Learn about Nature Journaling, sketching, and watercolor for the field. Get inspired with tips, techniques, and interviews with nature journalers. Enjoy nature journaling adventures! Marleypeifer.com
Thanks for your concern. Luckily, even toxic mushrooms are not toxic in small quantities and are much safer than many things in our medicine cabinets and cleaning supplies. You can look up the LD50 of many substance online and see how much weight relative to your body weight is a fatal dose. That isn't to say that some people might have allergies to small amounts or that breathing lots of spore over long periods of time can be harmful.
Ig here we got a different species, they are huge but super easy to kill. Even if u miss them they will fall to the ground and have a hard time to get back up.
Ok now I do not have any excuses anymore...you did it in five... you did it with a ballpoint... eveyrthing that has blocked me from starting. TOTAL BEGINNER first attempt today in Belgium (Europe) Lets go!
So, what is looking through a microscope or telescope? Direct or indirect observation? What is preparing slices, dying for microscopy and looking through the microscope afterwards? Direct or indirect observation? What is catching snowflakes on slides and looking for their prints, when they are melt? What is looking with my brain and my eyes at any nature object and looking with your eyes and brain? Do you think, you see nature the same way that I see? Which one is "correct", which one is objective? Or aren't any observations subjective at any point. I think, nature journaling is all about connecting with nature, relax, have a good time, healing and - most of all - loving nature. In my opinion, what you are asking for, is science and even there your defition of direct and indirect observation doesn't work, if you look closer.
Thanks for sharing those good points and I think all the examples that you mention are very direct observation indeed. All the examples of nature journaling through a microscope are great and you are more aware of the lens that you are looking through and are not just consuming content that someone else created. With the abundance of AI generated images and misinformation online the importance of direct observation is becoming more important than ever. And yes, of course if we look at it minutely and philosophically the concept of direct observation probably does not exist because our brain is in a dark box receiving electrical signals and creating a virtual reality for us, but that is for a different discussion.
I think a Nature Journal should be whatever works for an individual, the important thing is that we are all thinking about the importance of nature!!!!
Hi Marley, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this Nature Journal Show with Dion Dior and you. OMG! So inspirational and fun and informative. Thank you for doing an excellent job at interviewing Dion. I don't think either of you stopped smiling for the entire time! Like she said, I'm also very appreciative for this welcoming friendly community of nature jounalling, (no matter what your skill level is). Thank you again for all the time and effort and knowledge that you and others put forth. It means a lot to me.
nice video...yes they rip off tourist everywhere..been going to c.r. since 2009 and finally bought a place close to la fortuna last year.. i no longer do the way overpriced stuff..do it on your own and enjoy it more...
I agree with you Marley. Although most of my work about Nature is made at home, I consider that a study, or a draw to improve my drawing skills…I may draw that on my Nature Journal but it’s not something I have really lived, or seen in person… I would compare what you say with having an experience in real life and then write that on my journal, and reading other’s writing and then make a reflection about that on my journal. Both , direct experiences and work at home are lovely in different ways. ♥️ direct observation allows us to make deeper discoveries and have those yihaaaa! moments, and work from home allows us to work with no time stress, about that bird disappearing, so we can practice detail, and also give us invaluable info for that moment we find that we’ve “studied” in real life! Anyway, what I love most most is mixing them! I feel like Indiana Jones when observing something pour that on my journal and then go deep investigating and adding stuff! That’s way is perfect to me!
Awesome, I haven't watched in a while and it was nice to feel like I was sitting alongside you while you explained your process. (Without the physical pain and discomfort issues!)
I watched this last week, and felt i disagreed. But I've thought about it all week, and i think you're right. A good reminder to stop, observe & ponder. 🤔
Thanks for sharing Kathryn. And who knows maybe I will change my mind about it too after more thought :) Being able to pose ideas, questions things, and even change our minds is useful in this day and age.
Sorry for not getting to these responses sooner but trying to catch up now. Please watch the full video before commenting. I did not say you have to hike outside to nature journal I just want to make the distinction between direct observation and working from photos/videos that other people took. We live in a time where photos and videos online can be very misleading (perhaps they always have been). There is a big difference between drawing a tiger from a photo you found online and nature journaling a cabbage that you are dissecting in your kitchen.
And yes, on that spectrum of focused--> distracted, I’m almost always on the distracted by the thing in front of me. Hard to focus, but you calling attention to the ability to “turn the dial” helps me be more aware of the spectrum itself.
I would also like to respectfully disagree. For one, in our nature journaling educator training at Wild Wonder we are trained for very good reasons to pay attention to accessibility and inclusivity. Not everyone is physically (or mentally) able to spend a lot of time in nature or even have (safe) access to it. I think it's not a good idea to exclude people with semantics like this. Also: I myself have very bad vision and my main interest are insects, if I didn't work from reference photos I take myself, my journal pages would have random 2mm blobs on them and just one question: "What the heck is this?". If you're into botany your approach will work most of the time, but even then it has severe limitations: For example if you live in Germany like me and winter comes around, there are hardly any plants for you to journal, the seasons will have a huge effect on the "only outdoor approach". My nature journal club met in a café in winter after a short walk because it was just too cold to hold a pencil for a long time. I think I know what point you're trying to make, but I wouldn't call this nature journaling, but "field biology" or "field art". With this stricter definition and terminology I would agree with your distinction, but nature journaling should be seen in more general and broader terms so we don't exclude anyone and furthermore strongly encourage people to connect with nature - from where I'm standing you can nature journal under your heated blanket on the sofa in the middle of the night sketching out animals of the deep sea.
Thanks Katja. I think the important distinction is not inside or outside. The important distinction is between direct observation and indirect. There are many elements of nature besides plants and animals outside. Even steam from the kettle and growth of your fingernails is nature and can be observed and nature journaled in a way that photos and videos do not allow. The direct interaction and ability to go deeper with a subject is what makes nature journaling different. Nature journaling is about a way of seeing not just a subject matter. It is not just making art or writing about natural subjects.
