The “back to nature” slogan seems more relevant as the world moves faster. Though the two look conflicting, the more modern the world is, the more dependent people are on nature. One of the reasons for this is the fact that natural forms play such vital roles in all life aspects, from emotional to professional.
Trees, rivers, stones, and flowers are among the clearest examples of natural forms that sustain people’s lives. This article isn’t going to deliver a sort of Biology lesson. Rather, it is presenting why such natural objects are timeless inspirations for human beings. Find out also samples of the forms that have driven people to create incredible things.
What are natural forms?
Natural forms refer to the purest shapes of nature. Humans live with natural objects every single day. As far as the eyes can see, plants and animals are everywhere. Along with them, humans are all part of the interconnected life web that sees one can’t live without the others.
As the name implies, natural forms are organic ones, which means they are free from human or machine interventions. The samples are abundant. In the field of vegetation, all plant and flower types fall under the category. Pine cones, leaves, jasmines, roses, and tulips are just to name a few. Cats, dogs, and fishes are instances of the organic forms.
The shape category stretches into geological features, land and water. These include mountains, hills, stones, and terrains. On the other hand, land and water types cover streams, waterfalls, and seas. Nature and mankind form a life cycle that determines the time period of the universe. As such, balanced acts between the two hold the key to a healthy environment for many generations to come.
Natural forms as the Limitless sources of inspiration
Since the dawn of civilisation, nature never stops inviting creative minds to invent something. Natural forms are the best sources of ideas for everything. This is because such shapes are genuine. In the hands of the artists, the shapes can turn into remarkable results. Think about the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, which was designed from a bird’s nest.
Another example is the residential palace of Alhambra in Spain, which partly draws its inspiration from natural stalactites. Architecture isn’t the only field that obviously “copies” the natural forms. The following is the list of other modern applications you are not aware of seeing every day as you work and go to school.
Art
Natural forms have driven artists to make beautiful artworks for a long time. It is sufficient to say amateur artists run to nature to practise their skills at the very beginning. Leaves, flowers, and animals serve as flexible sources of ideas. This means any artist can turn them into textures, colours, or patterns that resemble certain natural shapes. The more experiences they have, the more unique the shapes turn into.
Gardening
In the gardening area, natural forms have encouraged some people to dedicate themselves to taking care of certain plants or flowers. And then they create products out of them. A popular example of this is the Keukenhof Garden in the Netherlands. The park draws millions of global tourists due to its stunning collection of tulips and other flower types.
Construction
Natural forms have inspired professionals working in the construction sector to build buildings that consider the impacts on nature. They implement environment-friendly strategies so the structures will reduce construction waste. The strategy for this is applying modular construction technology, where the building materials are first made in a factory and then assembled on-site.
Psychology
Nature walks are among the top tips from psychologists whenever their patients have problems regarding their mental health. This sort of walk is unique because it invites you to slow down while observing natural forms. The impacts can be tremendous. You can feel a bit relaxed as you approach beautiful flowers or cute animals along the way. Nature is such a balm for tired souls and stressful minds.
Physical health
Family camping remains popular nowadays. Aside from bringing family members together, the activity is great for improving sleep quality. Getting closer to the natural forms during camping can calm the mind and lower stress levels. It also adds to the body's immunity when inhaling fresh air while the eyes are looking at organic shapes, such as grasses and water flowing in rivers.
Photography
Nature photography has its fans all over the world. With the more advanced camera technology, people can excel at their skills in observing natural forms. Even the most complex camera can capture the slightest details of animal anatomy. You can also use the gadget for “freezing” the moment when the Aurora Borealis or the northern lights “dance” in the sky.
Education
Instead of explaining at length, teachers can just take branches or rocks to the Biology classes. Those are some natural forms that can make it easier for the students to absorb the materials. Taking college students to visit nature-inspired sites is more efficient in explaining certain architectural concepts than asking them to read textbooks.
Fashion
If you are fond of fashion, you can point to numerous clothing designs that draw ideas from natural forms. In the hands of skilful fashion designers, leaves and flowers can be used as examples to turn into aesthetic dress and skirt designs. Some of them have started using recycled fabrics to make the world eco-friendlier.
Popular culture
To date, dinosaurs still inspire Hollywood filmmakers to create just another prehistoric animal-based movie. Spiderman and Batman are other blockbuster film franchises that never run out of their viewers. Their actual inspirations come from spiders and bats, two natural forms that fall under the animal category. You can add another if you are a movie freak.
Pharmacy
Research in the Pharmaceutical industry retains its focus on nature-based drugs to treat all diseases. It holds to the belief that natural forms offer the best medicine, not those purely made from chemical substances. There are plenty of organic-based drugs in the market. For example, the cancer drug Taxol came from a tree bark.
Are humans natural forms?
Human beings are one of the natural forms due to several reasons. They undergo evolutionary processes like plants and animals. The human life cycle runs as follows: birth, growth, and death, similar to the two. Even they share similar ancestors with other primates, like chimpanzees, through natural selection processes in millions of years.
Perhaps the second reason holds the essence of the debate of this sub-topic. Some may argue human beings are organic shapes because we invent and use technology. However, they remain living things that coexist with the other two species. Together, the three have to live in harmony if they want the Earth to survive.
The last reason is humans have natural traits that simply seem organic. Such characteristics are language, social relationships, and how they overcome problems. Each of them has those sorts of abilities that come naturally or by instinct. Animals may also have those types of skills which are applicable to all types of beasts.
Conclusion
As explained earlier, natural forms have inspired many subjects, some of them architecture and construction. The two are among the major pillars in the world. The College of Contract Management designs curriculums on the two that will meet your needs to excel in the roles now and in the future.
The teachers provide training courses that combine knowledge about the fields and ever-growing inspirations from natural forms. Hopefully, joining the courses will not only make your career successful but also notable because of your skills in taking advantage of whatever nature has in store for you.