Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty
The Opposite of Beauty
To know beauty, we must understand the misery of ugliness. What is the cost of boring suburbs, ugly strip malls, and a hideous highway? Science tells us the price of unpleasantness. A dull office environment leads to absenteeism and higher turnover. Traffic noise raises blood pressure and heartbeats; impacting related diseases. A lack of access to nature decreases a person’s attention span and an increase in local crime. A school curriculum lacking arts decreases grades in all subjects along with a higher dropout rate. Unattractive surroundings have a direct correlation to depression, obesity, depersonalization, alienation, detached feelings, sexual abuse, drug use, violence, and hate. This is the opposite of beauty.
We are overstimulated by smartphones, excessive work hours, social media, and the inability to disconnect. And having too much has made everything meaningless. We are “too busy” for beauty because we have prioritized “efficiency,” “profit,” and other lesser values. While the internet is good for research and distribution, it can also make us shallow human beings. There is no search for difficult answers. No in-depth conversations. It’s all about the results of instant gratification. And all answers are not equal. We need to remove extravagance, convenience, and speed so that we don’t view beauty as a frivolous subject. Just another elitist hobby only understood by those with fancy educations. That we’re not entitled to beauty. That beauty somehow makes us ineffectual. These are lies.
What do you find unpleasant? What are a few things your life would be better without? Is it a hideous room, the revolting smell of a dumpster, or the constant noise of the neighbor's lawn equipment? What are some ways we can make our lives more appealing?
We've been on manicured sidewalks connecting elegant buildings and charming parks. And almost anything can be made more appealing. It can be as simple as picking up litter or a fresh coat of paint. What is something we can change to bring us more joy?
Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Children's Memorial Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.
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