With gratitude: Building community and nature connection

Dear {first_name, "friend"},

In the last month, I've been journaling much less. That's not to say my productive creativity is less. All of my efforts are being redirected towards educating and serving.

It's been a beautiful journey to connect more people to nature, and so I want to dedicate this month's note to reflecting on this month's efforts on community building and nature connections.

This past Tuesday, I took my kids to our local estuary spot for a short nature hike. My daughters need some coaxing to go outside and "touch grass." They protested, "How many minutes? When can I play Minecraft?"

It's not just my kids who needed the nature break. I also need it, because I'm also counting the minutes to when I have to tackle my to-do list. But, as soon as we start walking, I can hear their curiosity switch on. There's a change in their stride, from draggy-feet to calm curiosity.

I'm also launching the Founding Nest, where I'm asking more of you to come along with me on a monthly question create your own nature's notebook. (More about that below)

This note is a bit more packed than the rest, so expect a separate note on upcoming nature journaling events. (PS I was planning to offer a Zine workshop in September, but this will be deferred until a later date due to other engagements.)

1. Making progress: 9 Nature who are officially part of the Founding Nest. 🎉

We are currently at 18% of our goal to add 50 names to the Perpetual Guestbook.

For those who have just joined, more is coming. For right now, simply enjoy the newsletter perks coming to you.

Of the many perks I'm offering, the the Perpetual Guestbook of Gratitude is now online. The Founding Nest members each get their names calligraphed, unless they request to use a pen name. There are only 50 squares available in the guestbook. This isn't just about hitting a number for the sake of counting to 50. I'm thinking of this as a mushroom network of roots (or mycelia) in which we connect with one another, while navigating through the soil.

Invitations to the Founding Nest will close at the end of September.

2. It's a wrap! Summer Adventure in Santa Clara comes to a close
   We completed our Summer Adventure series. In the August workshop, participants made DIY pocket sketchbooks.
   
   Pocket sketchbooks are a great entry point for nature journaling on a low budget. They are light, portable, and low stakes (if you don't like what you made, cut out a page start again). You can make at least two by cutting up a single paper grocery bag, which means making one for yourself, and gifting one to a creative friend to enjoy.
   
   These were among the pocket sketchbooks that workshop students made, and that they shared with me within the workshop.

These sketchbooks serve as permission to make, collect and think all-in one. They warm up your hand-brain connection while you fold the book, and in the process, you may also decide on a main subject. Or, you can choose to continue collecting materials (such as dried leaves, garden flowers, or maps and add them to the pockets).

If you'd like to make a book for yourself, you can check out my abbreviated DIY here.

1. Another first: I sold commissioned art for an online community
   
   My art piece, "Mama Moose in Moonglow" was the subject for community fundraising within the Society of Working Moms. This is the first piece I've sold and now I'm now dreaming about how to make bigger art pieces (since I often only draw in a 5" x 7" sketchbook).
   
   If you have access to instagram, this post explains a bit about the story behind the painting.

One of my favorite parts of this online community is how we're normalizing all of the various phases and stages of modern work for working moms with babies, toddlers all the way up to empty nesters.

The giftee is a founder & mompreneur, and recently her family had to evacuate their home due to wildfire. They are fortunate to return to an intact home, although the experience of evacuating their home will never leave them. It's a constant reminder that we are all vulnerable to climate change.

It's also a sign of hope, as a few members within the community contributed to the purchase. It is possible to be good humans and support one another through difficult times and impending climate change.

On a personal level, as I reflect back on making the piece, I noticed that a personal sketchbook/journaling practice can open doors, such as making more art and sharing it. Of course, there shouldn't be any other reason to practice than finding creativity and self-expression, because it makes us human. AND it can help us to realize what is most important to us.