I'm volunteering at our local elementary school, where students are learning to use nature journals for observation and reflection. They inspired me to start a nature journal of my own.  The examples of journaling as a way to record travel experiences were inspiring, but for me, as i work to convert my yard to mostly native plants, I hope to have many interesting observations right here at home. Over time, I'd love for my journal to be a record showing an increase of caterpillars, butterflies, and birds inhabiting my yard. (Also, I'd really like to get better at sketching so that my sketches are recognizable!)

This is one of my first drawings on holiday in Mexico.  Even though I am an avid photographer, drawing this on a big wooden table the lovely courtyard was a most satisfying experience.    

I enjoyed looking at all the different styles and ways of illustrating what they were seeing.  I used to love drawing the pictures in my science books and find that when I am watching a webinar I sometimes end up drawing.  So, I want to see if I can capture what I am seeing along with writing about it.  I am a bit ADD and lose focus easily so it will be a challenge to concentrate enough to sketch.  The more basic sketching is probably what I will begin with, but hope to be able to add details as I get better at it.  I love the colors in the sketches, but realize that when you are sketching a live animal it may not be possible to add color at the time you are sketching it.  Hopefully, with plants I will be able to add colors and shading.

I have been photographing birds and nature for years, a very enjoyable hobby! After I take a photo, I share it, archive it, and more often than not, never view it again! I was recently inspired to start a sketch journal after reading an article about quick sketching: a good way to get to know nature. Sketching is very satisfying and reflective. I learn more about the subject vs photography such as observing the vein pattern on a leaf or the petal variation of a flower. Now I'm hooked on sketching detail and want to go beyond my mechanical pencil

The desire to capture seasonal changes is what has inspired me to begin nature journaling. I really like the idea of incorporating watercolor. I've taken a few watercolor classes in a botanical art certificate program, but would like to experiment more with my own choice of subjects and a looser style.

I love nature and I saw nature journaling being offered at the Bent of the River in Southbury, CT and decided to take the plunge.  I had wanted to start a journaling practice, what better way to do that than to combine it with nature.  I am still not sure what my journal will look like.  I am more of a writer than an artist.  I want to learn to add some drawings to my observations so that is something I plan on working on.  I am really looking forward to this course/

What inspired me to begin nature journaling is that I love being outside and observing nature and I want to learn how to sketch and draw. The various journals were an inspiration to me to let the creative juices flow!

I am excited to try nature journaling because it seems like a logical extension of my practice of taking pictures or collecting leaves, flowers, and rocks when on walks through nature. I like the approach of using a nature journal when on a trip or having a monthly log with sketches and descriptions.

I have always loved journaling about nature since I was a young child.  Some of my best memories were sitting on the banks of the brook that ran behind our home, and I would just watch the water rush over the rocks, or the ducks paddling along with babies in tow, or the occasional fish scurrying by.  Once I observed a pair of beavers build a small dam.  I didn't have a camera with me, but that vision is etched in my mind forever, just waiting to be put on paper. I love all of the different styles of journals presented in this video.  Each is unique and each offers a wonderful perspective of what was observed.  I like the idea of keeping a color pallet of the colors of the day, and recording the date, time, location, and weather conditions of the day that I journal. Textures are very important in nature.  I think that it would be fun to find a way to incorporate a small piece of what I am drawing, if possible, such as a leaf, flower petal, or feather.

The scissortail flycatcher was the main reason I wanted to write a journal. The pair nested in a tree in my yard, and their behavior was unique to the other birds I have watched. I wanted to document what I was seeing. It became a social activity with other birders coming by for coffee and scissor tail watching. A win-win for all.

I hope to be more mindful of the natural world around me. Journaling will help me stop and observe the natural world . I will begin with pencil and then move to color which seems daunting right now. Some of the journals look so professional!

1. I'm inspired by the beautiful natural journals I saw on social media. And Liz's Galapagos journal really touches me! 2. & 3. I like the collection of sightings for a month! I enjoy watching my feathered neighbors and visitors throughout the year, and had the impulse to draw illustrations of them in their habitats in each season. So this monthly journal really resonates. And the four-season drawings is what I'd like to share.

I guess I have been doing my own crude form of journaling. All of the journals appealed to me. I think the subject decides how I want the page to look. My handwriting is poor. I hope that when I finish the class, I will understand what works best for me.

My inspiration would be my fellow naturalists that do this journaling. I’ve always wanted to try but I am definitely intimidated as I don’t see myself as an artist but want to try.

1.  I started birding about a year ago, and this year have really taken off in trying to go out several times a day and improve my identification skills.  I took the intro courses here and have been trying to focus more on shapes and colours and paying close attention to fine details.  I have also always wanted to do art but get frustrated with myself and the process.  I love nature and animals and always wanted to get better at drawing these, and so nature journaling seems like a great combination of things I enjoy and want to improve on. 2.  I really like the journals that are bright and colourful, and the ones with quick sketches of shapes and details.  I would love to be able to go out and sketch what I see so that I can go back and think about it and be more observant.  I love the idea of being able to go back and remember specific moments.

There are 3 things that inspired me to start a nature journal.  First:  My wife.  She encouraged me to do more drawing/painting of birds and nature and take this course.  Second:  My sister who sent me a nature journal book for Xmas a couple of years ago. Third:  My love for nature and birds.  I have lived in the middle of no where my whole life and feel at one with nature. I liked all of the journals in the first lesson.  The date, time, place and weather is important to me.  I like the drawings and written thoughts in each journal and how different each one was.  The pride and excitement each person had for their journal was inspiring.  I liked the observations they made and how each recorded those observations.  It was interesting to see what each person learned from their experiences and the progress they made.  I also like the questions they had and how they came about the answer, then recording the answer in the journal. Each journal had different ideas and it will be a good start for me.          

1. I really wanted something to help me slow down and enjoy the birds and environment I was in. I spent so much time chasing as many species as possible and was missing the detail. Additionally, I found that drawing birds that I could possibly see on an upcoming trip helped me prepare to identify them. 2. I enjoyed the collection of sightings for a month. Seemed like it allowed for variable time to fill in the pages rather than the pressure of sketching/painting every day. 3. I'm going to be sketching similar species from bird guides on a single page to prepare for a trip. I'm not confident enough to go out in the field just yet and sketch live birds. My history as a photographer would give me severe anxiety.

I've always wanted to keep a nature journal, but I don't have any experience as a visual artist - the last time I took any formal art education was when I was in public school. So I have felt intimidated by the process. However, I love nature, and find so much solace and wonder when I walk in the woods or near the water, and when I see all the amazing creatures that inhabit those places. I feel a deep affinity for the more-than-human world, and want to deepen that by slowing down and observing and learning in an experiential way. I loved seeing the nature journals that didn't seem perfect - half-finished sketches, mistakes, multiple tries. I think knowing that it doesn't have to be a finished piece of beautiful art will be a guiding principle fo rme.

I want to further develop my art and observational skills while out in nature. I like the idea of having a record of those experiences and a place to explore and be curious. I like the journals that focus on travel and the more day to day observations locally specifically the sketch a day or monthly journal page.

1. It was given to as a gift because I am very interested in learning how to journal. 2. They all looked like I would like to try most all of the approaches. 3. Not yet!!~

My inspiration for nature journaling was a bit of a journey.  In probably February or March, my husband and I watched a webinar sponsored by the National Museum of the Great Lakes.  The speaker was the Director  of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Northwest Ohio and was speaking about Bird Migration.  Toward the end of her talk, she recommended  some books, one was The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan.   I know Amy Tan's writing and had to get the book.  It is a beautiful book, and is excerpts from her nature journal observing the birds in her back yard.  It is a wonderful book.  In the preface, she mentioned taking a class from John Muir Laws on nature journaling.  I am no artist, but after watching his introductory video on his website, I was hooked and ordering art supplies from Amazon.  I have so far been mainly sketching and writing about the birds at our feeders and in our yard.  I am surprised at how well I have done on some of my sketches, but a lot are very cartoony, so I am taking the course hoping to improve my art skills.  Also "everyone" seems to use watercolor which I have not used since elementary school. My hope and goal is to learn more about the amazing wildlife that is all around us.  I have already learned to do a better job of identifying the birds in the yard.

I've kept a nature journal for over a year as part of a course on Wildlife Identification and found it a great exercise, but my drawing skills are very basic and so I used words far more than drawing, My sketches needed lots of annotations to show patterns etc. As part of my revision before my assessment I did draw a lot of birds to help me remember the markings etc (they took me a long-time) and I find myself missing the process and keen to learn how to draw properly so I can enhance my journal. I have a safari trip to Botswana with my daughter in August 25 and I'd really love to be able to confidently sketch and use watercolour to create a record of what should be a very special trip.

In my professional career (I am a biologist and environmental educator)  I encouraged many people, both children and adults, to keep a nature journal and sketch to take the time to "really see" the detail of life around them.  I have also done pen and ink Botanical Illustraton.  Now I am learning to use watercolor and want to add more color and detail ... and get myself journaling again.  I enjoyed seeing the different journals and like the styles with drawings and words / descriptions associated.   I have taken two other of Liz's classes and like her teaching style.

I am in a transition period in my life, and I wanted to return to activities that I enjoyed before I started my own family, such as writing and sketching.  My education is in conservation, ecology, and wildlife biology.  I haven't been too in-tune with that part of me for a while, and I would like to reconnect with that part of myself. I love the bright crisp artwork, and I would like to work towards that level of artwork, with lots of detail.  I like the idea of having a drawing and then creating a closeup of part of it to show greater details.