Journaling With Nature

Our prompt this week is: Make yourself comfy.Think about ways that you can make yourself more comfortable while you are nature journaling. You might choose to bring a hat, sunscreen, bug spray or a camp chair along with you, as part of your essential nature journaling kit. Being comfortable will enhance your enjoyment of the experience.I would love to hear about your experiences with this issue. You can visit the podcast website and leave a comment under this episode to share your thoughts and experiences.-----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month. You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

Valentina is an artist who creates illustrations as a way of communicating about nature, science and sustainability. She is passionate about nature protection and hopes that her visual work will help make a positive change in the world.Listen to hear more about:A wonderful moment of connection with a fox that Valentina had as a child.How her life and career led her to Germany.Valentina’s thesis topic on how signage can optimise wildlife conservation.The simple power of living by example to inspire and encourage others to live lightly on the earth.Finding beauty in the details.Learning about environmental topics through games.Sketchnoting as a tool for learning.The way hiking helps Valentina connect with nature. You can find out more about Valentina and see her nature-inspired art on her website https://valentinaarros.myportfolio.com. You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.Head to Richard Louv’s website if you are interested in the book Our Wild Calling. If you would like to see Valentina’s Radiolaria paintings, you can click here.-----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month. You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.Thanks for listening!

There will be a small change to the format of the Journaling With Nature podcast, with episodes now alternating between interviews and nature journal prompts. Making time to nature journal during a busy week can be a challenge. This week's prompt invites us to search for small pockets of time in our regular routine that could be dedicated to nature journaling. This could be as simple as finding just a few minutes in your day to go outside with your sketchbook. It is amazing what you can notice and journal in a small window of time!Let's share our process and progress and learn from each other. You can share your pages on social media using the hashtag #journalingwithnature. I would love to see what you create!-----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month.You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.Thanks for listening! 

Mirja is an illustrator, nature guide and author from the Netherlands. In her nature journal, Mirja enjoys paying close attention to the rhythm of the seasons, tuning into her senses and noticing the subtle changes that can be observed in nature throughout the year. Listen to hear more about:Mirja’s first nature journal.Nature journaling in the Netherlands.The interconnection between language and place.Mirja’s new book Natuur Journalen.Sketching outdoors in all seasons.How Mirja’s nature journal motivation has changed over the years.Connecting children with nature at an early age.How nature stories begin to unfold when we are curious and pay attention.Colours in nature and how this gives a sense of rhythm to the year.Sounds in relation to the time of the year.Learn more about Mirja and her work on her website: Mirja Nature Art. Connect with Mirja on Instagram @mirja_natureart and Facebook Mirja Nature Art.If you would like to purchase Mirja’s book you can find it here: Natuur Journalen.To see some of the pages that Mirja spoke about during our conversation, click here. -----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month. You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.Thanks for listening!

Kelly is a Chicago-based bird artist and photographer. Using a variety of digital and analogue techniques, Kelly is creating a series of 100 bird paintings as a way of documenting the wide variety of birds in her local forest preserve.Listen to hear more about:The people who encouraged Kelly’s love of birds in early life.The vacation that turned Kelly into a birder.Art and its importance in Kelly’s life.Kelly’s project ‘100 Birds of LaBagh Woods’.Birding and nature journaling in all seasons and all weather.How painting birds helps Kelly become connected with different species. The Chicago Nature Journaling Club.Using a wide range of art media.The trap of perfectionism.Art challenges and how they help Kelly maintain a regular art practice.To find out more about Kelly and her work visit https://www.kellycballantyne.com. You can also find Kelly on Instagram @kcballantyne.Kelly mentioned an inspiring nature journaling course by Liz Clayton Fuller. You can find it here: Nature Journaling and Field Sketching.John Muir Law’s book was also a source of inspiration for Kelly. You can find it here: The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling.Kelly mentioned https://ebird.org as an important source of information when researching birds. -----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month. You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.Thanks for listening!

Dion is an artist, naturalist and nature journal teacher. Her in-depth classes explore art and natural sciences in a diverse range of habitats. Dion collaborates with citizen science and community groups and believes in finding a middle ground in her nature journal where science and personal stories can co-exist.Listen to hear more about:Dion’s connection with art and nature in early life.The biggest influences in the development of Dion’s nature journaling style and ethos.The importance of personal stories in our journals.Nature journaling classes and workshops.Collaboration with scientists and community groups.The experience of leading nature journaling groups at the Cooloola BioBlitz.How Dion engages people in the practice so that they will want to keep going with nature journaling.Dion’s hopes for the future of nature journaling.Learn more about Dion and see her nature journal pages on Instagram @_dion.dior_ and Facebook.Dion has appeared with Marley Peifer on The Nature Journal Show. You can watch these videos here:Botanical Art and Nature JournalingClimate Change and Nature JournalingDion wrote a blog post for International Nature Journaling Week which you can read here: Why Nature Journal?-----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month.You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.Thanks for listening!

Melissa is a landscape contractor with a passion for desert plants and pollinators. Melissa is always alert to 'breadcrumbs from the universe'; signs showing the way, reminding her to pay attention to nature and teaching her how to be a better designer for pollinators and people. Listen to hear more about:The influence of family on Melissa’s connection with nature.Sacred gardening and what the means for Melissa.How nature journaling feeds back into Melissa’s work as a Landscape Contractor.The intergenerational garden collaboration within Melissa’s home garden.The Mojave Desert landscape and the plants that inspire Melissa’s garden designs.Factors that Melissa considers when creating a desert-inspired garden design.The importance of pollinators.Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and its significance for Melissa.How Melissa moves through feelings of perfectionism that can hold her back. Teaching her first nature journaling workshop. You can find Melissa on Instagram @gardensbymelissa and on her website Earth Green Landscapes.-----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month. You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated. Thanks for listening! 

Sarah moved from her home in Western Australia to the Irish countryside where she raised her family. After finding nature journaling and creative inspiration online, Sarah has started her own virtual community,Spark of Nature, as a way to engage with other like-minded nature lovers from around the world.Listen to hear more about:The trip that started Sarah’s ‘grand adventure’ of beginning a new life for her family in Ireland.The beauty and diversity of nature in Sarah’s local area.Instagram accounts that have influenced Sarah’s nature journal journey.The way Sarah structures her nature journal.Ways to make nature journaling simple and do-able.Art challenges.Nature experiences as a family.Spark of Nature, Sarah’s new online community.The importance of books and reading in Sarah’s lifeSome of Sarah’s favourite books on nature and nature journaling:The Living Mountain by Nan ShepherdBraiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall KimmererThe Secrets of a Devon Wood by Jo BrownThe Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith HoldenJanet Marsh’s Nature Diary by Janet MarshThe Undercliff by Elaine Franks To join Sarah’s online community, Spark of Nature, click here.Follow Sarah on Instagram @sarahlulucas.-----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month.You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.Thanks for listening!

Having followed a winding professional path all the way around the world and back to his original dream of working in conservation, Mark knows the value of community and connection. He hopes to share the beauty of nature with others through his art and his work as a countryside ranger.Listen to hear more about:The different iterations of Mark’s career that have led him to his current work in the conservation sector.Mark’s traineeship with the Sussex Wildlife Trust.Recording the nature experiences of his traineeship through a nature journal.Mark’s process for building the layers of his nature journal pages.The ways that Mark’s parents have inspired and influenced his love of nature and art.Nature journal as a learning aid.Including storytelling and folklore in a nature journal.To find out more about Mark and his work visit www.markjnewton.com. You can also find him on social media using these links:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTubeYou can read more about Mark’s ranger traineeship in this interview with the Sussex Wildlife Trust.-----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month. You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon, Your contribution is deeply appreciated.Thanks for listening!

Sarah has a deep connection with nature in her local area. As a lifelong learner and natural-born teacher, Sarah enjoys exchanging with others in her community and online, sharing knowledge, curiosity and enthusiasm for the natural world.Listen to hear more about:Making creativity simple and accessible to everyone.The California Naturalist Program.Actively contributing to citizen science through iNaturalist.What it is to be a naturalist.The significance of horses in Sarah’s life and family history.Nature journaling alongside others who are not journaling.Sarah’s favourite paint colours and the colours of her landscape.Learning from other artists and developing a style.Accessing nature while managing chronic pain.The benefit of online presentations, workshops, and conferences.Sarah mentioned that she finds community and connection with people online through The Nature Journal Club Facebook group.The online nature journaling events that Sarah talked about were the Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference and International Nature Journaling Week.In this video you can see Sarah Reid discussing regrowth after wildfire in the Trione-Annandel State Park.-----------------Sign-up for Journaling With Nature's Newsletter to receive news and updates each month.You can support Journaling With Nature Podcast on Patreon, Your contribution is deeply appreciated.Thanks for listening!