I love being out in nature hiking & experiencing all of the plants, animals & birds.  I have been increasingly  enjoying birding and recently took Liz's bird sketching class.  Now, I'm hooked!  I like the journals that combine the illustrations with verbiage - observations, feelings, questions.  I expect my style will evolve as I learn more and actually start working on my journal.

I used to draw when I was a child.  Now I am  71 years old.  When walking with others I have always been one of the first who would notice a bird, plant or animal, proclaim out loud, look there's a hawk, a chickadee, trillium etc. I took the class Drawn to Birds, loved it and felt like I wanted to learn more. It seems my drawing skills are not gone and are better than I thought they would be.  It was nice to see the different journaling styles and how talented everyone is. I like the idea of drawing what I see even if I may not know what it is and looking for identifying information later.

1. I love the seasons and want to learn more about the different species of plants, animals, and fungi that thrive in each season. I also have always wanted to document the memories of vacation travel in a more meaningful way than just clicking a photo. 2. I loved the ones with water color that brought the photos to life. The last field journal showing one one species in detail per day then switching to monthly collages was cool. I also loved the landscapes captured in the Galapagos by Jewel. I'd like to try combining the ideas of these two journalers. 3. One thing I might like to add would be to attach physical items such as pressed leaves or a fallen bird feather found that day to give the journals a 3-D presentation with physical links to the memories of that day.

I used to draw and paint as a kid and haven't done much at all since high school. I'm looking for a way to get back into art and looking at things more thoughtfully and appreciatively. I'm hoping that having a journaling practice like this will bring more mindfulness to my day and a greater appreciation to the natural world around me.

I am an avid gardener, nature lover and native plant enthusiast. I believe nature journaling  as well as photography will encourage me to take time in nature to really observe and record my experiences. I believe nature is so restorative to body and soul.  I don't feel like I got much of the artistic genes like many in my family, and I am hoping to learn and practice through this class.  I feel like the more we understand nature around us, the more we humans will protect and sustain it.

For years I’ve enjoyed photographing birds and landscape.  Nature journaling will be a whole new experience for me.  I’m looking forward to drawing and painting in the field and improving my drawing skills.   I think nature journaling can  be a peaceful meditation that has its rewards as you record the details of the subject matter whether it is an animal, plant, or a vignette, etc.  I enjoyed seeing the different journaling styles presented by class participants.  At this point I’m just going to let my journaling style evolve on its own and I might want to include a tangible object now and then , ie. a piece of grass , a pressed leaf or flower or a feather.  I am looking forward to what’s ahead in this class.

I am doing a Master Naturalist class in Minnesota and really wanted to develop a style for my weekly journaling. I have no formal art training and have long wanted to learn how to capture particularly birds and get tips on how to draw and paint them. I love the interspersing of sketches and words and the thought that what I observe links to my experience in the world - so have been adding quotes and poems to mine alongside the scientific facts of species and behaviors observed. Loved seeing all the different ways of expression demonstrated in the different journals and am conscious my journey will be an evolving process!!

1. I started nature journaling with my children to hopefully make them more aware and appreciative of the nature all around them. 2. I love the look of the watercolour, monthly summary pages but I think I am too regimented and probably tend more toward the daily summary, everything-in-boxes style.

1. I am looking forward to connecting with nature more by expanding my art skills. Nature journaling looks like it will allow me to capture my experience in a way for others to see the way I see nature.
2. The approach of drawing my observations each month is appealing. I also like the design element of text incorporated around the drawings.
3. Not yet!

• 1.  I am looking for a different way to interact with nature. I take photos now, but find that I don't revisit them near enough to appreciate what I was seeing. I also enjoy being creative in many different forms so nature Journaling could combine that for me. 
• 2. I love to combination of photos and descriptions. It is appealing to see and have some more descriptive pieces.
• 3. I am thinking of a summary of the month and day by day pages.

I love to observe and study plant, animal, and mineral forms. I'm curious about what I see and also love to look for patterns over time and from season to season. Sketching what I observe seems a natural extension of something I enjoy. I like the idea of using a journal to capture and remember special moments, or to answer a question. It also makes sense to me that something you've observed closely enough to sketch is something you'll remember, something that becomes a part of you.

I have always loved bird watching, gardening, plant identification and art. I’ve loved the idea of a nature journal, have a ton of empty journals. Now, as I’m thinking of retirement, it’s time to start putting it all together.

I like the idea of writing and drawing to remember the experience. I think what will be hard is to find time to journal while I am in the moment and to resist the urge to go back and finish drawings or add a drawing later. I didn’t hear anyone mention that they did that. But I guess that’s the thing with journaling. There is no wrong way and plenty of different ways to journal!

I've always enjoyed being outside, watching what was going on around me.  I initially picked up Clare Walker Leslie's book, The Curious Nature Guide, and was drawn in by her sketches.  Someone shared that she was a naturalist and nature journaler.  I had the opportunity to take a teachers' workshop with her at Clark University in Massachusetts, followed by a weekend retreat.  That, combined with my long interest, but little action on my part of developing my artistic skills led me down this journey.  For awhile I was very diligent in recording in my journal, but I got out of the habit, and I'm working to re-establish that practice.  I like Jewel's approach, of using her nature journal to capture her observations and then share them with others so they can experience what she saw and experienced.  I also like Holly's idea of shifting from a daily  documentation to a monthly page, where she's added to it through the month.  It allows for flexibility, but maintains the practice.  I haven't been one to add much writing, beyond the observations that I note, but I do find poems that I like, and often keep clippings of writing that speaks to me tucked into the journal.  I'd like to find a way to incorporate those into my practice.

I enjoy getting outside and taking pictures of nature and asking myself "what can you find?". I love to look closely, look at what's different, what's going on, who made that, etc. Once the ice melts I'm in my kayak most days, watching the loons, observing their behaviors, seeing what else is on or in the lake. I gave myself an art tool kit for Christmas so I can take it out on my kayak, or on walks and begin to get in the habit of nature journaling. I've only had a couple of entries so far, but hope to get inspired to do more.

1. I have always enjoyed art and nature. I have dabbled in nature journaling and have always dreamed of making it a regular practice. Time to make it a reality. 2. I particularly like the idea of the art moving outside the bounds of the frames / boxes and the close up views. I also really liked the hummingbird study. The pure observation was great and shows it is not always about a pretty picture.

I retired two years ago and my daughter sent me a sketch book and a Nature Journaling book.  I have always liked to draw birds and animals and like observing their behaviors.  I like drawing flowers as well and am fascinated by the growing stages of flowers and plants.  I live on 6 acres of woods in the Ozarks and we have deer, wild turkey, squirrels, and lots of birds, which we feed.  I like to watch the birds behaviors at the feeders and observe them on their nests and feeding their young.  I've always said that I would rather be outside than inside.  That is where I am happiest.  We keep most of our property natural so that the animals and birds have a little sanctuary to come to where they know they are safe.  This course will help me practice my skills and learn more about the outdoors. It will also help me to record what we see on our road trips to the National Parks and Bird Sanctuaries we visit.

I had never thought of actually journaling to record what I've observed. I'm trying my hand at drawing birds and saw this course and thought it would be perfect to perfect my skills along with recording my observations and outings.

I have enjoyed nature photography for years, but one major shortcoming of photography versus sketching is you don’t necessarily pay attention to detail. I loved drawing as a kid, but taking the time to draw as an adult seemed indulgent. Taking this course is to help me slow down and really pay attention to the detail in nature and help me better remember what bird I just saw (for example). And it is also to allow myself to take the time to sketch.  But mostly I am taking this course is because it will be fun for me. I definitely will be drawing and writing all over all pages.

Being outdoors is Life to me. I grew up moving through the landscape on skis, hiking up local New England mountains and finding peace paddling quiet rivers and lakes. It wasn't until college, however, that I took my first ecology class and began to learn how to look more closely at details and patterns in plant growth. Ephemeral flowers became seasonal friends to visit. The shape and texture of tree bark, spring buds and leaves literally stopped me in my tracks. Flipping through my now-tattered Newcomb's guide and bird books I see notes I took decades ago. I have dabbled in nature journaling and sit spots. It is meditation. It calms me. Brings me focus. It is my Intention to pay more Attention to the present moment.  I have never made nature journaling a regular practice, but very much want to see more in the natural world and help my young daughter do the same. I never had much art as a child and always felt quite hampered by my lack of skills. I don't understand perspective or how to use watercolors effectively and I am quick to judge my efforts. I am grateful for what I already sense I will start to gain from this course!  I really enjoyed all of the styles of journaling presented thus far because the people making them had JOY in what they were doing. I am most attracted to including in my own journal notation of date, time & place and a mix of drawing and writing about the details of what I see. Watercolors make me gush. 

I have recently retired and am interested in nature journaling as a hobby that I can do forever. It appeals to me because I love to learn about nature, especially bird and plant identification. I think observing nature in this way is the ultimate mindfulness activity.  I loved the journals that have a lot of writing, rather than mostly painting.  (probably because I have no confidence in my own artistic ability).

We recently moved to a new country and live in a small mountain village in the midst of a UN Biosphere Reserve. I've been wanting to take up nature journaling for over a year, but always felt overwhelmed by my lack of drawing skills. I felt most drawn to the journalers who combined images with words, and memories with observations and questions. Having a perfectionist streak, it's important to remind myself  1. to not compare my drawing and painting skills with others who may have been doing this for years, and 2. that it's ok if my journal gets messy.

I love nature...I volunteer at our neighborhood park, feed birds at my house, and in retirement have become more and more focused on the natural world. I even take care of my neighbor’s chickens! I have also started painting and am trying to find a way to incorporate all of those elements into some cohesive format. This seems like a natural progression.

I have always enjoyed the outdoors primarily through active sports with my family - hiking, skiing, fishing, canoeing, camping, biking etc. During the pandemic, I started to concentrate on a deeper observation of my surroundings, especially spring flowers, first identifying them and then pressing them and creating bookmarks on thin slices of wood to share with family and friends around the world. I had a very surface experience with bird watching, but became more involved after taking a number of classes with the Bird Academy and setting up a mini-sapsucker woods type bird feeding station this winter.  Nature journaling and sketching seems like a natural progression in developing a more observant, knowledgeable, creative and mindful  relationship with nature. I am attracted to it's calmness and excited, but a bit nervous, about drawing for the first time! I'm interested in a style that would include writing and sketching on each page incorporating pressed flowers when relevant.

I’m always trying to document my surroundings, usually with words and photos, and more recently as a beginner water colorist. Nature journaling feels like the right progression and I’m hoping to improve my sketching and water color skills. I live on Lake Michigan and it will be spring soon, so I’m looking forward to sketching all the grasses and wildflowers as they begin to bloom. I am drawn to a mix of words and images on a page, and I want to incorporate pressed flowers, feathers, and other found objects. I don’t like to be without a camera so I think I’ll be incorporating instant photos in my journal as well. Can’t wait to get started!