ALL THE RAIN PROMISES AND MORE

           Writing this final post has actually made me quite sad. I enjoyed drafting these posts as they provided me with an opportunity to express my views and share my thoughts and opinions with my classmates. The response process with everyone also provided a much-needed social interaction that was lost due to the pandemic. Yet I will not dwell upon what is coming to an end. Instead, I will reflect upon what I have learned about my development as a nature interpreter. In particular, how is my personal ethic evolving, what beliefs are influencing me, what do I view as my responsibilities, and what approaches are most suitable for me as a nature interpreter? The highly divergent views expressed by my classmates in their blogs has illustrated how important individual life experiences and circumstances are in forming their opinions, thoughts and views. Sharing our individual experiences has helped us collectively expand our horizons. So how has this influenced me?

          Everyone has an ethic that influences the way in which they approach a task or respond to an issue. Ethics are referred to by the Government of Canada (2015) as “a way of living” that people use to justify their actions based upon what they deem right and wrong and just and unjust. The moral judgments that individuals make are not something that can be taught but is something that they need to cultivate. An individual’s ethics can continue to develop and change as people grow and learn valuable lessons over their lives. The beliefs that I have, the responsibilities that I feel, and how I go about addressing situations are all rooted back to my individual moral ethics.

My parents are two of the most important people in my life. A lot of the moral ethics that I have now are because of them. They have instilled values in me that shape every action I do. Photo taken by Brooke Murphy (my sister)       

       I believe that humans tend to take things for granted and we tend to not understand how truly valuable people, moments or objects are. I think that nature is one of those things humans undervalue. 

Quickly take a second and reflect on how vital nature is for your survival.

 Humans require nature for food, places to exercise, to find inspiration, and improve their mental health. That is why I believe nature interpretation is so vital. It helps enhance one’s appreciation for the natural world. Personally, the pandemic took a toll upon my mental health. One of the ways that I have been able to recover is through interpreting nature. Nature brings me this sense of calm, making all the anxieties, which tend to overtake my life some days, disappear. The significance nature plays in my mental health recovery is why I believe that nature is so vital as the benefits it has tend to go unnoticed by most.

I started really understanding how important walking through nature was for my mental health in 2017 when I started to develop severe anxiety. This photo is around the time my anxiety was becoming extremely bad and I was going on frequent walks just to try to feel calm and I found nature was able to help me find this calm.

         Given how positively impactful nature has been on my life, I feel responsible to serve as an interpreter for nature. I do not necessarily want to be a formal nature interpreter, but I would still like to be a nature interpreter through my day-to-day actions. The natural world has helped me immeasurably and improved my mental health. That is why I feel responsible for helping to improve nature’s physical health by discussing endangered species, climate change, and other pressing environmental issues. When I graduate, I plan to pursue a career in teaching and use the concepts that I learned in this course in my career. I learned that effective communication is essential! To educate an audience about nature, I need to be able to effectively communicate to an audience in both an engaging and inclusive manner in order to appeal to their moral ethic to act as stewards of the earth! 

Freeman Tilden says…..

 “we must not tell one what they can do, but what they should do and not what they must be, but what they can be”. 

I believe that in order to do this I will need to tailor to my audience how I present a topic. In the course and textbook, the notion is discussed that how people interpret and connect with a presentation will be influenced by presentation style. Understanding and customizing each presentation to address each audience’s different learning styles is critical and my responsibility.

           I feel responsible for being an effective nature interpreter, not just for nature, but also for the individuals that I am presenting to. I believe and feel everyone has a right to be included and that no one should be made to feel as if they are not welcome - speaking from experience. As a nature interpreter, it is my responsibility to ensure that everyone can engage comfortably with an issue or concept that I am discussing. As a person who suffers from social anxiety, I can relate to the difficulty of group engagement. I know that as soon as my anxiety begins, I start to zone out and cannot remember anything. To ensure that this does not happen to others, I would give consideration to making people feel physically, mentally and socially safe. Doing this will help to ensure that everyone is given the same opportunity despite what they have and lack in their “invisible knapsack”.

I remember I was super anxious this day and was very quite during this tour/experience. The tour guide picked up on it and in front of the whole group made me come and kiss a stingray for 7 years of good luck. This gesture made me feel so included and special that I stopped feeling as anxious and began engaging more. Highlighting how important it is to make sure everyone feels included and has the same opportunity to learn. 

          I find that humour is one of the best ways to present a concept as it makes people more engaged and relaxed. Adding humour to my presentation, while effectively articulating my point, makes an experience more engaging and memorable while creating a sense of joy and calm. I use humour often in my everyday life. Humour helps to lighten the mood and make experiences more enjoyable, I also find it helps reduce my anxiety, which is an added bonus.

          This course taught me that there are many ways to be a nature interpreter, present a topic or write a blog. The diverse means of completing different tasks allows us to add our own values and beliefs to everything. Therefore, when someone wants to use different approaches, teaching styles, and so on, that is 100% okay! The ways that individuals choose to work in the future will be effective regardless of the style, as long as they stay true to their morals, beliefs and values.

As long as you stay true to you the impacts you can have and the lessons you can teach will be unmeasurable! 

References 

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. Sagamore Venture Publishing LLC.

I want to start off by saying thank you guys for the great semester!  This course has been one of my favourites I have taken in my undergrad.  I am so grateful to be able to have these discussions with my peers to help make the time through Covid not feel so alone.

I remember being thrilled when I first found out we were making a Tumblr instead of just posts on a discussion board.  Probably because in 2014 I was on Tumblr all the time so it took me back to looking at my old posts I used to make on my personal account.  I was also excited that this course was going to let me be able to take all my passions and put them together. I get the scientific aspect that most of my courses are but I also get to take my passion for writing, poetry, photography, and the arts in general.  This balance let me continue to learn about myself and grow as a student.  It also allowed me to look into future career paths including not only nature interpretation but potentially scientific writing.

For this week’s prompt when it comes to personal ethics and nature interpretation, I wanted to first look at some of my own ethics in general.  That includes the following traits:

Loyalty

Empathy

Respect

Honesty

Equality

Humility

Selflessness

Integrity

These qualities I use in everyday decisions including the actions I make.  These are extremely important to look at because they help shape your leadership role whether that is through school, work, or a simple interaction. Through these qualities, my leadership type would be a mix of the Visionary leadership style as well as the Servant leadership style (Indeed, 2021).  This means when looking at the Visionary leadership style my qualities of optimism, innovativeness, being magnetic, risk-taking, and being strategic can help bring change by inspiring others and earning a deep-rooted trust (Indeed, 2021).  

On the other hand, when looking at the Servant leadership type my qualities of personally caring about others, excellent communication skills, and empathy can help those around me feel personally fulfilled and raise morale (Indeed, 2021).  Being aware of your leadership style is crucial.  It allows me to be self-aware of my strengths when working with others and to be mindful of my weaknesses that come with them. For example, when looking at the Visionary leadership style I know I think “big picture.”  I now know to be careful to not skim over small details that I could potentially miss and balance not only my future-orientated goals but my current ones (Indeed, 2021).  Also, when looking at my Servant leadership style I now know to now burn myself out with others’ emotional needs and am also learning to be more authoritative (Indeed, 2021).

What is your leadership style? Watch this YouTube video to figure it out!

So you might be wondering, what does this have to do with nature interpretation? 

As I mentioned before, figuring out who you are as a person is important when looking at nature interpretation (Hooykaas, 2021).  Your strengths, weakness, and problem-solving skills make you the person you are today.  It essentially helps you figure out the question, “Who Am I As an Interpreter (Hooykaas, 2021)?” It not only helps with that question but also how to lead depending on your audience (Hooykaas, 2021).  Even though I know my “go-to” leadership style when it comes to different situations, I should be able to adjust it depending on what the problem is.  By also being aware, I can understand others’ leadership styles to be able to make a more cohesive team experience.

Have you ever had a time where you needed to change your approach to a situation because of someone else’s problem-solving approach?

So let’s take my personal ethics and apply them to nature interpretation and working in the field.

Cait’s Guide to Ethics and Applying Them to Real Life:

Loyalty: I will take pride in my work.  I will work as hard as I can and work to the overall success of my place of work.  I will always put my best work forward.

Empathy: I will take others’ concerns and thoughts into consideration.  I will actively listen and ask questions about others’ problems.  I will not make presumptions about others.

Respect: I will treat others with kindness.  I will encourage others to express their opinions and viewpoints.  I will listen to what others have to say before expressing my own viewpoint.  

Honesty: I will keep my word and deliver on my promises.  I will keep to my commitments.  I will take responsibility for my actions. 

Equality: I will include everyone.  I will identify and prevent any unconscious biases.  I will be aware of any indirect discrimination.

Humility: I will apologize when I am in the wrong.  I will acknowledge other’s limitations and strengths.  I will appreciate other’s contributions.

Selflessness: I will learn to let go.  I will practice giving things I want for myself to others.  I will get out of my own head.  

Integrity: I will be respectful during conflict.  I will be a positive example.  I will practice accountability.  

This code of personal ethics allows me to bring my own set of guidelines to the nature interpretation field.  By doing this I have a certain amount of responsibility to uphold.  If I did not uphold these guidelines it would ruin my self-esteem, self-worth, and self-image.  Not upholding your personal ethics, in general, makes you question your morals and who you are as a person.  It is important under all circumstances to remind yourself who you really are and do what is best for your own being.

Have you ever had to go against your own morals?  Why did you have to? How did it make you feel?

All the best with the rest of the semester,

Cait :)

Here’s one last picture of me at Lake Laurentian Conservation Area!

References:

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Unit 10: Nature Interpretation’s Role in Environmental Sustainability [Course Website]. University of Guelph Courselink. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/666945/viewContent/2597605/View

Love the post!

About your question, yea I have definitely had to act in contradiction to my own morals. I think everyone has at least once. I can’t quite recall a specific instance but here is a fairly applicable example: let's say a friend or sibling or someone close to you confides something in you. Lets say your moral code includes being trustworthy, but this information they have confided in you needs to be shared with someone else to help the friend or sibling. Sometimes you have to beak a person trust a little bit in order to do what is best for them. Or similarly, in order to do what is morally right you must abandon part of your moral code for a moment. This feels bad, it feels as though you are doing what you know you shouldn’t do thus leading to feelings of guilt and shame.

Hey folks!  Today I am going to teach you all about my favourite bird, which is one that I’m sure you are all quite familiar with.  Crows!  Although they may not seem too impressive (they don’t have brightly coloured plumage, or sing loudly to attract mates from afar), they are remarkably smart animals, and I hope to help you gain an appreciation for them too!

American crow, the species of bird that we are lucky enough to live alongside!  Photo by All About Birds.

Crows are a member of the Corvidae family, alongside ravens, magpies, rooks, and even blue jays!  All of these birds are very intelligent – in fact, despite their relatively tiny brains, their intelligence is considered equivalent to that of a 7-year-old human (Andrews, 2018)!  Crows have a higher concentration of neurons than we or any other mammal do, and it shows: they have been documented using passing cars to crack open hard nutshells for them, they can make tools, and they even enjoy playing (Andrews, 2014).  Check out the video below of a crow sliding down a roof using a mayonnaise jar lid as a sled!

A video of a crow using a mayonnaise jar lid as a sled - effectively proving that crows have the ability to ‘play’, or do non-useful tasks just for fun!  Video via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dWw9GLcOeA.

Crows also have an incredible ability to distinguish between and remember human faces.  A study was done out of the University of Washington that involved wearing specific masks while catching and banding a few crows in Seattle (Andrews, 2018).  Those masks were then worn again through the banding areas at various time frames – one walk-through was done two weeks after the initial banding, during which time 26% of crows recognized and held a grudge against the masked people (Andrews, 2018).  Another walk-through was done 15 months later, and that number had grown to 30.4% (Andrews, 2018).  Three years later?  66% (Andrews, 2018)!  This clearly demonstrates that these birds are able to communicate extensively with each other, and that they are capable of passing down their wariness of people with those specific ‘faces’ through generations (Andrews, 2018).  

A slightly horrifying and slightly hilarious photo of the sampling done with the University of Washington in an attempt to understand crows’ facial recognition capabilities.  Photo by David P. Craig.

Although crows’ ability to remember and even hold a grudge against you may seem a little intimidating, it is worth noting that it goes both ways!  Crows remember those that have done nice things for them, and often pay them back (Nosowitz, 2015).  Many anecdotes float around the internet about this ‘currency system’.  One example involves Gabi Mann, an eight-year-old girl who regularly fed the crows in her neighbourhood (Nosowitz, 2015). In exchange, they brought her countless trinkets – sea glass, buttons, paper clips, you name it (Nosowitz, 2015). One day Gabi was out taking pictures a considerable distance away from her home and dropped her lens cap, and sure enough, it was returned to her by her friendly neighbourhood crows (Nosowitz, 2015).  A coincidence, or were they keeping an eye on her?  You tell me, but I definitely lean towards the latter.

Gabi Mann’s growing collection of treasure left for her by the crows in her neighbourhood.  Photo by Katy Sewall.

As is stressed over and over again in Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World, birding is an incredible way to connect yourself to the world around you (Beck et al. 2018).  For me, what started out as simply feeding chickadees out in the Wye Marsh has taken off into a passion for birds that I absolutely cherish.  Do you have any specific bird-related memories, or a favourite avian species?  Or, moving away from birds, do you have a type of animal that you’re passionate about? I’d love to hear all about it!

Thanks for reading,

Annika

References:

Andrews, C. (2014). Video: A Crow Invents A Sled. Good Nature Travel, via https://www.nathab.com/blog/video-a-crow-invents-a-sled/

Andrews, C. (2018). Crows are as Intelligent as a Seven-Year-Old Child. Good Nature Travel, via https://www.nathab.com/blog/crows-are-as-intelligent-as-a-seven-year-old-child/

Beck, L., Cable, T., & Knudson, D. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World. Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Love the post, very well done! I always knew crows were super intelligent but I didn’t know that they where comparable with a 7 year old person, that’s crazy. At first I didn’t believe this as a 7 year old person has a pretty big vocabulary and is capable of logical thought. No way a bird can do that. But when you think about it, crows can actually do these things. I heard in a CBC the Nature of Things documentary with David Suzuki that crows are capable of remembering human faces and passing this information down generations such that offspring a few generations later can recognize the face of a human deemed “dangerous” by their elders and also know to avoid that human. That is defiantly logical thinking. And to do that crows must have a pretty good language/vocabulary in order to relay information of human facial features between generations. I also heard that crows are very good at using/improvising tools in order to complete tasks that sounds comparable to a 7 year old human. That video of the crow using the mayo lid as a sled is also awesome. The fact that they know how to “play” is incredible and makes them even more like a 7 year old human. This is even more amazing as I always thought the only think most animals are concerned with is reproducing and doing things to aid their survival such as finding food or shelter.

Awesome post,

     Music and nature are both forms of art. They create heartwarming emotions, which can help build and strengthen relationships within yourself, and with others. Music can be heard and found in nature endlessly. Such as the sound of birds chirping in the morning as the weather starts to warm or the sound of crickets outside late at night. Music can be heard within the leaves rustling through a windy autumn day or even through the echo of a pebble skipping across a pond. Music is whatever heals your soul and makes you feel at peace. There are so many examples and forms of those sounds of harmony within nature; it is almost impossible to write it all out in one post. 

     According to Beck et al. (2018), “Music is a form of art and the arts move our minds from the ordered and sequential logic into the deeper, more cyclical world of imagery, values, metaphor, and symbolism.”  When I think of music and nature, I think of the serenity that I can find when I can feel both. For example, merely watching a sunset while listening to the ocean waves or listening to the sound of a bonfire crackling on a warm summer night - is enough to create peace within my soul. Don’t get me wrong; I love listening to actual music! I am one of those people who have different playlists for different moods. I love music so much; it has helped me overcome many hurdles in my life, mostly when I have felt alone. However, in my opinion, relating (back) to the quote, there is nothing more calming than associating those beautiful sounds of nature with those beautiful images, such as sunsets, sunrises, mountain tops, seasonal changes, ocean views, and so on. On that note, I feel I should mention that is also why I am that person who lives for outside music festivals! I have been to multiple outdoor concerts in Wasaga Beach, Toronto, Guelph, Kitchener and I attend Boots and Hearts music festivals every summer! I love being able to dance, sing, and enjoy myself outside in the sun! 

(PERSONAL PHOTO: LOCATION: Boots & Hearts Music Festival, Oro-Medonte, Ontario. DATED: August 11th, 2017, 2:38 pm). 

(PERSONAL PHOTO: LOCATION: Boots & Hearts Music Festival, Oro-Medonte, Ontario. DATED: August 12th, 2018, 7:47 pm). 

(PERSONAL PHOTO: LOCATION: Bingemans, Kitchener, Ontario. DATED: September 8th, 2017, 7:56 pm). 

     Now moving onto nature in music, where is nature found in music? I believe nature is found in music naturally. It is located within talent, lyrics, music videos, and so on. I do not mean that nature is found in everything related to music; I just mean that there are deeper meanings behind the art of both music and nature. 

     One of my favourite songs to listen to within adventures outside is Sleep On The Floor by The Lumineers! This song reminds me of the saying, “seize the day.” The lyrics express how people move on to bigger and brighter things in life to fulfill their dreams. This song moves me in a certain way because I also feel that once I complete my degree, I will have to pack up my things and start my life outside Canada; an exhilarating but nerve-wracking experience! Also, if you have never heard of this song before, I will place a youtube link below in case you guys wanted to have a listen! :)

SONG LINK →  https://youtu.be/v4pi1LxuDHc (The Lumineers, 2016). 

QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS:

Have you ever thought to yourself why some of us sleep better through a thunderstorm or rainstorm? Or why some of us find calmness in nighttime playlists like rainforest sounds and ocean waves? Or why smells like lavender help some of us feel relaxed? There are just some things that are stronger together, and music and art are one of them. 

QUESTION → Do any of you use any of the examples I provided above to help you with anything? Whether that be for sleep or relaxation purposes. Let me know! I would love to see if I have some relatable followers :) 

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage (First Edition). Sagamore-Venture Publishing LLC. 

This is how I order these by importance. If we are too occupied by the past or future, we ignore what is happening now and miss the opportunity to interact and enjoy the things happening now. Setting goals, being mindful of the outcome you want, planning; all of these acts as guides to helps us in the present and are only worthwhile as such, as focusing too much on the future can create anxiety. Using history, our mistakes, our regrets, our “what-if” to change and inform our decisions about our present and future are of course important but if we become to focused on these we become stuck and/or hopeless. That being said, none of these exist or should exist without the others because each have value to helping us grow and live meaningful self-aware lives. Does you order of importance differ?

Stick, rock, leaf: An exercise for reflecting on time

Taken by Jacob Kannel from Unsplash. 

When you want to help your audience reflect on their experience (especially a younger audience) this was a helpful tool I discovered. Ask them to collect a stick, a rock, and a leaf and have them say one thing that will “stick” with them (future), something that “rock-ed” (present), and what they want to “leaf” behind (past). This helps them to engage with their experience in the context of time.

Engaging with the Past

“There is no peculiar merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity, and integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole, and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things. …. To think, feel or act as though the past is done with, is equivalent to believing that a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it.”

(Edward Hyams, Chapter 7, The Gifts of Interpretation)

In this quote, Hyams is stating that while old things aren’t inherently more valuable, there is value in what they tell us.

“Those who fail to learn their history are doomed to repeat it.”

(Winston Churchill)

I am reminded of the over-quoted warning of not learning from history and as someone who is really interested in conservation, this is something I often think about when it comes to analysing conservation and management strategies. While our history is often sad, we have lost so many species due to humans impacts (overharvest, climate change, pollution, etc.), it is important to explain this to your audience with a message of hope. As I said earlier, past without present and future leaves us stuck, making it crucial to share our history to show our progress and encourage further growth.

“Yes our coral reefs are in danger but we are doing amazing things to combat this like using 3D printers to make artificial substrates to regrow coral!”(1,2). 

1.Perry, C. T., Alvarez-Filip, L., Graham, N. A., Mumby, P. J., Wilson, S. K., Kench, P. S., … & Macdonald, C. (2018). Loss of coral reef growth capacity to track future increases in sea level. Nature, 558(7710), 396-400.

Since we were granted a free week to blog about any topic of our choice, I decided to use this opportunity to share how nature has been my escape, especially during a global pandemic. This time has definitely been strange and difficult but living with my two best friends and their puppies has made it easier. 

This is a picture of my two roommates and their two dogs during one September evening when we decided to go and sit outside on a blanket. Photo credits - My phone’s self timer camera.

I wanted to share some of the ways my roommates and I have been incorporating nature into our lives during this pandemic, while remaining safe and socially distanced. An activity we have recently taken up is painting. We wanted to find activities that do not require us to look at our screens during the evening, since this is what we do all day for school. These activities have been really great because it allows us to exercise our creative sides, but it also acts as a stress relieving activity. I have found myself mainly painting pictures that involve nature in them because nature brings me a feeling of peace and comfort, similar to painting. I often paint beautiful flowers I have seen on my daily walks or beautiful views I used to experience on vacations before the pandemic. Painting pictures of nature and things that I love helps me emotionally and physically during these times. 

This is a picture of my friends and I painting during quarantine in April, 2020. I painted a picture of my favourite flower called the “forget me not” flower. Photo credits - me.

Nature has played a major role during this pandemic because it feels like one of my only escapes and ways to find peace. I often go on walks around our neighbourhood, on scenic routes in downtown Guelph and in the forest behind my house. It is a good way for me to get out of the house, get some fresh air and experience a change of scenery. 

This picture was taken on one of our walks in Downtown Guelph. Photo credits - me

This picture was taken on our walk in the trail behind our Guelph home. Photo credits - me. 

Another interest we have taken up since the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020 is plants. I have accumulated a total of 19 plants in my room and will most likely continue to grow this collection. It is nice to have plants in my room because it is something to care for and it really livens up my room. 

A picture of my roommate and I after we bough plants from a store in Downtown Guelph called “Plant”. Photo credits - My phone’s self timer camera  

Another activity we participate in is going on long drives in the countryside and singing to loud music or having long conversations. When we really need to get out of the house for stress relief purposes and the weather is too cold, this is the perfect activity. It’s a good way for us to release some stress from the hard school day and enjoy some music. Long car rides are one of my favourite activities because it forces me take a break and enjoy life without worry for a few hours. It is a good way to get outside during the stay-at-home order without having to interact with people; however, we try to limit the number of times we go on car rides because of its negative effect on the environment. Combining good friends, good music and a beautiful view of nature is the perfect way to de-stress during these times for me. 

A picture of my roommate, her dog and myself watching the sunset with McFlurries in September of 2020 on a country road. Photo credits - My phone’s self timer camera  

I hope to look back on this post one day when the pandemic is over and remember how life was during this time! 

My question to you is: 

1. How has nature’s impact on your life changed from before the pandemic to now?

Thank you for reading and I can’t wait to read all of your blogs this week!

Here are my answers to your questions.

How has nature’s impact on your life changed from before the pandemic to now?

Before the pandemic natural spaces were something to share. I really enjoyed doing outdoor activities with lots of friends. However now because of public health guidelines nature have become something I only appreciate by myself or with on other housemate. I still do all the activities that I did before they are just not quite as fun because I cant share them. I have found I pay more attention to the smaller details of natural spaces than I did before. I used to work at a kids camp where we would spend lots of time outdoors however that is obviously no longer feasible so I had to find new summer work. This was a big change as I have been doing that for years and experiencing / teaching about natural areas with kids is very enjoyable. The pandemic has also affected the way I experience nature in that it used to be a stress free place to be however now when walking on a hiking trail I am constantly wondering if I am going to meet another hiker and have to move off the trail.

Who I am to interpret nature through art? No-one! I don’t know anything about art, but I know art helps bring me closer to nature and I can appreciate beautiful art when I see it. Even though I know nothing about art, I knew I wanted art on my bedroom walls that captured the beauty of nature so I could feel connected to the natural world. When I was searching for a painting, I knew I would “just know” when I found the right one.

A photo of the painting on my bedroom wall – photo taken by me.

This painting (pictured above) now inspires me everyday from the wall above my desk. When I look at this scene, I imagine myself sitting on the dock and I can feel the cold water on my feet, hear the boats gently knocking against each other, smell the pine trees, and see the water lapping at the rocks.

However, the sensations and positive emotions this painting sparks in me will not be the same for other people. This painting makes me feel energized, excited, hopeful, relaxed, and happy because it reminds me of times spent at cottages we’ve visited and other rural locations where I have seen similar scenes in real life.

This photo I took of the shoreline of Skeleton Lake in Utterson, ON, reminds me of my painting, and for me this photo is a memory of a happy time spent with my family.

My painting makes me feel so connected to nature and my family because I am lucky and privileged to have had access to nature and spaces where I could create the happy memories that come to mind when looking at my painting. As we discussed in last week’s posts, not everyone has the same privileges that allow them to access nature the same way, and even if they did, everyone interpret nature and art differently. When writing this blog, I was reminded of the song “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield that came out in 2004:

One of the lyrics in the song is particularly relevant to nature interpretation:

“Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in”

I think these lyrics answer the question “How do you interpret ‘the gift of beauty’?”. I could describe the images and scenery in the painting, or talk about the artist’s motivation and the significance of the landscape that is being shown, or even interpret to people the cultural impacts of the canoe, but I cannot make someone connect with or feel emotions about the painting. I can interpret nature through art, but I cannot interpret beauty. Yes, as an interpreter I can create interpretive experiences that are designed to help people discover the beauty in the landscape they are seeing (page 45, Beck et al, 2018), but I cannot see the beauty for them, only they can do that for themselves.