How Edges Teach Us to Grow: Field Recordings, Meditation & Climate Resilience With Perri Lynch Howard

As you have likely noticed in this month’s episodes, we have moved from the stars to the soil. We will spend the next several episodes exploring edges and ecotones - spaces rife with the very best type of tension. The tension that inspires growth, expansion and action. 

Today, I am talking with artist, edge-walker, and dear friend Perri Lynch Howard about her experiences in a variety of ecotonal landscapes.

Perri is an artist dedicated to forging new narratives from the front lines of climate change. Working in the context of extreme environments is an essential aspect of Howard’s practice, driving her curiosity to seek a deeper sense of place, beyond the dichotomy of near and far. Her artwork resides within the emerging genre of New Polar Aesthetics, expressed through painting, drawing, sculpture and sound.

In this episode, Perri shares three of her unique, ecotonal field recordings with us as a way to explore the edges both within and without. 

We will hear the sounds of Vashon Island, the Great Basin Desert, and Svalbard and throughout we discuss:

• Non-judgement 
• Listening for the truth of the moment
• The relational words we use when discussing the land and ourselves
• Reciprocal relationship in the time of climate crisis
• The first rule of field recording AND meditating (!!)

At the end, there is a guided meditation experience of the Vashon Island soundscape as an opportunity for you to explore your own relationship with edges. 

Thank you to the residencies and agencies that provided the time, space, and resources for Perri to record these incredible landscapes - The Arctic Circle Residency, PLAYA Artist Residency, Vashon Artist Residency, The Puffin Foundation, Artist Trust, and Quiet Parks International.

Finally, deep gratitude to Nick McMahan for editing and the sound design of this episode, and to Brianna Nielsen for production support.

Learn more about: 

Perri Lynch Howard: https://www.perrilynchhoward.com/

Nick McMahan: https://www.nickcmcmahan.com/

Brianna Nielsen: https://www.instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro/

Please sign up for my newsletter at merylarnett.substack.com to access these meditations as stand-alone audio files for your daily practice. 

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This podcast explores meditation, mental health and the power of connection, offering guidance for caregivers, healers, and therapists facing compassion fatigue, burnout, and other mental health struggles through self-care, self-compassion, and resilience. With a focus on anxiety, depression, and overwhelm, each episode provides tools like meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, and grounding to cultivate clarity and reduce stress. Listeners can also experience nature-inspired guided meditations, designed to bring peace and balance in times of distress.