Awakenings through personal encounters with nature and art

This thesis explores the concept of awakening one’s self through personal encounters with the natural world articulated by way of artistic endeavor. By following the birth of our modern sense of self from the Renaissance to the Romantic period, I argue that through the contemplation of nature in conjunction with personal artistic process, each student should be able to create a set of ideals for him or herself to live by having learned the tools to articulate what is manifested within.