Notes:
Chapter 1: Discovering Nature Journaling
-To get started:
-skill level/background doesn’t matter
-grab any marking tool/journaling medium
-what is happening in nature right now?
-What is natural?
-even the city is made of natural materials
-nature journaling is a practice of documenting surroundings
-learning about our wild surroundings helpful, but so is just the simple act of observing whatever is around us without judgement
-Journaling as an ancient practice
-battles
-hunts
-explorations
-passing of time
-sickness in village
-Naturalists:
-not just hippies
-old practice today rare
-not quite so specialized but with scientific contribution
-developed science as a practice
-Different purposes for different people
-passing of time
-awareness
-more academic/scientific
-families/trips
-Different forms of expression
-drawing: the practice teaches
-writing: expand vocabulary or succinctness?
-Focusing on drawing what you see
-drawing forces you to focus your attention on what you actually see
-don’t lose context of what surrounds what you draw/sense
-can take less time/less linear than writing
-The benefits of nature journaling
-gives excuse to just be in nature
-learn about our surroundings
-we have to stop being passive to journal
-slows us down
-routine of observation
-Sense of place
-slow down
-observe around you
-awareness of surroundings
-Write purpose for journal in front
-Basic format suggested if format is desired
-Name
-date
-place
-time
-weather
-first impressions
-wind direction
-cloud patterns and cloud cover
-ground observations
-eye-level observations
-overhead observations
-whole-landscape observations
-Developing the eye of a tracker
-signs of animals presence
-signs of small life in the habitat
-previous life in that habitat
-Beginning drawing exercise
-blind contours
-not looking
-one continuous line
-good for animals that may leave at any moment
-modified contours
-glancing at paper
-one continuous line
-quick gestures
-fast as possible
-used often by field naturalists
-diagrammatic drawing
-much detail
-good for id
-finished drawing
-Vary your focus
-focus
-immediate surroundings
-whole landscape
-back again
-Questions to ask
-what plants grow here
-what trees?
-what things affect their growth here?
-what insects can you find?
-what birds use the plants and trees?
-what other nonhuman creatures live here?
-can you see them or only the signs of their presence?
-what creatures can you only see during day/night?
-what kinds of interactions occur among these creatures?
-what human activities go on in relationship to this place?
-how has human activity affected the appearance of this place?
-what light, colors, shapes, and patterns do you notice?
-how do these elements change throughout the day, from day to day, and from month to month?
-how do you imagine this place looked 50, 100, or 200 years ago
-how has the plant and animal life changed over time?
-What are the trees in my neighborhood? When do they bloom? What do their fruits and seeds look like? What insects use the trees? When do they shed their leaves? How do their seeds get new sites to grow?
-How does the shape of the moon appear to change over a two-month period? What papth does the moon follow across the heavens? At what time of day does the moon rise and set? How does the appearance of the moon affect the activity level of night creatures?
-How does the daily path of the sun affect the shape and length of shadows of the buildings of my neighborhood? Do the shadows affect the microclimates around the buildings? How does this affect the distribution of plants, insects and other life around the buildings?
-What birds live in my neighborhood? Which ones visit local bird feeders, mine or a neighbor’s? What times of day do various birds visit? How do different species of birds interact at the feeders? Which birds prefere which foods in the neighborhood?
-What are the human activity patterns in my neighborhood? What seems to be affecting thses activity patterns: commuting, weather, friendships, time of day?
-what is the flowering seqence of local flowers? When does the first bloom of each species appear? Whaen are half of the flowers of a species in bloom? When does the last flower of each species bloom? Are some species found growing together more often than others? What does the dead plant look like in winter?
-what reptiles or amphibians might live near me? Can I draw and write about the ones I see and the onese I haven’t seen yet?
-What kinds of insects gather around the light at my doorway each night throughout the year?
-When and where do muchroom species appear in my neighborhood or regular visiing spot?
-what changes can I observe in a selcected tree, perhaps a maple or oak, throughout the year? Who lives in what tree, and when?
-From a given vantage point, what changes in the landscape can I see throughout the year?
-How do the patterns of clouds and light change over a period of weeks? What things are happening around me that seem to be affected by the changes in the sky?
Chapter 3: A Sampling of Journaling Styles
-Nature Journaling to record a stream of consiousness and sketched reflection of the here-now.
-Tangible record of moments past, a way to record time passing
-Studies for later reference:
-artistic studies
-drawings/notes for inquiries into identification
-Learning about a new place
-objects
-ecological/situational context
-Combining text and visuals gives focus to the written entries
-Collect objects and draw later
-shells/feathers/bones/pine cones
-dead animals (handle with gloves/care!)
-pictures
-Work from indoors
-disabilities/illness/inclement weather
-draw objects collected during day
-look at sketches/descriptions to clue out id
-color in sketches that were B/W
-make formal journal for Kamana/Shikari etc
-Note weather/sun rising-setting places: sense of place
-Nature Journaling attunes our senses to remember what we have observed, and to feel more fully
-Different field journals
-scientific field journal
-diary-like field journal
-different sketch books
-large
-watercolor/not
-photographs
-crossreference
-Set up a regular system
-all journals in same format?
-separate journals for different observations?
-Connections
-“Can you correlate what you have observed to other observations you have made?”
-“Can you perceive patterns-visual, behavioral, temporal—among your observations?”
-Can you find obvious, or subtle, connections among the objects and events you have observed?”
-“Can you determine how the things observed work?”
-Reflecting on the fragility of the environment:
-taking responsibility for one’s impacts
-thinking about current causes/effects
-predicting future causes/effects
-Reflecting on one place over time:
-what has changed?
-what has remained the same?
-how have you changed?
-revisit often
-pull out questions/comments for further place study
-Different levels of sketches:
-less than 3 inches high
-ground
-waist high
-treetop
-sky levels
-Journaling while hiking
-write in base info first
-how long you take to stop depends on hiking parters
-Pictures help capture sights when sketching isn’t practicle
-sketching can be better than a photo for relevant info/sensory development
-sketch roughly
-group journals
-trip: makes meaningful, include maps
-family: leave emotionally charged incidents for diary
-Remember holidays
-Journaling as meditation/healing
-drawing slowly
-subjective rather than objective
-feelings, moods, aesthetics, attidudes
-changes
-connectedness to world
-drawings, poetry, prose
-distract mind from nurturing negativity/illness
-reflecting on the words of others
-poetry, nature writing
-classes, lectures, conferences
-workshops
-daily exceptional images
-hold image in your mind til journal
-anything beautiful, aweful, or jarring: nature related
-thanksgiving in hard times
-vary your format
-pages just for one subject
-creative text/image placement
-newspaper articles/almanac readings