This is a 3-hour workshop. Be sure to dress comfortably for light walking and relaxing nature fun!
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” – Rachel Carson
What is “Nature Journaling”?
Nature Journaling is, simply put, recording and collecting your thoughts, ideas, questions, and observations onto a page in your journal. You do not have to be an artist, scientist, or a poet to enjoy nature journaling. It is, simply put, noticing life as it appears to you, right now, learning how to preserve your observations using words, pictures, and numbers, and putting them down on paper in your journal. Nature Journaling is a skill that, like any skill, will develop the more you practice it. It is a tool for learning to live more deeply. It can be learned at any age, and will reward anyone who takes up the practice with a record of their days on this earth. All you need is a pencil, a journal, and an open mind.
This workshop will be held at Oliver’s Woods, a nature preserve on Indy’s north side that is a property of the Central Indiana Land Trust. We will meet indoors at the Daugherty House for a brief introduction and some basic instruction on how to set up a page in your journal, a few short exercises to get over the fear of drawing (everyone can do it!), and some suggestions about how to find a spot to sit and how to begin. We will be learning and practicing some of the techniques of Nature Journaling to record our observations, thoughts, and impressions in our journals, using the simple yet profound prompts of “I Notice”, “I Wonder”, and “It Reminds Me Of” (INIWIRMO). We will then head outside and spend some time with your journal. We will come back together at the end of the day to share our work with each other.
I hope you will join me for a leisurely afternoon enjoying the beauty of our natural world!
About the Instructor
James Todd has always enjoyed spending time outdoors, whether it was squirrel hunting and fishing with his father as a child, camping under the stars, or kayaking on rivers and lakes with his wife. He also has a deep appreciation for art, particularly watercolor painting and sketching, though he does not consider himself an artist.
As a Master Naturalist through the Indiana DNR and a certified Nature Journal Educator through the Wild Wonder Foundation, James has embraced nature journaling since 2022, making it a regular and meaningful part of his life.
After retiring from a career in law enforcement in 2011, he transitioned to working as a personal trainer and boxing coach for Rock Steady Boxing, an exercise program designed for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. He is also an active volunteer with the Central Indiana Land Trust as a White River Docent and with The Nature Conservancy as a Bison Ranger. In addition, he has begun leading classes on nature journaling, eager to share his passion for the natural world with others.
