Nature Journaling 101: What You Need to Know
The “textbook” definition of nature journaling is the activity of documenting information about your experiences in nature through writing and other forms of creative expression. But I don’t think this definition does nature journaling justice. Creating and maintaining your own unique nature journal involves so much more than just documenting information and observations.
Nature journaling is a creative endeavor
At its foundation, nature journaling involves making observations about nature and documenting those observations in some way. Sounds pretty basic, doesn’t it? Where then is the scope for creativity?
Creativity in nature journaling comes from how we choose to document what we experience while out in the wild world. Traditionally, nature journalers focused on descriptive writing and drawing. Modern nature journalers can also choose to document using my favorite technique—photography.
These art forms offer tremendous leeway for creativity through word choice and artistic and technical skill.
While nature journaling, you can be as creative as you wish. There are no rules, and no teacher, boss, editor, or critic is looking over your shoulder. You are free to use every hokey cliche you know in your writing if that’s what you want to do. Or you can write a haiku one day and a straight, facts-only summary the next. You can sketch a bird with crayons if that’s your jam. Or spend an hour carefully transforming a quick pencil sketch into a landscape worthy of framing.
Nature journaling is a personal endeavor
We are creative people, and each of us is entirely unique in the universe. Therefore, no two nature journalers approach the practice in the exact same way.
Every one of us notices different things when we’re out in the wild, even when we’re together and looking at the exact same scene. The puffy cumulus clouds drifting across the sky might entrance you, while I’m crouched at the side of the trail entranced by a tiger beetle.
Your nature journal entry will look very different from mine because we’re different people who pour different energy and experiences into our nature journals. You create your own personal nature journal—one that’s unique to you and that reflects your personality and preferences.
No two nature journals are alike, and even your own individual nature journal entries may differ in style, topic, approach, and format from day to day.
Nature journaling is instructive
Nature journaling broadens your horizons. Not just because the practice tempts you to venture further into nature but because the experience generates questions about what you see, hear, and smell. Nature journaling not only supports the capture those questions about which you wonder but encourages you to find the answers.
Let’s say you observe a skinny black bird, with an orange throat pouch, and a hooked beak perched on the edge of a lake with its wings partially spread. You could certainly document in your journal exactly this observation and end it there (remember, nature journaling is personal!).
But more likely, you’ll start to wonder. What species is that bird? What does it eat? Why is it standing like that? Is it displaying for the opposite sex? Is the posture a territorial display?
Nature journaling encourages you to find the answers to questions like these. For example, after a few minutes with a good field guide, you would teach yourself that the bird is a Double-crested Cormorant, which swims underwater using its wings and webbed feet and catches fish. It stands with its wings outstretched on the banks to let the sun dry out its feathers after a dive.
All this new and exciting information comes from a single sighting of an unfamiliar bird!
Nature journaling is a path to self-discovery
Nature journaling supports self-discovery. By documenting the wonders you see in nature, you discover what interests you the most in life. You gradually learn that you’re most interested in butterflies and wildflowers, and not so interested in the geology of your local area (or vice versa). Or you may discover a heretofore unrealized interest in all aspects of nature—from the rocks beneath your feet to the stars above your head.
Nature journaling also helps you determine the means of creative expression you enjoy the most. For example, some nature journalers focus on writing. They spend their journaling time using words to describe their observations. Others focus on drawing to capture the most interesting sightings. Other nature journaler like myself prefer photography for creative expression.
Many of us are so used to being responsible adults that we’ve forgotten many of our own preferences. Nature journaling shines a spotlight on what catches your attention and what pieces of nature have the most meaning for you. The practice helps you discover how you like to express yourself and what interests you the most.
Nature journaling is a mnemonic device
Mnemonic devices are items or mechanisms that jog our memory. Nature journals are mnemonic devices. They help us remember all the cool and interesting sights we experienced while out in nature that would otherwise fade from our memories over time.
I consider this to be an especially important answer to the question “what is nature journaling”. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve fallen behind on creating my journal entries, revisited my photographs after several days, and remembered something fabulous that I’d already forgotten.
Nature is ever-changing and never repeats. Therefore, anything you behold while exploring the wild is a “once in a lifetime experience”. But the details of even the coolest natural event fade from your memory over time, washed away by the relentless tide of daily adult life.
When you document your observations, thoughts, feelings, and impressions in your nature journal, you off-load the details from your memory into your journal. Your nature journal preserves these once in a lifetime experiences and gives you a readily available means to revisit memories you’ve forgotten you had.
Nature journaling is fun
Above all else, nature journaling is fun. Humans like creating new things, we like expressing our personalities, and we love learning new things. We also enjoy being playful, carefree, and joyous. Nature journaling offers all these benefits in one tidy, little hobby.
Whether you are concise, scientific, and methodical in your journaling, or wild, free, and meandering, nature journaling offers endless rewards and opportunities to learn, grow, and enjoy our wild world.
Happy nature journaling!
