The Arts for Personal Growth of Park Leaders - the arts can open your awareness to the world around you through being exposed to other people's stories and worldviews, as well as grow your own self-awareness through self-reflection, emotional bonds, and a shift in your own perspective. They can also give you communication skills and the ability to work in new environments or environments where you have to have good improvisational skills. If the arts breed awareness, empathy, openness, and emotional connection (ie. to nature, and to people) how could the arts help park leaders themselves to become better leaders, team players and people.
Experiencing Art in Parks Affects Perception/ Connection to Such Places This type of connection cultivates a relationship to the place that evokes not only a personal association, but can also lead to site stewardship. “In essence, to connect with a place entails forming an emotional or imaginative attachment to the place. Such an attachment can be cultivated through art, since the artist has already formed a connection, and his/her art becomes a bridge for others,” explains Cheryll Glotfelty" Using Art to Define Our Parks
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What makes art influential to our connection with nature. Art is highly personal–inspiring us, and speaking to our dreams, aspirations, and ideals. Art transforms people into "active observers" and can imbue empathy with the subject. Art can inspire strong emotions and shift perspectives. Art helps people connect to a place and provides a way to relate new experiences to ones before. Art can help us connect to nature through story (ie. comic strips - "Calvin and Hobbes" or stories about the Animal Kingdom - "The Wind in the Willows" -"Many can trace their love of nature and science to these things they experienced as children or young adults" - Robert A. Winfree (https://www.nps.gov/articles/aps-v10-i2-c10.htm)