Writing About Nature

Introduction – Why Nature Journaling?

I have always kept a journal, or something to write in or draw in, to keep some sort of track of my daily life, artistic ideas, and feelings.  If we were to cross paths, you would probably find me with either a sketchbook or pocket sized journal (at the very least, you will catch me with a folder full of blank or partially drawn-on paper).  Most of the time, my entries come out in the form of prose or poetry and never really as a vehicle for intentional daily reflection.  Often, my journal entries are not really much more than a formally documented equivalent of writing or drawing on a restaurant napkin.  However, no matter how scattered my journal entries were or how abstract the writings or the drawings were, they were, and still are, an intentional vehicle to capture a moment in time and to have something to look back upon as an artistic reference. 

I, as an artist, musician, and writer, use my journal entries for the continued creation of my art.  However, there are endless examples of different professions outside of the arts that regularly use a physical journal as a tool in their work and research.  Scientists, naturalists, and inventors are just some of the examples that come to mind.¹  Unless you are lucky enough to have a photographic memory, it is nearly impossible to remember every idea or every piece of data without some form of analog or digital reminder. 

Most importantly, though, as an adult human with attention issues and concerns, I’ve always looked for ways to maximize my concentration and refine my skills and I have constantly come back to some sort of imposed regular routine like journaling.  Often this routine is nothing more than a half hour or less of time set aside daily or weekly to apply myself to a specific task or skill.  At different times, I’ve used this to improve as an artist, as a musician, and as a writer.  By being more purposeful and intentional, I have found ways to channel that energy to help push myself to be more focused in my development and evolution as an artist, writer, musician, and as an individual.  If I am able to focus my energy in small chunks, I’m able to hold my own attention without much strife or anxiety and I’m able to see lasting results and the evolution of my work over extended periods of time.  Some may just call this discipline, and it is a form of discipline, but, to me, it is simply a means to an end and a comprehensive way to combat my often scattered thoughts and short attention span. 

Young learners and students are no different, just that most have not yet learned these or other important coping mechanisms.  I also feel that the pandemic has unfortunately compounded many of these challenges for not only children and students but also for adult learners, teachers, and pretty much every human being on this planet.  Adults may have tools and ‘tricks’ that help them maintain a higher sense of normalcy, but these are tools and processes that need to, especially with younger learners, be purposefully taught, modeled, and nurtured.

When discussing how one might learn the unique calls of different birds, Jon Young states that, “the only talent required for understanding the birds is awareness, and we all have that.  What really counts is practice – motivated practice.”²  At its core, that is what journaling is.  It is a way to regularly practice the skills of observation and documentation.  Whether it be for an artistic or scientific purpose, journaling gives us an opportunity to document our journey and learning.  We can even think of it as implementing a scientific approach to whatever we might be choosing to create. 

Whether for journaling or for the exploration of new ways to express myself, one of the ‘tricks’ that I have used in the past is the use of cross curricular or cross disciplinary activities and methods.  I use this not only to hold my own attention span, but also to increase knowledge retention through the connection of these multiple disciplines.  By using the intersection of these varied disciplines with ourselves or young learners, we aim to create more meaningful pathways of learning and remembering.  We are also giving students tools that can translate to other subjects, disciplines, and daily life, as well as important coping skills for future learning and success. 

The thought of giving my students the opportunity to poetically and visually embrace and document the order and chaos of the natural world while still creating something new and unique gives me inspiration and meaning to my place in the natural cycles of learning and growing.  By using these multiple disciplines, I believe that we will see a meaningful improvement in the cognitive skills of observation, focus, and knowledge retention.  The closer we can look and observe, and the more intentional we are about that observation, the more we can connect to who we are as humans and individuals and how we fit into this mixture of natural and man-made world in which we exist.