A few things have always been constant in my life since I was very young. Of those, my love for animals and my need to make art stand out the most.
It only took me 46 years of stumbling along in life to connect the two and have that "A HA!" moment. Wildlife and art are my chocolate and peanut butter. It seems so obvious now, they simply belong together. And I don't just mean drawing wildlife on my art -- that much I have done for years. I mean using my art to "speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves," if I may borrow this powerful phrase from Jane Goodall.
A few years ago I stumbled upon an activity called nature journaling. It essentially means to take a notebook and a pencil out into the world, see what is going on, and document it. The purpose is not to create a record that will be housed in the scientific and/or art archives for centuries; the outcome of what ends up on the page is actually not the point at all. The real point is to slow down, be in the moment, and show real love to something in nature. As naturalist John Muir Laws often says, this love can be defined as, "sustained compassionate attention." He means to study something as simple as a leaf until you see its every angle, bump, color, and uniqueness ... to be curious and wonder something you've never thought to wonder before. And THAT is the actual purpose of nature journaling -- to grow your mind and rejuvenate your spirit in the company of nature.
During this year's Wild Wonders Nature Journaling conference, I attended a class by Karen Romano Young. She is an author and artist who has written many books for kids. Most recently, she has found a way to use her skills and talents to increase awareness about global warming through a project she calls #AntarcticaLog. Her class helped me realize that there is a real need for science communications, especially ones that engage audiences in fun and different ways. She also approaches her work from several angles .. most notably as 1. a curious non-scientist observer and 2. a journalist reporting the news to their audience. What?! I don't have to BE a scientist and expert in the field before I begin?! This was a mind-blowing discovery for me: I am able RIGHT NOW to start making science more accessible!
I flipped through my sketchbook and realized that I've really already been taking this approach with my journal pages, the only difference is that I haven't been sharing them broadly. I scanned in some of my pages and started sharing them with audiences interested in the topics. I sent them to live camera owners from whose stream I had sketched an animal. I shared with the conservation groups of which I was already a member. I posted on some forums for people who especially love that specific animal. In every case, I've received a positive reaction. I event sent them to some of the scientists whose research I had leveraged. They are excited to see the animals they love in a personalized sketch, they learned from the brief facts I included (extracted from science articles they probably would not have otherwise read), and they shared started to share the pages with others. WOW, this might actually work.
I've started to get submissions for more ideas to explore, so I'm seeing a real opportunity for some partnerships with conservation groups.
I still don't know where I'm headed on this journey. For now, I am just getting my feet wet. At a minimum, I can continue to contribute my sketches to online communities who will appreciate them as a means of advocating for protecting our precious wildlife.
I get to watch the animals I love, while creating art I enjoy making, AND make a difference? Yes, please!
So, here I go. I hope you'll keep me company on this journey. Having no background in science or journalism or publishing or business, means I have a lot of learning "opportunities" ahead. Any tips or advice you have is always appreciated!
