The desire to document the nature in my own backyard, as well as what I observe on nature walks, has inspired me to begin nature journaling. I've documented through photography, mainly using the iNaturalist app, but want to practice more of a mindfulness approach to my observations. Nature journaling requires attention to detail and "being in the moment," and those are some of the characteristics of mindfulness. Another inspiration is related to my profession as a teacher. Next year I will be teaching science to 5th and 6th graders, and I plan to have them keep science notebooks to document their work. I want to sharpen my own skills this summer to be more prepared to guide my students in a careful and focused approach to notebook/journal entries.

1.  I am a naturalist by vocation and avocation--I have spent the past 18 years teaching very young children, and their teachers, to love nature and to know about much of the nature around them.  I am retired now, and would like to use journaling as another way to keep getting me outdoors and keep me learning new things about nature.  I enjoy nature photography, but as several have noted, it is easy to be drawn into looking only through the lens, and also easy to forget about the photos when the day is over. I am very slow at drawing because I am detail oriented and a perfectionist.  My goals for this course are: a. To form a journaling habit, b.  To learn to draw more quickly and expressively, c. To learn to use color. 2.  I enjoyed all of the journals in the video.  I particularly liked Shayna's, with its blend of art and observation, especially the zooming.  I think I would do better emulate DJ's less detailed sketches. I loved the flow of the daily journal in water color.  I think it would be good to try a sketch a day or at least weekly to push me out there.  I think I would like to do more with images and less with writing if that is possible, though the notes are valuable learning tools. 3.  I do not yet have a different journaling idea, though I do want to consider a dedicated journal to use to document the plants and animals we see on our family's mountain forest property.

1. Being out in nature and observing plants, landscape and birds has been my grounding place during this pandemic. I participate in a couple of citizen science projects, which I love doing and have also been restorative, especially during this time. I think the nature journaling would enhance this experience and develop my observational skills. Plus, I have wanted to learn to draw and paint birds since starting birding a few years ago when I retired, but thought, I'm not an artist. It resonates more with me than photographing what I see. And Liz says we all can be artists! 2. I liked the balance of observations and visuals in Shayna, Liz and D.J.'s journals. I will use the boxes, at least at first, the way Shayna evolved them. I also really like her "zoom lens" to show detail. I want to pay attention and record my impressions of the visual beauty, even if I don't have time to draw and paint it all - as Liz said, these triggered memories for her. I especially appreciated D.J.'s attention and focus on behavior of birds and other animals. Several of the journalers referred to questions and curiosity arising, and going away to research and learn, then returning to the journal to record what they discovered. I very much would like to do that - to become absorbed in something triggered by my observations, and enhance my knowledge as a naturalist. This also brings up another thing that appeals to me about nature journaling - and the reason I was captivated by birds on retiring. I slow down, lose track of time, and feel connected to something larger than myself of my human world. It is very relaxing and peaceful. It is meditation. 3. Being in nature is my cathedral. I think the journal will help to evoke that for me, even when I am indoors. I took a class on writing haiku last winter. I think I will sometimes be evoked to do that by something I observe, or write about a memory that has been recalled, or a prayer that has been inspired. I may also sometimes include an inspirational quote, such as Liz as done in the text for this course. So while it will mostly be more science oriented, I think adding the art points out the beauty of nature, which does bring up a spiritual component for me.

Now that I'm retired from teaching math/science in Alaska, I have time to really explore the interconnections between the things I love....spending time with family, being outside in the wilderness, learning, birding and writing.  This is the perfect intersection of all these.  I really liked the journal that was mostly watercolors organized by month.  I would definitely add more text- thinking about details, what I discover and what questions I still have.

1. I guide canoe trips and was looking for a different way to capture our connections with the environment around us. In the last 24 months or so I've seen so many nature-journal-watercolorists show up in my social media feeds. It finally feels like the right time to develop the habit and learn some art skills. 2. I loved how many trial and errors there were across many of the journalers' pages - a good reminder to shoot for progress not perfection. While the first journaler opted not to continue with boxes, I think I might start there to help myself get over the fear of how to fill the page. I like structure until I learn enough that I can break out of it. 3. Not yet! I might as we go along.

I want to improve my art and think that drawing birds will aid in doing this.

Since I was little I have loved to doodle and sketch. Over the last few years I have also started birding. This class seems like the perfect was to add the two together and to better my technique and learn water colour. But the biggest reason of all is I want to be able to take the time to slow down and appreciate and feel the beauty that nature has to offer.

I have been drawing and painting every day since October 2018.  I participate in daily art prompt challenges and using different media in my art.  My husband and I recently have started birding.  I have been wanting to try nature journaling for a while now, but did not know where or how to start.  I came across this course while searching for ways to learn how to begin a nature journal. I would like to try Shayna Muller's way of nature journaling because her style seems to match what I would like to capture in my journal.  I like the boxes and having the art work peek out from the boxes while having journal writing surrounding my art.

First day for me.  The beauty of it all is overwhelming. The colors and patterns of birds mesmerizing.  But all of this calls forth my detailing brain.  What I want to be able to do first is to capture the feelings as unadulterated as possible. Not sure how this is going to go, but that is what I will work toward first. Will report back omg how the journaling progresses.

During the beginning of the pandemic, while out of work, my only touchstone or routine was to visit the same wooded trail and river by my house each day. I took many, many pictures. While I love the instant gratification of photographing nature it often feels so rushed. My goal with nature journaling is to slow down and learn to pay more attention, while hopefully developing some drawing and painting skills. I enjoyed and benefited from seeing the variety of journals and processes in the videos. I love the look of using paint in a journal and also the idea of grouping nature observations by month. I also enjoyed how some of the journals featured the smallest details such as the close-up patterns noted on a leaf. I’m certain my journal will have lots of text, perhaps some poetry, and may even include some embroidery in its pages.

I love nature and being immersed in nature.  I would like a way to capture what i see in nature and how it makes me feel.  I tried photography but found that i do not enjoy seeing nature through a lens, as it takes away from just experiencing the sounds, sights and feel.  I think nature journaling would be the perfect way to capture what i see and feel while still being full immersed and present.  I was also thrilled to find out that you do not need to be an artist to nature journal. I think i resonated most with Jewel Alston’s presentation in that her journal was more of an experiment.  I feel like this will be me.  I am really leaning toward Liz’s style of sketches filled in with notes, etc. but i don’t really know what my style will be until I begin but I have a feeling it will be a bit messy, etc at the beginning.  But I am super excited to get started.

I’m inspired to begin nature journaling because I have too many hobbies that are treated as separate pieces and I see this as a way to consolidate them in a way that allows me to share my experiences. I was interested in the journals that combined the descriptions with sketches to showcase more or less a storyboard of their observations. I tend to scrapbook a lot with items that I find in my explorations. My goal is to combine my urban experiences with the natural environment that surrounds us. I’m excited to start this process and see how it evolves.

I'm inspired to begin nature journaling because I spend a lot of time looking at things up close; exploring color, texture, and pattern. However, I notice I struggle to communicate or translate what I saw later without photos and want to be able to absorb more by adding a new level of intentionality and interaction to the practice of observing and aiding my memory. I like the routine of adding date, time, location, count/number of items etc. also adding a color swatch on the side or below an image is fun and helpful. I tend to like very clear and detailed drawings that are well proportioned that still allow for multiple images or words to co-exist on a page and allow for a zoomed-in portion.

Being able to draw/paint what I see and writing down my thoughts will be much more personal for me than taking a photograph.  One day, a few years ago, I was so excited about a bird I saw in my backyard that I found a piece of paper and wrote down my feelings at that moment.  That experience has inspired me to continue this excitement with nature journaling. I would like to try the approach that Liz uses.

We have a lot of wildlife in our back yard.  I am an inspiring artist - learning to draw and paint and nature journaling is a great way to practice drawing and painting, and to capture images of the plants and animals where we live. I like the journals in the video.  One I'd like to try, eventually, after some practice is the one drawing a day, or one page a month.  It seems like a great way to record changes over a period of time.   It would be really fun to go back after a year to see the changes. I also like the landscape drawings & paintings.  Ultimately I'd like to do a travel journal when on holidays.  This will be great practice for me.

1. Plants and animals and natural landscapes fulfill a deep yearning for connections with what is outside my own petty concerns. I would like to see and experience natural wonders more clearly and keenly. (And hone my artistic skills in the process.) 2. I definitely will note date, time, weather, and location. I love the use of watercolor, and the mix of image and words. I like the loose use of frames, as well as both gestural/geometric and more detailed approaches. As a beginner, I am going to need to be comfortable "failing forward" a lot. I'm sure that I will do a lot of research after the fact to label and name features of my observed plants and animals. 3. As a poet, I image lines of poetry will become part of my observations. And I might also incorporate quotations by writers I admire when they occur to me as I read or as I am out in the field.

In 2017 I read a biography of Henry David Thoreau and realized that birding and journaling don't necessarily happen 'out there' but can happen right in our backyards. I've contributed regularly to a journal since then, but I've only recently tried to add visuals to my observations. I am excited about this course because I want to do a better job of capturing what I see; I like the quick sketches and color and boxes and accompanying descriptions of place and weather conditions, and I believe that is what will be most satisfying in the long run. Thank you for this opportunity!

Journaling helps me see and understand how things are connected. It takes me beyond a walk or a book and helps me slow down. It also gives me something to look back and reflect on.

I have made a stab at nature journaling in the past because drawing and writing have a way of focusing your attention on something you think is special. By recording that special animal, plant or scene, you have also embedded it in your memory. I really like a couple of the journals. I like the idea of sometimes, at least, of boxing in the drawings with writing and other things outside. I loved the way some of the journals used watercolors in their artwork. I've only tried colored pencils. I also liked the idea of drawing or observing one thing per day or session. In busy times using one large page a month totally made sense. I also liked the way that page captured the essence of that month in nature. I love birding and birdsong. I'd like to try to capture the feel of a song or call as a drawing too. Adding a simple sonogram might work.

1. I started journaling because I wanted to do more than just photograph everything, followed by disengaging in what I saw. I've found that when I draw something I become totally invested in it. Uh... by 'invested' I mean, the object, the situation, the details get glued into my memory and I can thereafter enjoy that bright spot, over and over again. 2. I love the 'drawing each day' journal. In the past I think I kind of wanted some special something-or-the-other to trigger my wanting to draw. I think it's better to just get out and draw, and that way special something-or-the-others pop up daily, rather than once in a bit. 3. Nope, no bright ideas as yet!

This course was given to me as a gift. I have never been able to draw but I love watching nature and think think will be a great help with my gardening journal.

I have always loved art and nature, even when I was a little kid I brought a little notebook with me to parks and tried to draw the animals and plants that I saw. I have been working to improve my art skills and at the same time be able to better illustrate what I see in nature, especially plants and animals. In my journal I would like to include the date, time of day, species, and location. I want to fill the page with images and also write some notes.

I’ve always enjoyed dabbling with sketches but have never felt very adept. I love the goal suggested in the materials of “practicing drawing without self-judgement.” That’s a good one for me. Also the freedom to use lots of attempts to capture details—I don’t have to get it “right” all in one go. I’m in a new area (arrived right before the pandemic shut everything down) and surrounded on all sides by astounding natural beauty. Time to express gratitude through art. Here’s my first attempt! We spotted this little guy before I began the course, and I was inspired to give it a go mostly from memory. Thanks, Bird Academy, for the invitation to step in!

I'm finding sketching plants very calming during the pandemic, taking my mind off everything that's going on in the world. I started with indoor plants then as the weather warmed and plants starting sprouting outside, I moved outdoors. I haven't been doing much writing, other than identifying the subject and date the sketch was done. No color either yet, so I'm looking forward to making them a part of my nature journal. I have never done any formal art lessons so I'm excited about this journey!

About 6 years ago, I started birding.  I retired 3 years ago and took some courses on colored pencil drawing.  All of my art work is based on photographs I have taken.  I have discovered I am very detail oriented and a perfectionist, so have not done nature journaling as the art is done in the field.  I want to learn to be more free flowing in my art and not such a perfectionist.  Of the samples I looked at the one I like the best was the picture on one page and the writing on adjacent page.  I also noticed that the art and pictures were not "perfect" but allowed the person to remember events and recall places and feelings.  Sounds like a good goal for me!