I am from: using nature memories to define who we are and to celebrate our unique sense of place.

The inspiration

Recently I came across an article about the “I Am From” poem and the project that flowed from it.  The poems moved me deeply as I read through the unique and diverse experiences reflected in the poems people submitted.   Some of them, very powerful and moving.  The original poem and catalyst for this project was written by George Ella Lyons.  People are welcome to submit poems to the project’s Facebook page and website, and have even created videos for YouTube.  They do this individually or as a group.  There is a wonderful video of a collaborative fabric art project that not only celebrates each unique person, but creates a strong sense of place as a whole.

 I wrote a poem for myself and was surprised at the countless sights, sounds, and events that define who I am today! It includes good parts and the not-so-good, and some of the pain that emerged during this process.   I suggest a focus on what is true, but to also look for the good.  Good seems to endure and light the way, for ourselves but also for others.   I submitted this poem to the website, and hope it will be added to the “river of voices” and the amazing diversity of experiences.

 A nature perspective

Then I wondered if condensing my focus to nature would also work and tried it out – you can read that result below.  This process inspired me to add the words and resulting imagery to my nature journal.  I loved the renewed connection to the nature of my childhood and beyond, and drew with abandon, not worrying about tidy lines or splashing color around! 

This was such a memorable experience!  I suggest you try it in your own nature journal.  You can see that some of my sketches are uncomplicated while some have a bit more attention.  Some reflect that inner child.  Don’t worry about your skill level – just the basics, or even descriptive color swathes work.  Both Clare Walker Leslie and Mimi Robinson have used color shapes alone to beautifully describe environments and seasons.  Try it and see.  There are also other ways to add visual imagery:  photos, collage, prints, or ephemera such as pressed leaves or flowers, maps, tickets, fabric, and much more.

 Your own deep connection matters

It is the deep connection to place that matters, and the bits and pieces that echo place besides the flora, fauna, and geology: the colors, smells, tastes, textures, and emotions.  These have created how we view and interact with nature today.  It is a good thing to recognize the role they’ve played – and it is a good thing to expand our views when we experience another’s memories. 

 

Click to view larger.

If you aren’t sure where to start, I offer you an exercise developed just for nature.  The 2-page PDF can be downloaded HERE.  One side has suggestions and prompts, the other has my nature poem plus links to the I Am From project website and Facebook page, plus YouTube videos. 

Here is my “I Am From” poem.

I am from
knee-deep snowdrifts, frozen lashes, the searing breath of winter.
Summertime poison ivy rash and itchy mosquito bumps
chasing butterflies and garter snakes
magical fireflies and a whippoorwill lullaby.

I am from
the indigo blue comfort after a midwestern sunset
the musty taste of black walnuts and joyful sweetness of tiny wild blackberries
the bright flash of cardinal and a hummingbird’s glittering eye.
Fluttering spring beauties with tiaras of columbines
and the thrum of bees in the clover.

I am from
The mighty Mississippi,
a languid longing below
the stink of fish and duckweed
and the thrill of snapping turtles.
River bottom land, and banks and bluffs of stacked limestone.

I am from
sturdy oaks and maples,
deer trails and owl pellets
under improbably green new leaves, so delicate, glowing.
Standing in prairie grasses filled with tiny treasures
and the wind in my hair.

 

Media
Aquabee Super Deluxe 6x9” mixed media sketchbook (double spread)
Daniel Smith watercolors
Micron Pigma 01 black artist pen
Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen 10

On the web:

I Am From Project website:  https://iamfromproject.com/

I Am From  Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/iamfromproject/

 Additional YouTube videos:

I Am From | Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by Juan Delgado, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFtXf1bAC-E

I Am From...A Poem by Aaric Pelc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVryvxLTIyU

And a collective project by participants of the 2020 Whole Child, Whole Day Social Emotional Learning Symposium:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRM0-fdEJX4

 

Collections: the joy of small things in my nature journals

Sandstone rocks, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

There is a magic in the small things of life.  All my life I have been a collector of bits and pieces of nature. 

 I’ve had soda crates filled with rocks under my bed, nests and feathers tucked into a shoebox, bits of leaves and flowers pressed into books, shells and driftwood in plastic tubs.  My parents begged me to leave the rocks behind when we moved.  How could I?  They were from places visited and each one held a memory – my own little Cabinets of Curiosities.

I love the tiny pieces of life that tell a story of the world around me. It might be a leaf; it might be an acorn cracked by a squirrel.  It might be a broken shell, maybe be a piece of wave-washed coral.  Altogether, these parts tell a whole story.

Things from my yard, Naples, Florida

I do my collecting in images now.  The act of drawing or painting an assortment of natural objects brings me joy.  Each page is a cabinet of curiosity, and each natural object relates to the other.  

 

What is it about humans that drives us to collect, store, and display these bits of the natural world?  I’ve only collected found objects, but there are big game hunters and orchid collectors and pot hunters who are not so benign.  I’ve often wondered at the motivation to gather these items.  What deeper meaning drives this behavior?  How does this shape our relationship to Nature?  

For me, it's because they tell of my travels and I want to revisit that story.   They represent discarded remnants (a fallen nest), or clues of a past meal (the cracked acorn), or a story of the passage of time (a fossil shell).  These are important things.  They are treasures, and they hold magic.  The magic is in the life that went before, and the story told now. 

On your next hike or visit to the ocean or park, look for those small pieces of nature – let them fill your life with that same magic of discovery that fills every joyful five-year-old child.   Let their story connect to yours.  These connections can fill us with humility, wonder, and awe of the vibrancy of life, until we are filled and overflowing, then to share our story.

Things from along the Upper Iowa River prairie bottom
Decorah, Iowa

Things from my yard, Naples, Florida

Things from the shore, Gulf of Mexico
Naples, Florida