I'm fairly new to nature journaling and I love it as a celebration of the life forms we share the world with. But I’m also curious to explore nature journaling as a "celebration of life" in the other sense of the phrase: how can we use our journals to explore grief when we lose cherished pieces of nature?
Marley Peifer inspired this idea when he visited his childhood nature patch on a recent episode of The Nature Journal Show. If I did that I'd find a subdivision of homes where there were once fields and hedgerows full of the birds, small mammals, and insects that sparked a little girl's curiosity and wonder. Marley suggested using nature journaling to reflect on those changes.
When I’m not nature journaling (or thinking about nature journaling, or exploring nature journal resources) I work as a conservation biologist. To be honest, it can be discouraging sometimes. Bearing witness to bad news for nature is a daily job hazard that can lead to ecological grief.
So, I gave Marley's suggestion a try at my current beloved nature patch. It's a remnant of majestic old-growth forest right in the middle of town. Sketching little portraits of its huge trees is a source of solace for me. I’m so grateful that the town is taking good care of this treasure. Sadly, at the edge of this forest younger trees have been cleared (for a subdivision of new homes, of course).
Every time I pass these cut trees I'm sad . But I'm also intrigued by their interesting patterns. I think they look like big abstract flowers - they remind me of the flowered wallpaper and fabrics my grandparents had in the 1970s.
I spent some time in silence with these trees, noticing their individual shapes and wondering about their lives. It felt like a simple and appropriate way to honour them. Now when I see them I feel something more than just helpless sadness - I feel like I did something to appreciate them.
While I much prefer to celebrate the joyful aspects of nature in my journal, there's a role for acknowledging the difficult things, too. I'm not alone: I noticed this month that people have been posting their pages of sick or injured songbirds in the Nature Journal Club group. And in one of Marley's recent live interviews there was an interesting discussion of the role of nature journaling as a tribute to biodiversity, even as we observe its loss.
Using art to express feelings about human impacts on nature certainly isn't a new idea. Artist Emily Carr created powerful paintings of logging in British Columbia, Canada over 80 years ago. I use a "regular" journal to cope with the grief of losing a loved one. So it makes sense that nature journaling is a helpful practice when I’m feeling a little down about the state of things.
“Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.” - Robin Wall Kimmerer
These words from Robin Wall Kimmerer inspire me and my nature journal practice. Spending a few moments of time on these sketches and notes is a tiny, personal gift that I can offer to myself, and to nature.
About the Author - Coco Brdar
Hi nature journalers! I discovered this inspiring community through the 2020 Wild Wonder conference and the Journaling with Nature Podcast and have been completely hooked ever since. I live on the shore of Lake Ontario, Canada, and I spend as much time as possible outdoors in nature or my garden every day. I love this practice as a way to appreciate nature, to be truly mindful, and to have fun with creativity. Here I am at my nature journal patch that's the subject of this blog post. I also work in the field of conservation ecology as an ecologist (but that's mostly at a computer nowadays). I'm excited about the possibility of sharing this practice with my community and am currently developing some online portals. In the meantime I've been actively sharing my work on the Nature Journal Club facebook group.