“These are unfinished! You should make them into complete works or illustrations. As they are, they should be thrown in a trash can!” This is what an editor said scornfully when looking at my sketchbooks. One of the pioneers of animal illustration in Japan suggested that I should show this editor my sketchbooks because he said my sketches reminded him of one of his favorite illustrators, Gunnar Brusewitz. However, that incident gave me a negative image of my field sketches. I was 26 at that time. I learned field sketching when I traveled to Canada and America in 1993 and 1994. I was influenced by Robert Bateman, John Busby, Gunnar Brusewitz, Peter Partington, Francis Lee Jaques, Lars Jonsson, and Toyomi Tanaka. They are stunning field artists, I do not think their sketches are unfinished.
As a nature artist/illustrator, field sketching is one of several important steps in making a piece of art or illustration. I prefer sketching in a field to painting in a studio, so I kept sketching just for study. In 2007 I found a book titled, "Keeping A Nature Journal" by Clare Walker Leslie. As English is not my native language, it took a lot of time to read the whole book. but her journals are filled with her colored sketches and handwriting. I fell in love with her style. Also, I felt this book has an oriental view on nature, so what she said in this book really resonated with me.
I started Nature Journaling, and it made my style on sketching changed into one including much information more than just sketching something beautiful or with a good composition from an artist’s point of view. I found it to be a different approach to appreciating nature. I had been keeping Nature Journals for my own joy for years, but sometimes I lost my motivation to continue it. I could say it was because I had been doing it alone, but I actually love to be alone, and besides I never had the idea to share it with anybody. I did not know anyone interested in field sketching, at least among my close artist friends.
In 2013, I gave birth to my daughter. I became a mother, not so young, then became a single mom. I considered what I could give as a life-gift to her, as we would have less time to spend together than ordinary families. What came to my mind was, "self- confidence" and "creativity" which were what I wanted when I was young, especially self-confidence. I was convinced that Nature Journaling could be the best tool for it.
While she was a baby, I was too busy to Nature Journal, but I preferred to record my baby growing up every day in my diaries. Growing a little human attracted me more than looking at nature itself.
In 2017, when my little girl turned 4, I restarted my Nature Journal. Yes! I had been waiting for the right time to do this! I had been dreaming about Nature Journaling with my child just like Clare Walker Leslie did with her children. Before long, Amazon suggested a book titled, "Nature Drawing and Journaling" by John Muir Laws. I wondered who he was. I Googled his name and reached his website. Thanks to Amazon (whatever they say about it) I was hooked on his workshop videos.
John Muir Laws says in his blog, "If you do not find a Nature Journal club in your area, make one. I will help you if you need it." I would have preferred joining a club that somebody else had organized, but unfortunately, I could not find one. So, I thought "OK, fine, then I will start one for us." I sent him an email to ask how to start it. I was going to start a small local club at first, but I also wanted people who live outside my area to be able to join. I decided to name my club Japan Nature Journal Club. What a big name! I hesitated a little with it, because I am not the kind to be a leader! My inner critics bothered me for quite a while.
Emilie Lygren, a nature educator and a writer who wrote the book “How To Teach Nature Journaling” with John Muir Laws, kindly encouraged me by saying, "Having a big name means you are able to include lots of people as the group grows". I am simple-minded more often than not. but I decided to go with the group name.
In November 2017, the Japan Wild Bird Society gave me an opportunity to do my first workshop, then our club started from February in 2018. It is challenging to spread Nature Journaling in Japan. One of the problems was English. When people in Japan hear the term “journal”, most people ask me “Are you working for the press? What kind of newspaper (or magazine) is that?” I have to explain what “journal” is. It is like a diary, but it is not; it is not even a newspaper. I have to explain a lot of things to make people understand what it is. I wondered if I should use a suitable name translated into Japanese, but it was even more difficult. I finally decided that the English keywords “Nature Journal” could connect people to friends in other countries. That was an exciting prospect!
I am still struggling, but on the other hand, it is a good lesson for me. I am a visual, not a verbal person. My nature interpreter license helped a little. I was invited to some major events for nature educators and had opportunities to have Nature Journal classes there. Only a few educators had heard of it, even though they have been working as educators for years, and they enjoyed this new tool to engage with nature.
I started monthly field trips at a prefectural nature park in my area and organized events with non-profit organizations to protect the local nature and environment. As a conservation artist, this is also what I wanted to focus on. The attendees said “This is a new approach to appreciate nature! It is a wonderful way to learn nature and open a new door for us!” It will take time to spread Nature Journaling here, but I can see people around me, like my mom-friends, have an interest in it when they hear about it.
My style of journaling has changed again these past few years, to be more sophisticated and including more information. And I enjoy it with my 6-year-old daughter! Now one of my dreams has come true!
In 2019, I visited California to attend the Nature Journal Conference, "Wild Wonder", held at one of the most familiar cities in the U.S., Monterey. Whoever thought I could meet John Muir Laws so soon? I also never expected to meet Clare Walker Leslie in person! When I held the first workshop in 2017, I announced in front of people, "I am going to visit John Muir Laws in the next 3 years. Anyone can come with me!" without any planning. I expected it to take much more time. The conference also gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet my old friend, Debi Shearwater; I would never have expected to see her then. I met her through Robert Bateman in 1994 and visited her several times after that. I was able to go thanks to my friends, the Suzuki family. They kindly took care of my daughter that I had to leave behind while I was away for a week.
Before meeting with Clare Walker Leslie in person, I contacted her in the spring of 2019. I had never even thought about meeting her in person in the future. I contacted her because I felt I should get her permission to use Nature Journaling for my activity. I know I should have contacted her before starting my club, but she was one of god-like existence to me. I had not enough confidence to contact her. But I thought I need to do it. As we exchanged emails, she gave me these delightful and encouraging words, "I am so glad you are teaching Nature Journaling."
This spring in 2020, we moved to Kochi, 800km southwest from Kanagawa, the prefecture next to Tokyo where we lived. Here in Kochi there is nature all around and lots of subjects for Nature Journaling. My daughter started school and has started to learn writing. We were able to play in nature while schools were closed due to the virus. I am so happy that we moved here. My daughter is so excited with our new place, more than I thought. I rediscovered that you can teach a child everything they need from nature, that Nature Journaling methods can help to solve most things for home-schooling, and that it also works for adults as a meditation to overcome worries in this difficult time.
I too have had a lot of joy, sadness, regrets and anxieties in my past and ongoing even now. I can say that Nature Journaling will help you to have a clear view of how to find a better way for your life through observing nature near you carefully. Nature always shows us how to survive in tough situations. Nature Journaling will lead you to the right way for you. Nature journaling allows you to connect to other people in the world, because we are all part of nature.
One thing I feel sad about was that I had to quit field trips at the nature park in Kanagawa. The members were also disappointed, but we can connect online now. The moving mess is finally getting cleared away and my daughter's school restarted recently so now I am preparing my online classes for Nature Journaling. Of course, I look forward to restarting field trips here someday.
I will keep learning from nature. How should I live as a human, how should I try my best for my daughter and for all our children, how can I connect with people? I will keep learning with my people through nature and Nature Journaling. To me, it is a life of joy and peace. “Everything you are doing is important and good." I will continue to try to do the best for our children, just as Clare told me.
You can find more of Eriko’s work online through Artists for Conservation, on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find out more about Japan Nature Journal Club on Facebook.