Experiment 1: Observations

First Experiment: Practice Observation in the world around you.

This experiment has been in the works for months. I can't help but find it interesting that the Creativity Experiment started up nine months ago and I was following along without even knowing!

To be honest, being an observer of the world around me has been part of my work for so many years. Observation is key to the work of a therapist and teacher.  As I traveled over the past few years, I've brought a small sketchbook with me and in it I find the small details of the larger picture. The seed heads of the gum trees in Australia, rabbit bush and lizards from the Mono Basin in California, and, of late, ferns and mushrooms from my nearby forestlands of the PNW.

I was better at tuning in to observer-mode farther afield, not noticing the details in the beautiful surrounding forests near my home. It took my daughter, moving back in when COVID first hit, to start pointing out what had become a blurred green landscape where I exercise. My daughter had just been furloughed from her job as an outdoor preschool teacher where every day had been filled with all the various plants and animals around her classroom. As we walked, she would point out the various ferns and lichen, mushrooms and small critters. We started taking pictures of the plants/fungi we weren't clear about, loading them up into iNaturalist to get them identified. The blurred landscape became a delightful exploration and adventure.

My daughter has moved abroad internationally to be with her partner and every day, as I walk into my woods, I think of her and watch for what is unfurling along the paths. 

Key Takeaway: Observation means slowing down, focusing, being curious, learning through senses and knowledge. Observation requires mindfulness.

Photos... pen & ink... watercolors... thread/fabric of the forest understory

practicing lines, details...

Adding color and playing with watercolors...

Using fabric and thread to start crafting the forest floor...