A month of nature journaling turned out to be more than just a practice of observation—it became a daily ritual that taught me about consistency, creativity, and the importance of being in the present moment. As I discussed in my December blog post, I started a challenge that I made for myself to create a nature journal page for each month in 2025. The first monthly page that I did this year was focused on the most common birds that use my cedar hedge during the winter.
To avoid getting overwhelmed and taking this new creativity habit too seriously, I decided to take a minimalist approach and focus on elements that I enjoy the most, which are drawing birds and using ink and wash techniques. January was also a very cold month overall, which made it a challenge to do a non-physical outdoor activity. Instead, I spent time every day sitting at one of my windows looking out on a large cedar hedge that is very close to a bird feeder that I maintain for the birds year-round.
Since my personal interest in this hobby is more about connecting to the natural world through creativity than scientific observation, which is a common feature in more mainstream styles of nature journaling, I found it helpful to have a small notebook journal that I could write down in-the-moment observations and descriptions paired with photos that I took. Then I would review the photographs and notes later and draw in a larger journal with heavier paper that can handle mixed media.
The biggest challenge of just starting out nature journaling is battling the need to make all of the drawings perfect, as though they should be finished professional pieces rather than a relaxed exploration of nature, getting to know the flora and fauna that surrounds me. Perfectionism has a place, but it can get in the way of being open to the wonders of life and the creative flow. In the end I think I found a nice balance, but it will be an ongoing work in progress.
I also found it helpful to structure my January page around a theme. For January, the subject I gave my journal was ‘Birds of the Cedar Hedge.’ This meant that I only included the birds that make the most frequent use of the hedge,
either for shelter, play, or as a tool to break open seeds, and I excluded others such as the Cardinals even though they were frequent visitors to the bird feeder as well. This allowed me to focus my observations on a few bird species and get more familiar with their patterns, habits and how they move.
Overall, I enjoyed the start of my nature journaling journey so far. It was a nice change to draw nature in a more relaxed manner than spending most of my creative time on formal art pieces. For future journal pages, I want to start bringing in more text, including more non-animal elements, and develop my inking skills. It is important to slow down and live in the present moment more often than not. Nature-based activities like nature journaling and gardening are great at achieving that. Nature journaling has become a practice I will continue, not just for my art but for my peace of mind.
The Heron and Rose 