My dad gave me this course as a gift, and I'm so excited to learn from others and share! I'm an environmental educator and artist who has been journaling on and off for awhile, and I want to gain some new perspectives that can also help me with teaching. I do a lot of studio art but want to become more comfortable with sketching in the field, and just enjoying being present in the moment. I became especially inspired to try more journaling over the summer, when I watched a bunch of John Muir Laws's amazing online workshops. I really like Jewel Alston's journaling approach, and I also want to try out a loose style that uses both sketches and some prose to capture memories. One journaling practice that I really enjoy is the use of a sound map. To do this, simply find a place to sit and listen for awhile, describing the sounds that you hear scattered around you in a map. You can sketch them in spectogram format, too if you'd like.

I want the discipline of really noticing details & being consistent in my record keeping, As a teacher for years I had my students keep a year-long nature journal that we added to regularly thru trips outside, observing bird feeders from the classroom, bringing in a caught mackerel and even a live lobster.  Now I am retired and I have time to really work on my journaling. I have much to improve!

Like many others here, I received this as a gift. I bird and keep records of the  species I see and wanted to combine my interest birds, sketching and being outside into one activity instead of dividing my time among them. It appeals to me as a means of recording my outings and travels. Also, like some, I need an incentive to pick up my sketchbook and paints; I’m hoping this will inspire me! I liked a number of the journal approaches and will likely incorporate things like quick sketch impressions, multiple notes and a few scattered “finished” sketches with color. I definitely will drop the inner critic that tells me to finish something with details I didn’t observe. I especially like the idea of sketching with water color to quickly give a sense of the tone of what you’re sketching! Lastly, I’m impressed with the sketches and paintings I saw submitted by some of the participants. They give me something to aspire to.

I wanted to begin nature journaling because I began bird watching with feeders in my backyard. I have also come across other peoples journals of natural journaling and love it. I am inspired by the imagines they capture and the detail they put into it, along with how much information they learn from just journaling about it. I want to try the journaling approach as the first journalist shared. I love how she has a personal field guide but it can also just be for recording experiences or observations.

I love hearing about how the people journaling had to look so closely and appreciate whatever they were drawing much more than just hearing/seeing a bird, etc. and naming it and moving on. I like Jewel Alston's journaling style. I like that the journal doesn't have to be perfect. There can be bloopers and multiple attemps to capture something they see. I tend to want everything to look pretty, which can make my drawings look more frozen, so I'm hoping that journaling will loosen up my drawings. I really want to learn to ID the sparrows of the Southwest, so I like the idea of creating a personal field guide.

Like many here, the extreme boredom and fear of the pandemic helped me notice the changing spring around me.  I wanted some way to document these changes and have a creative outlet to focus my anxious energy.  I started creating a field guide to bird in my backyard, but quickly realized I was woefully inadequate.  I have ZERO experience with art. I am also impressed with the traveling nature journals.  I was fortunate enough to go to the Galapagos in 2019, and my only regret is that I didn't have the course previously to help me create a memory book.

I have been very interested in birding and have taken many beautiful photos.  I want to go to the next level and draw/paint/write about what I see and observe.  I don’t think of myself as an artist, but I look forward to seeing what happens.  I liked the variety of the nature journals presented and feel like I can create a journal that will represent me and my vision.

I was inspired to begin nature journaling because I love the outdoors, hiking and watching birds.  Also have bird feeders and am familiar with most of the birds in our region.   I enjoyed the first journalist presented.  I like the idea of making a box to contain her picture even though it flowed outside the box in some spots.  Also her circle close ups to provide more detail.  I have not worked with watercolor before so I am anxious to learn how to add this to our sketches.

Like the commenter below, I took the bird drawing class that Liz taught, and was then inspired to do more. I think of myself as being very unartistic, but have always wanted to learn how to draw, and I also love birds and being in nature. I don't know yet what style of journal I want to follow - for the moment, I want to focus on improving my drawing skills and taking a stab at using water colors. I'm also intrigued by how journalers are able to capture images so well when the subject matter doesn't stay still for long (e.g., warblers  - anytime I observe them, they are in constant motion).

My interest began after the class on drawing birds that Liz taught.   I don't feel like I can draw, yet what I drew in that class surprised me.   I love birds and plants and being outside, so we'll see- it's an adventure.

1. I started taking classes on drawing birds by John Muir Laws when I retired a few months ago. I have never engaged in artistic expression of any kind, but have always enjoyed art connected with nature. I’m just beginning to stumble through finding my way to participate with art and nature. I asked for this class as a Christmas gift and my goal was to more methodically approach this new adventure and also to add watercolor skills. 2.  I liked the zooming in, the mixture of sketching and more detailed colored images. I also like mixing in information about date, location and what was observed, with not too many words. I also liked that people mentioned that you don’t have to finish works or include details you couldn’t see when circumstances don’t allow. 3.  Maybe mix in a haiku here and there; maybe add in ideas for future activities stimulated during the journaling process.

What inspired me to start nature journaling now - versus back when I was at Cornell's Lab of Ornithology during the summer of 2017 or 2018 - was a teacher workshop through New York Botanical Garden about amplifying underrepresented voices in the science classroom. One of the assignments was to go out into nature and do a simple drawing and quick recording - similar to what we've seen in the videos so far. It got me thinking about how I just started to draw again (after a many-year-hiatus) and how this would help me develop my skills that are super rusty now. After seeing the videos, I'm definitely interested in doing the Date-Time-Weather-Location box on the page, however, I also liked how some drawings were boxed after being done, or even the daily drawing challenge. A part of me is wondering should I just dive right into the deep end, or slowly swim in from the shallows so that I'm not overwhelming myself. I know the possibilities are endless!

I've always had an interest in the connection between nature and the arts. I believe that capturing nature through art can help a person find a connection to nature that they didn't have beforehand. I have been drawing animals since I was very young, and would love to have a career in which I can be around and study animals, but also have opportunities to draw them (scientific illustration, or some sort of integration of the arts into wildlife biology). I would love to challenge myself by journaling every day, as it would help improve my skills, and I would have a visual record of my adventures. I think that I may try and integrate some new materials in the journaling process as well.

This is a very thoughtful Christmas gift from someone who knows me well. I already mess about outside a lot, but I think journaling will help me focus on small details and it will help me ring fence time for myself. I am looking forward to developing new skills; walking in the footsteps of Darwin and developing my knowledge of the wild space on my doorstep. Gorgeous stationery and art materials already make me excited, can't wait to use this kit (and I will try no to be too precious!).

I am looking forward to giving myself time to really see what is front of me.  I like watercolors and I think this will give me a purpose that seems more doable than artistic.  Mona Brooks freed me from my terror of drawing and I look forward to bringing my journal along on my walks.  I appreciate Jewel saying that mistakes will happen, it won't always be what you planned but it is a process and cements the memory.  I believe in establishing habits and I think this will be a habit I value.

I am working on a story about a specific place that has a wonderful natural setting. My interest in this class is to further develop my observation skills and augment the photographs and notes I'm taking as I conduct my research. This course offers some basic drawing techniques which I can most certainly use. I've had journals over the years and done some poorly rendered sketching so I hope to grow a bit during this period. After looking at the various journals I was most drawn to the recording of place/time/weather conditions to help recapture the moment, rather like a good haiku poem does. One of the thoughts i have is to incorporate natural found elements within the journal. Although objects may be suspect to decay overtime, I'm drawn to the tactile and believe it will be important to me to include!

I've been a birdwatcher since high school. I have worked as an educator and field ornithologist throughout my career. I've always enjoyed drawing but have not used it as a regular part of my field notes, a thing for which I'm a bit embarrassed to admit. I'm now 60 and recently retired and would like to develop my nature journaling to include illustrating my observations. I'm a licensed bander and often take photos of various unusual things I observe in the birds I capture (unusual plumage, deformities, etc.). I can imagine drawing some of these phenomena would be a valuable way to notice minutia that might be missed with a photograph. As far as choosing a style of journaling is concerned, I think I'm going to have to just start doing and see what works for me.

1. I love being out in nature and learning all I can about what I am seeing. I asked for this course as a Christmas present, because I would like to deepen my observations when out in the field and have a record of my discoveries/experiences. 2. It was helpful to see the evolution of their journals, as I am a bit intimidated about starting. It doesn't have to be perfect right away! I like how the first journaler used a combination of sketching and writing on her pages, and her style feels informal and spontaneous. I like the zoom-ins and how at times she treated the sketches as a field guide she could learn from & refer to in the future. 3. I don't have any new journaling ideas - but I am hoping I will develop my own style.

I am inspired to keep a journal to help me observe and remember more than I would by photos (a point made by Jewel, Shayne and Margaret). What I would like to try is making quick sketches of behaviour and gestures of birds and insects that I encounter (discussed by  D.J. and Margaret). Drawing moving objects has been daunting to me (as mentioned by William) .  In the past I have only done watercolor of static plants and landscape. So I will see how I progress with the difficult task of fast moving birds. I intend to use lots of rough paper to practice gestures of birds before committing the drawings to my journal. I would like my journal to be a lasting memory along with a  notes, date and place. I may try boxes to add style. I was impressed by Holly's beautiful presentation style and skill in her journal but think I might not reach that  level.

During Covid lock down, I have been appreciating the birds both in my neighborhood and a near by conserved area where I hike regularly. I had never really paid much attention to the bird feeders set up at the start of the trail. But discovering the feeder cams at Cornell, the need to connect with something larger than myself during covid and a desire to dust off my observational drawing skills impelled me to sign up for  this class. I want to include the weather and other observations, not just isolated bird drawings. I'll use the live cam to practice quick sketching. For my approach, I want to include a mix of loose and organized sketches.

1.) This class got gifted to me, and I think that nature journaling might be a good outlet for me. 2.) I want to try a combination between the monthly journals and the journal with just sketches. I think I could realistically do a journal like that. 3.) I can't think of a different journaling style right now.

I signed up for this class because I think nature journaling will help me to slow down and look more carefully at what I see.  I'm hoping that it will also improve my artistic skills. I appreciated the variety of the journals.  I like the idea of having some goals to make sure this inspiration to slow down and look and sketch doesn't fall by the wayside.  I'm thinking of a once per week goal of watching/noticing/sketching something.

1) I was inspired to begin journaling as a method of holding beautiful memories on my trips. Also to help me slow down and notice small details in nature. 2) I loved the idea of journaling every day; however, with my schedule, it is hard so when I saw another artist do a monthly drawing method I was sold on the idea. I also what to capture data or details that maybe my art skills cannot like the smells, the weather that day, a little geotag perhaps. 3) I think my style of journaling will evolve but I thought about interesting facts about what I am seeing like if I am drawing a fern perhaps googling something about the climate they thrive in or variations of ferns.

I am a Field and Ecology Biology College Student and I love to draw and watercolor nature. I was inspired to combine the two things I love to do in to one. I already love taking field notes as a biology student, but I wanted to take it to the next step and include drawings and watercolor in to it. From the approaches and ideas, I liked idea of a monthly and daily journaling unique style to each.   I want to try journaling by making my goal to designate one page a month to fill and rest of the pages each day I try to see and document something.

1. I spend as much time as I can in nature and love observing nature, I write my sightings but have never considered a journal specific for nature. I love the idea as it could help me to remember, distinguish and appreciate the animal at that moment in time. It also may encourage me to be even more observant about an animal's behavior or characteristics. I will spend more time in nature and observing every day! 2. I like an organic flow to a journal with sketches or watercolor with comments, description and behavior of the animal. I also would like to incorporate my experience in observing and being present in this particular place in nature. 3. If possible I would put the occasional flower, stem or leaf in the journal if the space allows.