Seasonal journaling
A creative response to the world around us
Welcome to my wee corner of Substack. I am a seasonal artist living on the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. I am the custodian of approximately two acres of land that includes a woodland, a meadow and my wee garden. I offer a seasonal book arts project for paid subscribers if you are interested and you can read more about that HERE. Grab a cuppa and lets delve into our relationship with the shifting seasons…..
Seasonal journaling allows us to be at our most responsive to the natural world around us. The changing in the seasons influences the way with live our lives, sometimes without realising. Today is the perfect day to write about this. On the small Scottish island I call home the winds are increasing and the islanders know (without reference to any weather map) that a big storm is coming. We get very big storms and as I drove around the island early this morning I could see islanders preparing for what is to come. Pavement signs were being lifted, closed signs put up at the island castle, boats being tied down and the Co-op busier than usual! We know.
In my world this change in weather gives me the perfect excuse to get my journal out. Those that know me well know that I have more than one on the go at any one time! Those of you in my subscription book arts group know the place that art journaling plays in my creativity and we are exploring that at the moment. I write about seasonal art journaling HERE. I also plan with a bullet journal as I know many folk do these days. I don’t want to plan on the laptop because I want to limit screen time so a bullet journal is much more me….
I also keep a nature journal where I record my observations of the natural world. For me, it is all in the noticing.
There is much to notice today with the winds strengthening as I write. This storm is to arrive in two parts. High winds today and then, what I refer to as an empty day tomorrow where the island feels devoid of wind. Don’t be fooled as the second part of the storm will arrive on Sunday with 60 miles per hour winds due to batter us. Now you know why the islanders are scurrying around…. I am fortunate to be the custodian of a small woodland with roadside access so the big storms always make me nervous. On my forest walk this morning I noticed more squirrels than normal. They know what is coming as well. When the storm hits the best thing to do is stay inside and that gives me the perfect excuse to get one of my journals out. You will find me sitting by a window with a cuppa watching, scribbling and drawing what I see and hear. My beech hedge is in full copper glory at the moment but, by the end of this storm, it will be stripped of leaves.
My years of journaling with the natural world has enabled me to identify small seasonal patterns and weather inspired moments that I can then use in my creative work. Seasonal journaling is not just about observing and recording. It is about how you use that information in your creative world. I view my journal entries as technicolour nuggets that I can unwrap later and explore. I also use my journal entries to see patterns emerging and/or messages I want to share with the world. As an environmental artist, I believe art has a way of communicating fragility far better than an data or graph published online or in print. Art has the ability to touch people’s souls and it is our collective souls that need to pay much closer attention to the natural world that we are, very much, part of. So, these observations that are recorded in a journal are important beyond the page that holds them. They allow us to see with great clarity and that is something that, arguably, the human race is lacking in. We long since reached information overload and many folk are disconnected from the world around them. I can’t say I blame them. My remedy is for folk to get off the laptop and seek out a lovely book and start journaling about your relationship with the natural world around you. What do you notice? How do you want to record it? Is it time to put the kettle on again??
Some years ago I began making journals to sell in my Etsy store and I couldn’t have known how popular they would be. Rarely are two journals the same and that is deliberate. I want folk to CHOOSE the one that speaks to them. Journaling is a deeply personal journey, regardless of the subject. I see a lot of ‘white noise’ online about journaling and the pressure to make it habitual. My advice is always the same -
Take your time.
Focus on small details to begin with.
Choose a book that speaks to you.
Small, thoughtful entries are more valuable than writing for the sake of writing.
Consider annotating your written entries - doodling is good for the creative soul.
Keep your journal nearby - I have a small one in my bag as I never know when I might want to make an entry.
Read back through your entries often and note any patterns/observations/messages you might see.
Know that journaling is deeply personal and your journey belongs to you. By all means witness other people’s practice but never compare.
Leave the last page blank. A few months later go back and read your journal from start to end. On that final blank page record what this journal has taught you.
If you are new to journal I have a simple Pdf below with some useful words that you might use as starting points?
If you journal already do feel free to share your thoughts on why you love to journal and what it teaches you.
Until next time,
Fiona xx
Thank you for the Journaling words Fiona. I hope the storm has now passed and not too much damage occurred. It was wild here through the night, thoughts of my roof blowing off had to be put to the back of my mind! I also don't like too much screen time so have found your journaling advice very helpful.
I love this "Leave the last page blank. A few months later go back and read your journal from start to end. On that final blank page record what this journal has taught you". What a great idea.
I hope the storm didn't cause too much damage.