As I recently reflected on my past Currents articles to understand my journey as a writer, scientist, and person, I recognized an important theme within my writing: exploring the multiple dimensions of nature, humanity, and science within my internal and external world. Through this reflection, I’ve recognized that I haven’t always been aware of the degree of connection between nature and other aspects of my identity, largely owing to the narrowness that stems from learning in systems shaped by patriarchy and the Western philosophy of positivism. These systems of thought emphasized logic, empiricism, and esoterism, which, while valuable, often constrained my ability to engage with and communicate scientific knowledge more holistically. Over time, I sought alternative approaches to communication—ones that would allow my thoughts, creativity, and identity to flourish, and enable me to engage with the world in a way that fosters growth and connection. For me, finding that form of engagement has often come through exploring different ways of knowing and observing the world, with art emerging as one of the most transformative.

“By cutting and pasting newspaper and magazine clippings, incorporating pressed flowers and trinkets from my daily commutes, and blending seemingly unrelated concepts into coherent pieces, I materialize the conscious and subconscious links I make every day within our natural and developed world.” 

Art has become a medium through which I blur boundaries and merge my understanding of nature, humanity, and science. By cutting and pasting newspaper and magazine clippings, incorporating pressed flowers and trinkets from my daily commutes, and blending seemingly unrelated concepts into coherent pieces, I materialize the conscious and subconscious links I make every day within our natural and developed world. This creative process has helped me dissolve the artificial separations between myself, nature, and others, allowing me to connect my feelings and people in meaningful innovative ways.

The dynamic relationship between art and science can, above all, foster connection, community, and communication. To illustrate this, I want to spotlight inspiring art from a community in Seattle and one of my collages. Both have allowed me to visualize relationships and connections between environmental, social, and political themes, all while pushing the boundaries of learning in a positivist space.  Creating art has allowed me to react to new knowledge in an unstructured and expansive way, and I hope that in sharing this, others will be encouraged to embrace the act of creation as a valuable avenue for growth and learning.

The Plastic Ocean Mural

“In our daily lives, we can be pulled in so many directions with our minds guiding as our compass—why is this? Why that? Is this good enough? Where do I go from here? The gift of art allows us to quiet down the question and just be, there is no wrong in art. It is a practice of adjusting, adapting, and accepting. Creativity is the language of the spirit. Without acknowledging the spirit, we are functioning through life like a train with no windows. You may get to where you need to go, but you miss all of the beauty of existence around you. We are living in a world that wishes more efficiently, getting from point A to B, without peering out of the glass. Art is a window that allows us to see more deeply what exists without us, about all our gathered life experiences. There is nowhere you can look where art does not exist. Everything that is designed is developed through the human mind. It is our passion, purpose, and responsibility to make it accessible for our younger generations to have safe spaces to express themselves. Not only will they be seeing more clearly, but they will be making windows and even doors of their own”

– South Park Collective, Cultivate South Park

An inspiring example of the power of linking art to science and nature comes from the South Park community in the Duwamish Valley in the greater Seattle area. This natural riparian corridor has been heavily industrialized, primarily for the Port of Seattle and Boeing. The Duwamish Tribe, stewards of the Valley since time immemorial, have seen their ancestral lands transformed to prioritize Western development. Chief Si’ahl, a leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish Tribes, was a key figure in the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, and his name was adapted to denominate the city of Seattle. Much like this renaming, the Valley has undergone significant changes, leaving communities near industrial sites and under the flight path of SeaTac Airport and thus facing considerable environmental challenges.

I had the privilege of learning from members of the Duwamish River Community Coalition, who shared powerful insights about the area’s environmental history. They recalled how, just a decade ago, swimming in the Duwamish River could cause a burning sensation on one’s skin within minutes. Meanwhile, the air above is filled with an average of 15 planes passing overhead every minute, depositing particulate matter across the Valley. These enduring challenges have led the community to preserve and pass down knowledge of environmental issues, ensuring that future generations understand their local realities.

A shining example of this education is seen in the youth of South Park, who are actively supported by their community to engage with the environmental state of the Duwamish River. During the summer Urban Innovators Internship, young participants explored ecology and environmental justice by examining how environmental issues intersect with the Black Lives Matter movement and broader social justice struggles, grounding their discussions in the history of South Park and the Duwamish River. They watched “A Plastic Ocean,” a documentary exposing the dangers of microplastics in the food chain, and welcomed a zero-waste consultant to discuss youth-driven solutions to environmental and climate challenges. These experiences culminated in a collaborative mural project, designed and created by youth members of the community, and composed of movable panels incorporating discarded plastics, symbolizing the impacts of pollution while reflecting their collective vision. Merging individual sketches into a cohesive design, the mural stands as both a community expression and a call to action by spreading environmental awareness and demonstrating the power of art and science to transform knowledge into meaningful engagement and change.

I was inspired by this piece because it shows how collective thought can be visualized, expressed, and serve as an amplifier for marginalized voices. By looking at the fish drawn with plastic around their neck and the ever-hungry figure with their head in a storm, I could understand the anxieties that the younger generation has about their environment through this mural. I too struggle with holding a place for my personal climate and environmental anxieties, however, art has helped me make space for them, and I feel even more connected to the younger generations through this piece as they make space for theirs. 

Pandora Reclaiming the Box

It has never sat well with me that Pandora was criticized so much for her choice to open Pandora’s Box—to me, Pandora was a scientist. Her curiosity drove her to answer the unknown, causing immense discovery for the world. Sure, she unleashed unfathomable horrors upon the world, but she also provided monsters for man to slay for glory, fame, and profit. She allowed them to define their fears and pain. Most importantly, she brought hope. Through the existence of misery, one can hope and work towards a better, kinder future.

Similar to mainstream condemnation of Pandora’s actions, women in STEM are often unfairly chastised for their curiosity and have their achievements dismissed.  Many fight their way into academic spaces and need to prove their knowledge’s value before being respected or recognized. I wanted to express this parallel between women’s experiences in STEM environments and Pandora’s story and rewrite the narrative. I used an explosion of chaotic nature to represent the turbulence the world and patriarchal systems faced as women became pioneers of change, innovation, and hope. The medium of collage allowed me to express my dynamic view of the STEM world: messy, colorful, complicated, and fantastical. I also wanted to center two female characters and create a love story between them. The two women are Venus and the sea, and I pulled excerpts from an unnamed poem I picked up years ago to define their relationship–

“They say the sea is cold, but the sea contains the hottest blood of all, and the wildest, the most urgent… And Venus amongst the fishes skips and is a she-dolphin she is the gay, delighted porpoise sporting with love and the sea she is the female tunny-fish, round and happy among the males and dense with happy blood, dark rainbow bliss in the sea.” 

To me, I saw a theme of the ultimate connection between femininity and nature, where they share the same blood and achieve their wildest potential together. I added a third character, the soldier to represent the patriarchy. As much as the soldier rejects and runs away from understanding the power, beauty, and creativity that the women have cultivated in the world through their bond, their chaotic potential remains theirs to nurture together. 

I saw a similar story and theme of misunderstanding and battle between femininity and masculinity as I watched the animated short film episode Jibaro from the Netflix series Love, Death + Robots. I find myself talking about this episode and recommending it to everyone I know because I believe it captured the power and beauty of animation to tell a story rooted in environmental science and feminism. 

This episode is a visually stunning story of a deaf knight and a mythical siren, told entirely without words. The narrative begins as a group of conquistadors encounters a siren within a dense forest lake, whose hypnotic dance and piercing song compel men to their watery deaths. All are ensnared, except for Jibaro, whose deafness shields him from her fatal allure. Intrigued by his immunity, the siren becomes fixated on Jibaro, drawn to him in a way that feels both intimate and dangerous. But their connection is not one of harmony; it is fraught with tension and betrayal. Jibaro exploits her vulnerability, violently stripping her golden, jewel-laden body to satisfy his greed. When the siren dies, the water, infused with her power, restores Jibaro’s hearing. Yet this apparent gain becomes his undoing, as her haunting call consumes him, drawing him to his inevitable end.

The episode is a powerful exploration of greed, obsession, and the cycles of exploitation, subverting the traditional portrayal of sirens as a one-dimensional villain. Many see her as evil as she has lured dozens of men to the bottom of the lake. Despite her deadly nature, she displayed curiosity, passion, and unbridled force as a protector of her world and self. Jibaro’s identity as a conquistador alludes to the colonization of the natural world (the siren)—by following his greed for gold, he irrevocably damaged the soul of the siren and polluted the water with her blood as a result of his violence. I tried to portray this toxic relationship through the three main characters of my collage and once again rewrite the ending– the siren can find love that is not tainted with greed and instead embraces, reclaims, and exudes all of her unbridled nature. 

The combination of these two influential stories informed my perception of the natural world, my role and humanity’s role within it, and my artistic expression. Art is often inspired by different sources and its complex, entangled roots can cultivate an act of synthesis that both mirrors and transcends science—anything can feel meant to be connected if you give it the right canvas, context, and potential. I initially struggled to see how my diverse environmental experiences and identities could converge into a career that aligned with and expressed the vision I hold for myself and the world. Beginning in marine biology, pivoting to infectious disease research, and ultimately landing in marine and environmental affairs, each step seemed distinct, separate, and lacking creativity. Yet, these journeys have collectively shaped my growth and broadened my perspective on humanity’s place in the natural world.

Few of us take a direct path from our earliest ambitions to our current roles and worldviews. Instead, our careers often become collages of experiences, where seemingly unrelated chapters come together to create a richer, more nuanced journey. I am thankful that collaging has helped me connect the seemingly disparate chapters of my life into a bigger picture and express the important themes I have observed in my personal, professional, and academic life, and I hope that others around me will continue to use creativity to communicate their relationships with nature, science, and society.