This very special episode is a celebration of the life of Kate Skinner. Kate was passionate about human rights and social justice. She had a deep love of literature and the transformative power of human stories. Her warmth and love was felt by everyone in her life.

Listen to hear more about:

• The freedom of unstructured outdoor play in childhood.
• The values of social justice woven into Kate’s family life.
• Literature in the classroom and the ways Kate engaged her students in learning.
• The importance of landscape in literature and how it shapes characters and readers.
• How good writing can stretch past the limitations of our language.
• Finding lessons and meaning in literature.
• How reading develops empathy.
• Processing deep emotions through communication.
• Kate’s love of teaching.
• How curiosity helps us connect with life and with each other.

Here is a list of the books Kate refers to during the interview: 

Alexis Wright – Carpentaria

Emily Brontë - Wuthering Heights

John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath

Samantha Harvey - Orbital 

Charlotte Wood - Stone Yard Devotional

Rebecca Solnit - Orwell’s Roses

George Eliot - Silas Marner

Elizabeth Strout – Olive Kitteridge

Azar Nafisi - Reading Lolita in Tehran

Charles Dickens – David Copperfield

Barbara Kingsolver - Demon Copperhead

Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden

The celebration of Kate’s life that we talked about during our conversation was recorded. You can watch it here: Celebrate Kate. 

-----------------

Thank you for listening!

Just a quick message to say that there won't be an episode this week, but I am here and I'll be back next week and get back on track. Sending my best thoughts to everyone out there who is struggling. So much love to you. 

Symbiosis is a close biological relationship between two different organisms, where at least one benefits from their interaction. Symbiosis highlights the interconnectedness and interdependence of living organisms and we will explore the different types of symbiosis in today’s prompt episode. 

I would love to hear all about your plans for your nature journal this year and any examples of symbiosis you have noticed in your nearby nature. You can leave a comment below this post on the Journaling With Nature website.

-----------------

Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates.

You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for listening!


 

Juliene is an artist and watercolour educator. Through her engaging classes and vibrant online community, Juliene inspires artists to build creative confidence and embrace the joy of painting. 

Listen to hear more about:

• The winding career path that led Juliene to becoming a watercolour educator.
• The natural landscape in Montana.
• Learning to love watercolour as a medium. 
• Pivoting from a product to a process orientation.
• Painting murals.
• The #ipaintedthat challenge. 
• Co-creating with watercolour. 
• Juliene's signature course The Colour Mixing Lab.
   

You can learn more about Juliene and her art at www.julienesinclair.com. Juliene is also on Instagram @juliene.sinclair and on YouTube @julienesinclair.

To sign up to Juliene’s signature course and get a 5% discount off the usual price, use this link: The Colour Mixing Lab.


-----------------

Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month.
 
You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for listening!

When the world feels like it is in a dark place and things appear out of control, focusing on what brings hope can sustain us. Hope not only offers solace but also motivation to make positive change. Our nature journals can become a place to cultivate hope. Let’s share hopeful ideas and resources this week.

Some hopeful resources that I love:

Jane Goodall Institute

Jane Goodall Hopecast

Doug Tallamy

Ross Gay

I would love you to share your experiences and ideas about nature journaling hope by leaving a comment on the Journaling With Nature website below this episode.

-----------------

Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates.

You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for listening!

Artist and bird enthusiast Ria Kotze explores her curiosity and passion for nature through creativity. Her story has taken her on adventures to many parts of the world, and now her biggest adventure of all is following her paintbrush wherever it leads.

Listen to hear more about:

• The species that sparked Ria’s birding passion.
• Finding her creative style and following the paintbrush.
• Keeping a perpetual journal and contributing to citizen science.
• Being a lifelong learner.
• The artists and educators who inspire Ria. 
• Sharing nature journaling with young people.
• Ecologically responsible art materials.
• The ways that Ria’s art practice has changed and developed over time.

Learn more about Ria at www.bluefeatherart.com and connect on Instagram @followyouryarn.

Here is a list of inspiring creatives that Ria mentioned during our conversation: 

Lara Call Gastinger
John Muir Laws
Roseann Hanson
Geninne Zlatkis
Sharon Field
Max Romy
Natalie Eslick

-----------------

Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month.
 
You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for listening!

Being in nature offers endless opportunities to be surprised and delighted by all the wonders that we find there. When you are outside, tune your awareness to those things that are new and different, to those surprising moments that make you gasp from joy and wonder.

I would love to hear about the moments that make you gasp with delight. Share your stories by leaving a comment under this episode on the Journaling With Nature website. 

-----------------

Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates.
 
You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for listening!


 

Nics is a business and personal coach from Edinburgh, Scotland. She is training to be a forest bathing guide and approaches her work and nature connection practice with curiosity, an open heart, and a firm belief in the awesomeness of individuals. 

Listen to hear more about:

• The ways that Edinburgh’s history and culture intertwine with nature.
• Life lessons learned from observing nature. 
• Connecting with others in your community with authenticity and intention. 
• Nature journaling as a mindfulness practice.
• The importance of play. 
• Using different journals and how that can encourage creativity.
• Nature journaling while on holiday.
• The beauty of bees.

Learn more about Nics’ consulting work here: https://www.nxjconsulting.com/.

Connect with Nics on Instagram @nics610 and Facebook Nature CoNxtion. 

-----------------

Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month.
 
You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for listening!

This month I am going to be using a prompt list to encourage myself to keep a regular garden journal again. This has been inspired by Inktober which is an art challenge where participants sketch something in ink, every day for the month of October. There is an official list, but I have created my own. I am calling this challenge Inktober in the Garden. Each prompt is just one word related to gardens and gardening and is aimed to get us thinking in different ways about the beauty of our cultivated space. 

Here is the list:

1. Pollinator; 2. Fruit; 3. Scented; 4. Germinate; 5. Wild; 6. Sun; 7. Growth; 8. Mulch; 9. Tendril; 10. Water; 11. Sow; 12. Flower; 13. Soil; 14. Shade; 15. Cultivated; 16. Climbing; 17. Root; 18. Invertebrate; 19. Companion; 20. Textured; 21. Supported; 22. Leaf; 23. Herb; 24. Seed; 25. Insect; 26. Weed; 27. Compost; 28. Tools; 29. Seedling; 30 Pod; 31. Harvest. 

If you would like to join me, you can use each prompt or just dip into the ones that inspire you the most. I would love to see your pages! If you are on social media you can use the hashtag #inktoberinthegarden or you can email me your pages at [email protected]. 

If you don’t have a garden, you can use the prompts to get inspired by your local park or green space.
 

I have created a blog post with this information. You can find it here: Inktober in the Garden. 

I am also excited to share the news that I have opened my online store! You can find it over on the Journaling With Nature website. 

-----------------

Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates.
 
You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for listening!

Ane is a multilingual translator living in Basque Country. Ane’s work explores the ways that nature and creativity can foster wellbeing.

Listen to hear more about:

• The similarities between language translation and painting.
• The reasons why Ane chooses to prioritise using the Basque language in her work and nature journal.
• The significance of colour for wellbeing. 
• Ane’s ‘Paint Your Wellness’ sessions.
• How the combination of nature and creativity can help with anxiety. 
• The benefits of quick sketching in nature.
• Painting as meditation.
• Finding wonder in nature.
• Keeping a travel sketchbook.

You can connect with Ane on Instagram @anegaral.art and on YouTube. 
Click here to learn more about green sketching.

-----------------

Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month.
 
You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for listening!