Jess

1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? I am in love with animals. I sit in my woodshed and feed the chick-a-dee's and chipmunks. I feel extremely connected to nature, as I am also a Nature Empath. Nature journaling opened my mind to combining two things I love - watercolour painting and nature. I see it as a way to be mindful in nature and focus on the smaller details that are missed when I take photos which I mostly use for social media. 2. Now that you’ve heard from several other journalers about their processes, and had a peek at their journals, which ideas or approaches do you want to try? I really liked Shayna Muller's style with a mix of Jewel Alston's. I loved the organization but "pop" off the page style of drawings/paintings with descriptions. I loved how they used it as a tool for learning as well as memories. I liked that Jewel also put colours on the side of the page to remind themselves. My goal of nature journaling is emotional - to focus in the moment and be with nature. Its also as a learning opportunity, like comparing sparrows or mushrooms. I liked the idea of a monthly poster for the future as well. 3. Do you have a different journaling idea, not mentioned here, that you’d like to share? I think it would be cool to draw a mushroom and then add its spore print next to it. Maybe even adding a soundscape (the visual appearance of sounds like in the Merlin App) next to the drawing. Could be cool (but messy) to use natural dyes like blueberries or mud to make art :)