I was inspired to nature journal as a way to expand my understanding of nature and challenge myself. I am creative, but have never considered myself to have artistic talent, so am curious to see how this goes. The idea of making boundaries, like Shayna Muller, appeals to me. I also liked the way D.J. McNeil had multiple drawings of a particular subject as it changed positions. These examples were very helpful. Holly Faulkner's daily and then monthly sketches seemed like a great way to develop the habit. Daily would be overwhelming for me as I start out. But, monthly is definitely doable.

I really like the outdoors and love going bird watching and hiking.  I usually take photos but I would like to do some journaling.   I particularly like Shayna and Holly's way of journaling.  I would like to do watercolours of what I see every week or two weeks.  My journal is a watercolour pad with rings and it's fairly small so I will have room for only one or two weeks.

  I take a lot of pictures while traveling But I started to notice that I wanted to develop a bit more of a connection with my surroundings in my experiences, especially with how easily accessible taking photos is now with my phone. So I’m hoping with this course I can develop my artistic skills in a new way—to better capture my surroundings and enjoy the spaces and creatures I see.

I have noticed over the past few years that I am less likely to remember things that I observe in passing than I did when I was younger. Nature journaling appeals to me as a way to preserve memories of moments in time. I spend a lot of time watching birds, especially in winter, and I want to hold on to the peace I experience in the process.  I like to hike and garden and for the same reason I am inspired to use my journal to capture time from hiking and gardening. When I am outside I am mostly engaged in "doing" - whether it is planting or weeding or hiking. I want to use this journal to be an active observer of these activities.

I have been taking pictures since I got a Brownie box camera in 1965. For the last ten years I have focused mainly on birds and love spending time with them and capturing what and who shows up. I want to deepen and broaden my relationship with birds and see journaling and sketching as a fun way to do that. I'm excited that I can add new layers to my bird experience without spending big bucks to get the next cool lens or camera! I particularly resonate with Shayna's approach to journaling: sketch/draw/paint first, then text and boxes to finish off the page. I like her zooms, too, because the details of birds fascinate me. I love the many different shapes and textures in bird feathers, like this Eastern Phoebe, and can't wait to explore those with pencil, pen, and water color. One different idea I want to incorporate into my journaling is to include small photos related to the birds I am drawing - perhaps a small photo of the environment pasted into the journal page on which I have drawn the bird. Not sure yet, but it would be cool to combine the two media.

Q1. I would like to learn more about what I'm studying by taking the time to study and draw it.  To help me remember, to explain or demonstrate questions or answers I may have found. And to be able to notice more detail about what it is I'm observing and to generate thoughts and questions. Q2. I'm intrigued by the idea of drawing first and then adding comments or observations around the drawing.  I liked Shayna's idea of placing boxes around images after they were drawn to add an element of dimensionality.  I love how Liz took the vertebrae and held it in order to get the image. I also loved how she explained that despite not being able to finish each drawing, that they still were able to remind her of significant moments during her time in the Galapagos. I also loved Jewel's observation on how spending so much time with her tree that she was able to notice/appreciate colors that she wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I also loved that her putting down a color palate helped her remember that "those" colors were there on that specific day. Q3. I have no new ideas yet, but I feel with time and experience that I'll begin to modify things in a way that suits my specific style.

I have always wanted to be a nature journaler, but until recently have been too intimidated. I love to hike and take pictures of everything, but I want to make more of a connection to the things I see. I want to force myself to slow down and instead of  having a mindset of  "there's just so much to see" I want to be able to spend time with one thing, and if all I see is that one thing that day it's okay. I want to build a relationship with my subjects. Every single journaler in these videos was able to talk about their observations like they just made them, not that they were made months or maybe even years ago. You could hear their smiles in their voices as they talked about their journals. That's what I want, something that brings me joy.

Being a scientific person I like, and plan on making mine, a type of scientific journey. With a focus on small details, rather than the whole object. For example, a closeup of a particular feather, or parts of a flower rather than the whole flower. Well this is my goal. Since it is winter and we have heaps of snow already, i think a lot of my journal initially will be from my window - birds at the feeder, trees, shadows, etc.

1. I wanted to start nature journaling after a job this summer as a scientific educator in nature. As a scientist, I was not in touch with my creative side for a long time, although I have been drawing, crafting, etc. since a child. To me nature journaling is a great way to combine different interests: nature, journaling, being outdoors, finding new ways of appreciating nature, etc. 2. Some approaches I want to try is a more laid-back approach. As someone who is trying to overcome my perfectionism, I think that this would be the best approach for me: unfinished sketches, uncompleted pages, etc. 3. A different journaling idea: maybe to include a meditative aspect to this. For example, take a 5 min meditation in nature and after that write down what happened, what I felt, heard, smelled, etc. and include some drawings afterwards of what I see.

I find these rather intimidating. I’m a writer, not an artist. My stick figures don’t even look like stick figures; that’s how bad I am. My journaling is almost exclusively writing with sad sketches occasionally thrown in because I feel I should.

I started drawing from some of my photos and then recently took a drawing class. I still have a long way to go, but am interested in trying to improve my skills in this area.

I recently took up Urban Sketching after not drawing or painting for several years. I have been drawing since I was a child.  I used to paint pet portraits for extra income and I've painted landscapes in soft pastel. I'm also an avid bird watcher and enjoy astronomy. I live close to a state park and have so many hiking trails available to me that it's only natural to want to draw what I see on my hikes.  I want to work on my drawing skills since I haven't been drawing regularly, especially birds and other animals that are in motion. I want to sharpen my observation skills and work on my eye/hand coordination when it comes to drawing. I would like to just focus on my drawing and let my style happen organically. I also want to learn how to write down what I see and communicate it visually. This journal will be filled with practice sketches as well completed drawings and hopefully my journal format preferences will form towards the end of the course.

1. I am a relatively new artist who focuses my work on animals and nature, and felt that this class could help give me some inspiration for my own art and how I approach each subject. I also have a journal where I record my animal sighting, so I thought that this class could also inspire me to do drawings along with my writing. 2. Seeing the other journals was interesting because it showed that many artists had similarities. One was that, like me, the journalers would start with a sketch and then fill it in from there based on what they could see or found interesting about their subject. With my art, I am slowly finding my style and the tools or methods that work for me. So, it was fun to see that the journalers were like me in that they went with the flow to let themselves play with different styles and tools to find what worked for themas well. I look forward to continuing with this concept and see if there is anything else I can learn. 3. Not at this time, I just look forward to the class!

I‘m a photographer but I want to slow down from time to time - aiming to take great pictures requires patience but the moment where you take the actual photograph is swift. I often find myself dissatisfies with the experience of it, even if the image turns out great. That‘s why I want to add another layer to these experiences - one for reflection, for improvisation, for imperfection - and this is where field sketching comes in. I have no drawing/painting skills whatsoever but cannot wait to get started and follow this spark of curiosity.

For some time (2-3 years) I have been wanting to learn to sketch. I am retired now but when I first started college, quite a long time ago, I was an art major. I later switched to psychology and took a Masters+ degree in School Psychology. After I stopped using my drawing skills they seemed to fade away. Now I am enjoying birding as well as doing almost anything outside - hiking, ambling, walking around old ruins here, in Europe and the UK, and doing almost anything  outside with my grandchildren. I would like to create memories in a tactile/kinesthetic way as I believe the process will improve my memory and cognition. And, well, it will just be a hell of a lot of fun!!

I like keeping a journal of my outdoor experiences.  I want to include more than just writing. I like the pictures that people create in their journals. Not too elaborate. I'm still exploring different ideas.

• Couldn’t get out so I found a bird to draw!

I had been seeing a fellow photographer posting her nature journal images in her insta stories and i was inspired by her drawings.  I really want to learn to draw and also to remember scenes on my trips.

It's time to add nice things to my life, something that can give me uplifting moments. As a child and teen, I used to draw and paint all the time. For years it was something I loved to do. Sadly, I abandoned this hobby about 40 years ago because I was told it was a waste of time. I've been thinking about this for a while, but after so many years it's not easy to start over. I found birding about 5 months ago. So far, I have observed 46 species in my yard alone, and many I had never heard of! I have to admit that I didn't know there were so many bird species in this region. I have had many joyful moments learning to identify birds and observing what they do. My heart bursts when the tiny wren recognizes me and joins me in the garden. I want to combine these two hobbies to capture memories of these moments. Combining images, colors and text captures the atmosphere better than text alone.

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