Journaling With Nature

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 Talla...

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 perpe...

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 o...

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.  Connectin...

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 gar...

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’ sessi...

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 Conferen...

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.  Ma...

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 Journali...

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. Th...

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 ca...

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 t...

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...

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...

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 pa...

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 challen...

Today we are exploring the corners of our environment, the neglected places that we do not normally visit. There are nature stories here too. Take some time to nature journal the things that you notice in a place that might have been overlooked for a while. While I was playing with my son in the garden, I came across a corner that we never usually visit. It made me think that there are neglected p...

Jarod is a poet, author and podcaster who writes intimately about the appreciation of nature, the interconnectedness of all things, and the complex experience of being human. Listen to hear more about: Jarod’s first experiences writing poetry in nature.  The wildlife Jarod encounters living between a park and a cemetery. The interconnections between all living and non-living parts of our world.  R...

International Nature Journaling Week is coming up again soon (1-7th June) and in this episode I chat about all the ways that you can get involved during the week. Our overarching theme this year is ‘Celebrating the Cycles of Life’ and our daily themes will explore the biological processes that organisms might go through in their lifecycles. The daily themes are: Germination and emergence Growth an...

Through her work, painter and printmaker Suzy Sharpe explores the ways that humans and nature are interconnected and how humans make meaning from this connection through creative expression. Listen to hear more about: Studying fine art and illustration while raising a family. Finding the balance between highlighting environmental issues and celebrating nature. The natural environment in rural Corn...

Free writing is a technique where we write continuously for a period of time, without censorship or judgment. It can help us connect with our natural surroundings as well as our inner landscape, and can bring clarity, insight and a sense of calm. ----------------- Sign-up for  Journaling With Nature's Newsletter  to receive news and updates.   You can support  Journaling With Nature Podcast on Pat...

Anastasiia is a watercolour artist, creative mentor, and digital nomad, sharing her travel sketchbook and adventures. Through her courses and online community, Anastasiia helps other artists follow their own creative paths. Listen to hear more about: The classical art training Anastasiia received at art school in Russia. The personal project that started Anastasiia on the path of botanical and nat...

Creating a collection of objects on a nature journal page can help us notice differences and similarities between things within a particular category. It can also be a wonderful way to capture memories of our time spent in nature. I invite you to start a collection of objects or observations and put them down together on one nature journal page. What do you notice about the differences and similar...

Leandra is an artist, environmental scientist, and educator. Through her work she invites others to connect with the joy and wonder that can be found in the outdoors. Listen to hear more about: The experience of monitoring whooping crane data and how that unlocked Leandra’s love of birdwatching.  Personal reflections and lessons from nature. Making observations and asking questions in nature. Lean...

Let’s go on a colour hunt! Take a small handful of colour pencils and head outside. See if you can find these colours around you in nature. When you find something that matches one of the colours you chose, sketch that object in your journal using the pencil.  ----------------- Sign-up for  Journaling With Nature's Newsletter  to receive news and updates.   You can support  Journaling With Nature...