Journaling With Nature

Windows are there to connect us with the wider world. Look out your window and journal about what you see. Can you see trees, or the sky? Can you see human stories unfolding? Sketch what you see and describe it with words.

My favourite window-gazing journalers are Clare Walker Leslie and Brooke Morales. Brooke is teaching about painting skies at the upcoming Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference which is happening from September 18-22, 2024. 

Let me know what you are seeing from your own window by leaving a comment under this episode on the Journaling With Nature website. 

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Maja is a multi-creative Danish artist living in Sydney, Australia. Maja dedicated herself to filling a hand-made nature journal each month for a year and came to know nature in her adopted country more deeply through the process.

Listen to hear more about:

• Plant awareness disparity and how it affects our ability to connect with plants. 
• The differences between nature in Australia and Denmark. 
• Maja’s year-long nature journaling project. 
• Finding balance in your nature journal practice. 
• Creative constraints and how they can be freeing.
• Maja’s art challenge #shroomtember and how you can get involved.
• Incorporating sustainability into our art practice.
• Zines and how they connect people. 
• The Sydney Nature Journal Club.
• Finding your way back to nature journaling after a break.

You can find Maja on Instagram and Behance and follow along with her art challenge #shroomtember.

If you are in the Sydney area and would like to connect with other nature journalers, you can find the Sydney Nature Journal Club on Meetup and on Instagram. 

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Looking back at our old journals can show how our practice has developed and remind us of techniques we would like to use again. Sometimes we can even answer our own nature questions! For today’s prompt, we will revisit our past journal pages and see what they can teach us.

I would love to hear about your experience looking back at old journals. Leave a comment below this post over on the Journaling With Nature website. 

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Using her experiences in the natural world as inspiration, Naomi creates detailed fine art with the aim of connecting people with wildlife. She is passionate about using art to help support wildlife conservation projects around the world.

Listen to hear more about:

• The beautiful landscapes and wildlife of Naomi’s nearby nature.
• The importance of the ocean for Naomi’s wellbeing and art practice.
• The steps involved in creating a realistic seascape.  
• Naomi’s painting space and artistic process.
• The importance of colour. 
• Capturing the life of an animal subject through the eyes. 
• The relationship between time spent in nature and a motivation to protect wildlife.
• Ways that artists can use their art to make a difference in the world. 
• Naomi’s experiences participating in the International Tall Ships Race. 
• The role that sketchbooks play in Naomi’s art practice.
• How play can inform our work. 

Find Naomi’s artwork on her website www.naomijenkinart.com and on Instagram @naomijenkinart. To find out more about the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation click here. 

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The traditional Japanese calendar divides the year into 72 microseasons, each representing a period of change in the natural world. Pay attention to the small changes that happen in your region and see if you can identify some microseasons of your own.

This week we are experimenting with an idea inspired by Mary Jo Hoffman, which is to explore the microseasons in our own part of the world. You can find the seasons that Mary Jo has identified for her own region in her book STILL: The Art of Noticing. 

I would love to hear about the microseasons you identify in your own region. Leave a comment below this episode. 

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Every day for over twelve years, Mary Jo has posted a photograph of nature on her blog STILL. More than just a daily creative project, STILL has offered deep insights and connection to place.

Listen to hear more about:

• A childhood spent exploring nature.
• How an aptitude for mathematics led Mary Jo into a career as an aerospace engineer.
• The beginnings of STILL blog and the initial parameters of the project. 
• Fitting a one-a-day project into an already busy family life. 
• Being in a state of ‘creative noticing’. 
• Going deeper rather than wider in her exploration of nature.
• The 72 micro-seasons of Mary Jo’s bioregion.  
• The importance of play. 
• How engineering and mathematics influence her creative work. 
• The family’s travels in France. 
• The fusion of life and art. 
• Falling in love with the landscape wherever you are. 

Visit stillblog.net to explore Mary Jo’s incredible project. You can also connect with Mary Jo on Instagram @maryjohoffman. Find STILL: The Art of Noticing here.

Steve Hoffman’s memoir A Season For That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France can be found here.

Keep in touch with Mary Jo’s work by signing up to the STILL newsletter here. 

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Bringing play into our nature journaling practice is an invitation to lean towards joy and freedom and away from perfectionism and self-criticism. Start your journaling sessions with play – embrace all of your silly, wonky, imperfect, life-filled lines and have fun!

Over on the Journaling With Nature YouTube channel I have a playlist where you can follow along with different exercises to loosen up and play:

Creative Play for Nature Journalers

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Listen to hear more about:

• How Kaddi came to nature journaling.
• Kaddi’s ideal day in nature.
• How nature was a solace for Kaddi during a challenging time.
• The growing nature journaling community in Germany and other German speaking regions in Europe.
• The regular in-person and online nature journaling gatherings that are happening in Germany.
• The importance of giving supportive feedback.
• Starting a nature journal club in your area.
• Travelling nature journals.
• Nature journaling as meditation.
• Kaddi’s hopes and plans for nature journaling in the future.

Follow Kaddi on Instagram @kaddikaracho and on YouTube @NatureJournalette.

Some of the groups and workshops mentioned can be found here:

https://wildniswind.de/

• Nature Journaling Deutschland website
• Nature Journaling Deutschland group on Facebook
• German nature journal clubs map
• Weekly online sessions of Nature Journaling and Tea and Nature Journaling and Coffee can be found on the website of Verena Hillgärtner: Wieder Wilder Werden.
• Wild Wonder Educators Workshop
• Wildniswind

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Today’s prompt comes from a challenge created by last week’s guest, Sofia Gazarian. Sofia’s idea was to draw or paint the same bird each month for a year. Through this process you will be able to watch your own progress as you develop your skills of drawing birds. You can control the variables by using the same time limit for your sketch, as well as using the same reference photo, materials and paper size. Give it a go if it sounds like a fun challenge to you!

To find inspiration from Sofia’s One Year Bird page, visit her Instagram @printyourbird. If you post your own page on Instagram, use the hashtag #oneyearbird so Sofia can see your birds!

Find royalty free bird photos:

Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/
Pixabay - https://pixabay.com/

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Sofia has a passion for birdwatching. While cultivating a daily sketching habit, Sofia has learned that you can find birds and make amazing discoveries even in the heart of a big city.

Listen to hear more about:

• Making personal discoveries in nature. 
• How Sofia went from selling vintage bird art to drawing and painting her own birds. 
• The bird illustrators that inspire Sofia.
• How a birding challenge helped Sofia make many discoveries her local parks.
• Using a monocular for capturing bird photos on your phone.
• Tips for beginner birdwatchers.
• Keeping a bird journal.
• Drawing the same bird each month to track your artistic progress.
• The calming effect of drawing birds.

Illustrators who have inspired Sofia’s drawing:

John James Audubon
George Edwards
John and Elizabeth Gould
Ohara Koson
David Sibley
John Muir Laws
Danny Gregory 
Felix Scheinberger

Apps that Sofia uses while birdwatching:

Merlin Bird ID
BirdNET
eBird

To follow along with Sofia’s bird drawing journey find her on Instagram @printyourbird.

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Thanks for listening!