Adrienne

Observing nature is something I'm familiar with, but I hadn't sat down and written down observations in a while. I tried one a couple of days ago, but it was already the afternoon and I could hear a lot of landscaping work going on nearby. It was simply too loud for me to concentrate, even though I did see some things. The next day, I went out twice. The first time was pretty early in the morning and I observed quite a lot of things going on around me, trying to use all my senses. Later, I went out with my dad after breakfast to a local spot we visit sometimes. I didn't think about doing a sit spot exercise because I had already done one that day. However, as we sat watching the river, I found myself noticing a lot of other things. There were squirrels behind us and birds occasionally calling that we couldn't see. I started to record things and I found that it came naturally to me. I have always been sensitive to sound, so those kinds of observations come more easily to me. And when there is sound, I usually can see the source. I think I've always been a "use all my senses" kind of person, so I wouldn't say that any of them are things I don't notice as much. However, I think I've never put thought into actively noticing a smell unless it's a strong smell. In this exercise, I learned that it's important to take note of the subtle smells, too. The season is changing from summer to autumn, and I can certainly tell just by smell. One last thing to note is that sometimes there are so many things going on that it's hard to write them all down. Or I'll be observing something, but be torn between observing and recording. I think being in the moment is more important though, and I can record a little something of it later so I can remember.

I was inspired to begin nature journaling because I felt like it would be a way for me to connect to the environment and wildlife around me. I have dabbled in photography, mostly of birds, but I felt like if I was too concentrated on getting the perfect shot, I couldn't concentrate on watching the birds' behavior. So I feel like taking the time to draw or paint a bird (or plant or other animal) would allow me to connect with it more. I have started sketching without any instruction and I realized after watching the videos that I may have been sketching too many things. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get close to the birds (or they moved away too quickly), so right now I'm just trying to get the shapes. I'd like to get to the point where I can slow down and capture the subject from many different angles. Watercolor is also of interest for me, but I haven't tried that yet. I would like to try to capture the colors, though. With practice, I'm sure my confidence will build.