Why Nature Journal?
Why should you nature journal?
Because Rachel Carson did? Because Beatrix Potter did? Because George Washington Carver did? Because I say so? Yes, of course - Just kidding!
There is so much to do in so little time, why do we have to add something else to life’s already overflowing plate? Why bother with nature journaling?
In the words of naturalist Thomas E. Smith, PhD., author, and founder of the Raccoon Institute:
“Experience without words is just experience.
Words without experience are just words.”
Add drawing and art into that and it’s the essence of why I encourage nature journaling for all humans as a way to connect and build lasting loving relationships with our natural world.
Each time we venture into nature, big or small, we are impacted, but when we can assimilate those experiences through images and words, written and spoken, we begin to form bonds and understand the natural world, and our roles within it, more fully and deeply.
Nature journaling, using both pictures and words, is an incredible way to embrace ourselves as part of the amazing web of life. Embodying our roles in nature holistically and deepening our place connections gives us strength – physically, psychologically, and energetically.
There is plenty research out there these days showcasing the ways that regular nature experience improves health, mood, behavior, productivity, academic achievements, and more, but when we look less quantitatively at the benefits nature brings to our spirit and quality of life, we begin to feel the ways nature qualitatively impacts our lives.
As Rachel Carson reminds us,
“It is not half so important to know as to feel.”
Nature Journaling opens us up to creative flow. It makes us slow down and become quiet observers.
It gives us a place to assimilate our experiences and to ask questions now for later answers. It allows us to embrace our genetic heritage as a species evolved from, and continually supported by, the Earth’s beauty and bounty. It clears the way for our senses of wonder and awe to bloom.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Albert Einstein
Observing, drawing, and painting nearby nature (that’s the nature in our immediate everyday environments) helps us see and hear Nature's Whispers. Cultivating that awareness is how we understand the subtleties of the life forms that surround us in a way that only careful focused observation can offer. The journal provides a space for us to record our repeated experiences of wonder, notice patterns, and grow curiosity, while assimilating feelings of awe that the observation of nature inherently brings.
Adding our thoughts, questions, and observations to our illustrated journal page makes the nature journal experience rich, our connections deeper, and the extending benefits into daily life multiply.
What nearby nature sparks your wonder?
Grab a pencil and a notebook and
start nature journaling today!
Seeking some guidance to begin or deepen your nature journaling journey? Check out my books and nature journaling courses!