For this episode I caught up with dear friend Trace Balla.

Trace is a multi-award-winning "story catcher" and community artist based on Djaara Country in central Victoria. She is renowned for her nature-inspired graphic novels, such as the CBCA-winning Rockhopping and Rivertime, which use detailed cartoon-style illustrations to explore themes of environmental stewardship, gratitude, and connection to Country. 

We recently had a chat out in the bush in central Victoria were we talked about Trace’s daily walks in nature and how important this practice is for inspiring her work. We reflected on place-based names for Country, as opposed to colonial names that have been stamped across the Australian landscape, before hearing about Trace’s experiences running nature and art workshops for kids. We talked about learning about ecology through drawing, spontaneity, and how walking through Country without a plan can lead to you unexpected and magical experiences.

Trace was the designer of the Just Ecology artwork and we have worked on several art-ecology projects together.

This is a conversation about slowing down, listening deeply, and letting Country — rather than schedules or systems — lead the way.

You can find out more about Trace and her work at: https://traceballa.com/

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