I have always been the type of person that absorbs all the details in the world around me. Whether these details are that of a particular person or a general scene, my mind is always asking questions, always curious, and always learning. If you were to walk around with me, especially when in the city, you would notice I am often looking up and around. I always stare at the buildings and their different aspects. I look at the designs and just the organization of an infrastructure my eyes may come across. I often catch myself gazing at buildings I come across everyday on my way to school. I also look around at things at normal level and I am very much into perspective. The way the world around me falls into place has always been something to think about.

Ever since I came to college, I have developed a unique sense of art I thought was impossible for me to obtain. This new sense of art has sparked my brain to think even more than I would when encountering the world around me. For example, as I walked around downtown Manhattan, I casually crossed the street at an intersection. Looking to my left and then to my right, I see a very distinct view from where I am walking. Mesmerized by the view, I decided stop in the middle of the street and snap a picture with my phone.

When I looked at my photograph I had taken, I realize it is not a very fancy picture whatsoever. I had simply taken a photo of a street that I walked across. It was then that I realized this is what the concept of art is about. Art isn’t always going to be huge murals or golden statues or extremely valuable paintings by famous artists. In our society, the word ‘art’ denotes all of these ideas, which are implanted into our mind. Instead, art is meant to raise questions and show different perspectives the viewer may admire or dislike.

Paying attention to detail, I acknowledged the photo I took was a form of art. I noticed the color contrast of the dark area where I was, between the tall buildings, and the bright sky further down the road. I noticed the yellow light on the far right, which was the streetlight for the street parallel to me, and how close I was to the light turning green with me still in the middle of the road. I also noticed the road and how it rides out into the bright part of the picture. Of course, the infrastructures also stood out, creating the road in a valley of buildings that I was in.

The point of taking a picture of the city and sending it into Macaulay was to show how we all see the city. I feel this photo I took exemplifies New York as a whole and explains how I see this “city that never sleeps.” I see New York City as a place where honking cars and nonstop motion is present all around. We are merely small people bustling around in the large city we built. It’s the place I try to show the viewer, using this photo, how crowded and overwhelming life can be, both mentally and physically. Nonetheless, I use this picture to show just one of the many sights I see in the place I have learned to truly call my second home.