Wednesdays with Words: Artifact of Making

Another quote from A Delectable Education. This time from Episode 42 the second with John Muir Laws.

For me [nature journaling] just forces my brain to lock in on a totally different level, so that’s why I’m using it. I’m not using it ’cause I want to make pretty pictures, I’m making the pictures because I want to be present in this world. An artifact of making lots of pictures is that your pictures will get better. So for me it’s not a portfolio, it’s not a presentation piece, it’s not ta-da! I drew this flower, its tat because I was taking the time with that I noticed all these things and am gonna remember them more vividly. (emphasis mine)

 OK, a couple of things … First he wants to be attentive, to Attend!, to the world. Nature Journaling helps with that. Obviously that stood out to me.

Second, artifacts of making lots improves. Improvement with practice is true in almost every arena that we are dealing with our students. We get better the more we do it … and so do our children. We just have to convince them of that.

We are present and we improve in our inner lives. Good stuff.

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