Appreciating winter with Nature Journaling
It’s been a wild January with a lot of new classes, cold weather, and even some snow - in this season of new beginnings it’s a great time for starting a nature journaling practice - documenting the world around us through words and sketching. Nature journaling is a practice (just like any other practice such as yoga or meditation) that is good to do on a regular basis. It is a practice of observing what we notice with all of our senses, not only our visual sense which tends to dominate, but using all five senses. It can be so freeing and opening to just sit outside or next to a window and tune into all that we can observe. We can do nature journaling anywhere, even in the most urban environments, as nature is all around us no matter what. Indeed, we are nature too. Almost anything can be the subject for your nature journaling. You can sketch your hand or your houseplant. You can sketch the clouds in the sky or write your impressions of what you hear, how the wind feels, or how the glass of your windowpane feels cold or has frost or ice on it. Nature journaling can help us to tune into the environment and the world around us, to get grounded and centered, as well as to document the small and large happenings with our local climates, flora and fauna. Nature journals, if done frequently, can be an excellent way of tracking environmental changes, and could even be useful as citizen science projects. David George Haskell’s book “The Forest Unseen” is a great example of documenting the same area every day for an entire year. He chooses what he calls a mandala (love that he calls it this! See my previous blog post on making mandalas) on the forest floor near his home, which he observes daily and discovers that this 3X3 foot square of ground is an incredible, richly diverse and ever changing environment filled with wonders. Try choosing one area or plant or tree or even your pet to document daily for a week, a month, or even a year, and sit back and wonder at the results! Remember to date each entry so that when you look back, you can know exactly when you recorded each entry. It’s also great to record the time of day and the weather; extra points for the moon phase!! This is a fun practice and neat to share with your friends and loved ones. Consider doing it together and comparing notes. It can be fun to see what jumps out to you and others while recording the same space at the same time. It may be different or remarkably similar! It’s fun, so give it a try.
In the dark winter months, nature journaling and other art can help us find joy and delight in our indoor and outdoor environments, which can serve as reminders of the beauty available to us in the present moment, wherever we are, in whichever season we may be experiencing. In my poetry class in which we are writing winter focused poems, a student brought up the idea that many people in our area are biased against winter, which I believe is quite true. Some don’t like the cold, and they would rather go to Florida and get away from the cold and snow, etc. While many of us may have this impulse, it is helpful to notice and appreciate the particular aspects of each season so that we can learn to enjoy life in the present moment wherever we happen to be. In winter, many plants are dormant and resting in preparation for the spring and summer, periods of intense growth and energy output. How can we learn from the animals and plants and cycles and rhythms of Mother Nature?
What I’m reading: Josef Albers Interaction of Color 50th Anniversary Edition
This classic is still cutting edge. I love his process orientation and his willingness to explode the idea of “theory and practice,” placing practice before theory and centering the idea of experience in order to get a feel for color in art.
What I’m listening to: The Power is Here Now by Alexia Chellun
Beautiful voice. Beautiful message.
What I’m watching: Lao Tzu: The Art of Not Trying
The author of the Tao knew what he was talking about. This is a fun presentation about “not trying,” a useful concept to continually practice.
