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The secret to a more creative life is hiding in your yard
The secret to a more creative life is hiding in your yard
It’s a matter of letting nature be your muse. Here are four ideas that’ll help rewire your brain
By: Rob Walker, author of The Art of Noticing
Mindlessly browsing social media the other day, I stopped on a post in which a father shared his response to his seven-year-old’s all-too-familiar complaint: “I’m bored.” Dad’s rejoinder: “Trace a shadow, and let’s talk about it.” An illustrative video snippet showed the child positioning a sketch pad to catch the shadow thrown by a leafy, flowered branch, the outlines of which he quick-traced to capture a pleasing abstract shape.
Apart from making me embarrassed to be sitting inside scrolling on my laptop, this little example of interacting creatively with nature struck me as a potent insight. Or maybe it’s just a reminder: It’s important to appreciate the natural world, and that can mean not just observing but interacting with it creatively. Whether or not you think of yourself as an artist (or writer or photographer), you can make nature your muse.
Sketchy observation
I’m very sympathetic to those who dislike drawing exercises; I can’t draw either! But let’s take inspiration from that adventurous seven-year-old. Tracing a shadow is just one tactic for focusing attention without worrying about “getting it right.” In a small sketchbook, just use a few minimal but bold lines that echo the tree or plant that’s catching your eye.
Don’t worry about what you’re producing or whether it makes sense to anyone else. Abstract is fine! The point is to take advantage of the proven effect of drawing as a way to enhance focus and attention. Be less concerned with what you capture than with what you now notice that you might have otherwise overlooked. Set a goal to make 10 sketches when spending time in your yard or on a walk, and see how that changes what you perceive.
Use your words
One of my favorite sources of inspiration for using creativity to more closely attend to and appreciate nature is an ongoing collaboration between the National Writing Project and the National Park Service. The centerpiece is an event called Write Out that encourages people to do just what that name implies: get out in nature with a pen and a notebook and write. (Full disclosure: I am such a fan that I have actually served as a Write Out “ambassador” in the past.)
While Write Out is aimed primarily at educators and local events during a two-week stretch every October, anyone can participate and take inspiration from the various prompts and exercises shared. One approach is to go out and write to nature, rather than about it. For example, former U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón’s has offered the assignment: What would you write in response to the landscape around you? Maybe that means an ode to some tree or flower or even vegetable in your garden that you adore; maybe it’s a series of questions; maybe it’s an apology for neglecting nature in the past.
The brief for nature
Historically, I haven’t been a haiku guy. But it was in connection with Write Out that I was challenged last year to write this kind of poem in response to evidence of nature in a city. (Specifically, in my case, some plants on a very unglamorous hotel-roof patio.) This turns out to be a nice link between environment and form: Make an effort to spot nature where you are. Even the most modest, underdog example might inspire an admiring haiku.
Ready for a close-up
If you’re still resistant to the idea of using creativity as a nature-observing tool, you might ponder whether in reality you do it all the time — with your smartphone camera. Should you prefer to stick with that familiar tool, consider switching up the way you use it. Try extreme close-ups or deliberately abstract framing to create images that someone else might not even recognize. It’s okay if that’s the case, because you’re not doing this to capture nature in a way that’s legible to others; you’re attending to nature in a way that’s meaningful to you.
Have you made nature your muse? Share the results — whether a haiku, drawing, or photo — with us on Instagram and tag us @miraclegro.
About the writer
Rob Walker writes about business, technology, the arts, and other subjects. He is the author of The Art of Noticing, and the newsletter of the same name.