If you’ve been around this place for any length of time, you’ll notice nature journaling features quite prominently in our practice and programs.
Nature journaling is the best way to squeeze the most out of your time in nature.
Just like when your teachers encouraged you to take notes in school…
There’s something about “writing it down” that helps your brain process information more fully.
And if you’re a visual person, images help you visualize concepts more clearly in your head.
The same holds true with nature journaling.
When you write down your thoughts or observations, you are able to process information more clearly in your mind.
You’re able to explore thoughts in a more concrete, full way.
A thought that pops up into your mind can float away at any second – and rarely gets processed.
But a thought that’s processed on paper sticks. It expands. It builds traction and substance and builds.
And a sketch…
Helps you learn more about an object than you ever could simply glancing at it.
See how this twig bends there, twists a little upward there, and casts a light shadow there?
The sort of attention required to translate form onto paper is the best way to understand the world in all its 3D substance.
That’s why we love nature journaling so much around here!
Nature journaling enhances your memory
Over half of humans are visual learners. That means, many of us learn better when we can “picture” a process or if we have a visual attached to a concept. Meaningful images help us process and then later remember information.
If you want to remember your experiences in nature, draw them on paper.
And/or write about them.
The more ways you come at an experience – visual, written, auditory, kinesthetic, etc – the more vividly you’ll remember it.
If you want a student to remember a chemistry equation, have them write it out. Then, explain it. Then, have them do an experiment of the concept in action.
In the same way, if you want to have a more expansive experience in nature, you want to explore multiple angles.
That’s why one of the most vital parts of forest bathing is taking in your surroundings with all five senses. You really have to stop and process all the input from different angles to get the full experience.
You can almost picture (see what I did there?) the neurons in your brain firing up and making new connections.
>>>[Don’t want to bring your journal? Use the imprinting method instead]<<<
A nature journal gives you a collection of memories to look back on
I don’t know about you, but I love looking through old journals.
Mine. Someone else’s. Anyone’s.
There’s that feeling that you get.
It’s like a peek into someone’s brain.
Someone’s style of speaking or drawing. The style of their handwriting tells a story.
And of course, the stories themselves transport you.
I love nature journaling for this reason. It’s a way to collect beautiful memories and look back on them again someday.
It’s a way to piece together your story in nature. And preserve it.
Without a nature journal, you have to rely on your memory, which can get fuzzy and leave details out.
Without a nature journal, you won’t remember all the memories, just a select few.
But with a nature journal, you can collect all your memories. Remember them all. Keep them all safe.
Journaling helps you pick up on subtleties you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise
In the intro, I explained how sketching details, like on a twig, helps you understand nature in 3D.
Written accounts can have a similar effect.
Let’s say you choose to play around with haiku while in the forest.
Writing haiku is a practice in noticing minutia.
You might explain how a droplet of light falls on a piece of fungus.
Or a single strand of grass that stands taller than the others.
In order to try to pen a haiku, you have to pay attention.
Close attention.
The closest attention you’ve probably paid to anything.
And you know what happens?
You really notice things!
Things you would never have noticed if you didn’t stop to wonder.
Journaling in any way – whether it’s a sketch, a haiku, or a weather record – gives you a keen eye for the details.
And helps you understand the forest in intimate detail.
Nature journaling helps you understand the forest better
If you love the forest, you likely want to know more about it.
And one of the best directions I could point you would be to a field guide and journal.
If you want to know about the forest, go there often. Observe it, study it, draw it, and write about it.
The more you go and the closer you pay attention, the more you’ll learn.
Perhaps you might notice that the birds sing differently when it’s about to rain.
You might start to notice which insects are drawn to which type of tree.
You might discover the daily habits of the trees.
Along the way, the forest becomes like a soulmate friend.
A place you understand and a place that understands you.
Are you itching to start nature journaling now?
Good, because I wish these beloved gifts for everyone!
Start nature journaling today!
If you’re looking for a good nature journal to get started, I’ve designed my own collection for just this purpose.
Right now, we have 3 journals available through Amazon.
The inside alternates between lined and unlined pages, so you can write on one side and sketch on the other.
They’re thin and smaller too (125 pages), so you don’t have to commit to an intimidating masterpiece.
Otherwise, grab a sketchbook or journal you already have, and meet me in the forest…
How about you?
Have you noticed how nature journaling enhances your experience in nature?