not doing stupid shit like losing yourself in your damn smartphone while walking down a sidewalk and possibly into traffic.