What is nature journaling? |
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"Let the beauty of connection flood the pages of your nature journal" ~ John Muir Laws |
OK, but what IS it? How do I do it?
"Life is calling you to look" ~ Melinda Nakagawa, Spark In Nature |
Sounds simple. Why do we need a workshop?
- It IS simple, and also fun, especially when you share with others. As with most things, it's easier to learn and explore more deeply with guidance from an experienced person.
- Coming together with other people like you, who are curious and maybe a bit trepidatious, will make it easier to dive right in. You may even be inspired to turn this into a regular practice.
- There are at least a million ideas to try. I can help you get started!
Sounds scary. I can't draw.
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"Drawing to learn, not learning to draw" ~ Roseann Hanson, Exploring Overland |
"We have this gift of creativity, which makes us very powerful beings on this planet. And we have to be responsible in how we use that gift." ~ Douglas Cardinal This is a nature journal page I created while sitting on the beach for an afternoon (between snacks, naps, and walks). As you can see, I treat my sketchbook like a true journal in that I capture my thoughts and observations about my experience. I can't identify shorebirds so I tried sketching some identifying features of the birds I saw so that I could look them up later. The colours of that place appealed to me so I captured them in a quick landscape colour swatch. I have an inordinate fondness for moon snails so I practiced drawing and painting them. I realized that I don't actually know much about them so I asked tons of questions in my nature journal. I found answers to some of them later, but I don't always do that. Curiosity is an end in itself. Also a guy with a parachute and small airboat motor floated over. I bring a very small kit that includes a sketchbook, Micron pens, a few watercolours, and a paintbrush. Sometimes I also bring watercolour pencils. It doesn't matter what materials you have, as long as you use them. |