On a break between classes the other day, I met up with a few friends in Madison Square Park. While walking along observing all of the different people and hearing the mumbled chatter of hundreds of conversations, I saw a golden retriever laying on the ground. As I followed the dog's leash up to the hand of his owner, I noticed that in the man's lap was a large piece of canvas and scattered around him were various painting supplies. I noticed that the painting was a self-portrait which displayed both the painter and his dog just as they appeared at that moment. I thought that it was so interesting to see how the artist had sharpened his ability to perceive himself and his surroundings accurately enough to translate what he saw to the canvas. What really caught my attention was that I was, in a sense, seeing double. I saw the man and his dog in front of me, and then the man and his dog on canvas, but very little was actually different between the two embodiments of the artist and his dog. This is one more reason I love art, it causes the viewer to see not only a message or statement within the work, but also it causes the viewer to see the world around them differently. Art isn't just something that is beautiful, it's something that provokes thought on a deep level and conjures up many questions in its viewers. New York City is such a unique place to experience artwork. At home, it was rare if I even saw someone taking photographs for artistic purposes, and the only place I ever saw "public" artwork was in the art room of my high school. Here, there are opportunities everywhere to see art in the process of being created or as a completed project. It makes me feel like I am constantly being presented the oportunity to create and think. Being surrounded by blossoming ideas and unmatched creativity makes growing and learning in the city an incredibly rich experience.