Growing knowledge with Madison

For my last blog prompt of the semester, I am excited to describe and talk about my personal ethic as I develop as a nature interpreter. However, it is only fair to first start this post off by defining what ethics means to me; ethics are principles that follow a specified assortment of morals, more specifically I think that ethics is knowing the difference between what is nobly right and what is nobly wrong and then basing your actions accordingly. Some of the qualities that a nature interpreter can possess include hope, passion and beauty. These qualities are very important to me as an individual as they encompass my personal code of ethics and beliefs that I carry with me and will continue to carry with me into the future. Over the past couple of weeks, thanks to this course, I have learned and obtained various skills and tools and while on this journey of interpretation, learning and growth, I began to realize that I have already possessed some of these skills prior without noticing. In this final blog post, I will discuss (in detail) my personal ethics, values and beliefs. I will also aim to describe how I believe that we as nature interpreters have an immense power to make positive futuristic changes. Lastly, I will share different approaches that I’ve used in different situations that have helped shape my abilities as a nature interpreter.

Looking back at my first ever blog post, I reflected on how my first experience with the spark of nature or in other words my first “sense of place” as Beck et al. describes; it was when I was younger. I reflected on different memorable camping trips that I had experienced with my family and cousins during the summer. Thinking back on this first blog post, I realize that to me a spark is really my first memorable experience with nature. It can happen at any age or stage in a person’s life; mine happened when I was young. My initial spark of spending time outdoors with close family led me to further observe and experience my natural surroundings, which in turn allowed me to further appreciate nature and all that it can do for me. Referring back to the course textbook, effective interpretation allows for the trigger of brain paths and stimuli and for the information to be processed and stored for later use. I think this is important to address because it is initially the first step that anyone has to take in order to become a nature interpreter and was a step that I now realize I had taken unknowingly when I was younger through my camping experience.

Heres a photo of me fishing while camping near Lake Simcoe, ON when I was younger. Fishing was something that I really enjoyed doing as it made me feel very relaxed and at peace.

The main value and belief that I bring to my interpretations is that everything in nature matters, this means respecting everything that nature has to offer while appreciating the land. Anyone can say that everything in nature matters, but do they really mean it? Well that’s a matter of perspective and opinion. I really do care about nature and its future as this was something that was passed along to me through my dad who is the biggest nature advocate that I know. So, put simply, yes, everything in nature matters and has a purpose. That being said, there are many other beliefs that I have that I feel should be addressed in relation to nature interpretation. Another important belief that I possess is knowledge, and more specifically sharing the things you learn with others. This is important as knowledge spreads awareness and with awareness comes change. I say this because we are currently in an environmental crisis and there are many problems at hand that the average person may or may not be aware of. I took Climate Change Biology (ENVS*3010) last semester and learned, in depth, of the many issues we are currently facing when it comes to climate change and our environment. Being able to share this information with some of my friends (who didn’t take the course) and some family members made me feel good in the sense that I was doing something to initiate a change (no matter how small). Throughout that course, I was able to comprehend the impacts that climate change has on human health, safety, the economy, our natural resources and our ecosystems. I could talk about this issue for hours on end, but for the sake of the word count all I can say is: Climate change is a global problem that requires a global solution and it needs to be talked about more. 

This is a photo I took off of @recycleseas instagram page. This page advocates for change and attempts to spread everyday awareness about the issues our planet is currently facing. I think about this picture often and wanted to share it with you guys. 

The main responsibility that I believe I have is the responsibility of using my knowledge to advocate for changes when it comes to different environmental issues. I feel as though this goes hand in hand with my previous talk about beliefs. Being privileged enough to go to university and learn first-hand about issues we face as a society I feel as though it is my responsibility to relay these issues to other people and make conversation. This doesn’t just go for issue-based knowledge, it applies to interpretational knowledge as well. This course has helped me understand the journey of a nature interpreter by peeling back the layers of the environment, appreciating them and understanding them. Once you have the knowledge of a nature interpreter you have such a rich understanding of the world that you want to protect it. Because of my passion towards nature, I find it is my duty and responsibility to share this passion with other people, so they too start their journey in becoming a nature interpreter.

As for approaches, I think some of the approaches that are most suitable for me include factual and practical approaches. I find that facts really stick with me and I can remember them really well, which would be useful to add to my interpretations. Additionally, practical approaches like learning how to identify thing works for me as well. I find that my go-to combo is based on factual and practical approaches; I like to identify things, research them (background information, history, etc.), and discuss them with others. I think this is a great way to develop identification skills, because it allows different perspectives to shine through during the discussion aspect of the approach.

To conclude, I’d like to end my final blog post by emphasizing how much I really enjoyed this course and how eye opening it has been to me as an individual interpreter. I loved being able to interact with my classmates and learn about their different perspectives as well. Overall this has been a great experience and it has me considering future career options in nature interpretation.

Thank you for reading!

Best,

Balsam

Reference:

I really enjoyed reading your post and found that I could really relate to it! I also responded to the beauty of nature early in life and I developed a sense of place from camping with my mother (1).

A picture of my mother and I during a camping trip at Pinehurst Conservation Area.

I agree with you that everything in nature deserves respect. I think that is a wonderful main belief to uphold in nature interpretation. With beliefs like that I think you’ll be very successful in a job as a nature interpreter.

Climate Change Biology is a wonderful course at Guelph and I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I have! I agree with you that it is so important to share information about climate change with others. Lately, I’ve been using the communication skills I learned throughout this course to share knowledge about climate change with my family and friends and this has been quite effective. My family and friends have since become more conscious of how everything they do in their daily lives affects climate change. Interpreters should always strive to make a difference in the world (1). With climate change being such a prominent issue in our current world, I think it is important that many interpreters focus on this issue. If we as interpreters work to inspire others to care about and help fight against the detrimental effects of climate change, I believe we will make the world a better place.

Reference

Today, I sit down in a silent room and think about myself as a nature interpreter.  I learned a lot in this course, and I thank my professor and university for offering something different from all my past experiences. The projects that I have done in this course are challenging because they make me think outside the box. I came into the course with just a love for nature, a love that started when I was a child going on camping trips with my family, but I come out of it interested in working as a nature interpreter.

A photo of people enjoying camping and nature. Similar to what I used to do as a child. Moments like these are priceless. Retrieved from https://www.anyrgb.com/en/free-image-ybbnsy

As I develop as an interpreter, I believe that I have a responsibility towards nature. I have a responsibility to protect nature, show and spread its beauty to everyone. People in our day and age are missing out on nature. People are always busy with life. Busy making more money and buying bigger things. Our lives are short, and we must enjoy nature and our planet while we can.

I believe it starts at a young age. As a child I developed my love for nature when I used to go camping with my family. Our children are the future and if they don’t care about nature and our planet then we are in trouble. Our world moves into becoming more urbanized and the emphasis on nature is becoming less important. We have less connection to nature than people before us and our children will have even less. This trend will continue if we don’t take action now as nature interpreters and show the importance of nature to our children. We must take our children outside and let them enjoy outdoor activities like camping, hiking and climbing. We must take them on nature walks and allow them to wonder and ask questions about nature. Dr. Richard Louv mentioned in one of the videos in our lectures that we are animals, and we need nature for our health. I truly believe that and think that everyone should experience nature in some sort or form. Whenever I feel down or depressed, I go for a walk or a run through nature, I feel peace and calmness when in touch with nature. I have a responsibility to spread this knowledge to people around me. I need to inform people about the benefits of taking some time off and going out in nature. We need to stop and contemplate away from the busy lives that we live. Enjoy the little things outdoors, it’s good for our health especially mentally.

My personal experiences must be translated to a larger audience and I have a responsibility to do so. As nature interpreters, we must continue to fight for nature educational centers. We must be alongside any programs that exposes people to nature especially children. I think that a large number of people don’t realize the importance of nature and these programs showcase that importance.

People making gardens and showing children the importance of nature. Programs like these are wonderful and it our responsibility as nature interpreters to be involved in such programs. Retrieved from https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/importance-nature

We have explored many concepts throughout the term. The two that stands out to me as I think today are privilege and technology. As nature interpreters, we are privileged when it comes to nature. We are receiving the education that nature is important. We are realizing how important it is to humans. Some people grow up not experiencing nature at all and sometimes it’s too late. Ones humans grow older, their minds are set on what’s important in life and if they don’t grow up loving nature, it’s hard to change their mindset. No matter who you are or where you come from, nature always has something to offer. I consider this realization a privilege. Therefore, we are privileged to be learning about what nature has to offer. This knowledge can be translated into helping nature in the future. As I mentioned, the world is becoming more urbanized and technology is taking over our lives. The need for people to focus on the preservation of nature is never been more important.

This brings me to the second concept that stood out to me during the term which is technology. I think of technology is a double-edged sword. We have discussed in lectures and readings the positives and negatives of technology. Technology can keep us inside our homes. Nowadays, you can do everything from the comfort of home and there is no motivation to go outside. This can make people more stagnant. People will be encouraged to spend their free time at home, they will watch movies, play video games, use their phones for hours and never think about going out and enjoying the outdoors. This is a huge concern when it comes to technology. Technology can actually turn people away from nature if used incorrectly.  

A photo encouraging people to work and stay home. Notice that ‘DREAM’ is also written to convince people that this is the dream. Making money wile working from home. Photos like these make people want to stay home even though they don’t realize it. Retrieved from https://quickmarket.co.uk/ad/work-from-the-comfort-of-your-home-and-earn-money/

On the other hand, technology can actually be the answer to more people experiencing nature. Technology allows us to see beautiful natural places in photos or videos which will in turn motivate us to go out and experience these places. I know myself; I would research beautiful areas and see images of them before I travel. Seeing a beautiful natural environment motivates me to go to it. In that sense, technology is helping me experience more nature. Technology also helps preserve nature. It has many methods of preservation but one way that I think is very important is GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Plants can actually be modified to be more resistant to climate change for example. That means they can live longer under harsh conditions. This will preserve nature and allow us to enjoy it for longer time. Our planet needs more plants and technologies are vital for a better future. Therefore, technology can be helpful from these aspects.

Photos like these inspire me to go to them. This is located in Jamaica, a country that I would like to visit for its natural beauty. Retrieved from https://www.iberostar.com/en/inspiration-guide/travel/nine-natural-wonders-you-cant-miss-in-jamaica-nature-caribbean/

I think it’s amazing that this course has inspired you to work as a nature interpreter! I agreed that it’s our duty as nature interpreters to share the privilege of nature, and the beauty and peace of nature with others. I hope you get the chance to do this in your workplace in the future! Is there any place and/or position that you’d like to work in?

I like that you mentioned that there are many positives and negatives to technology in your post. While some people use technology to binge tv shows instead of going outside, others use it to show their appreciation for nature. Many people love to use the art of photography to interpret and appreciate nature, which is something I’ve always enjoyed. We are lucky to have technology as photographers can share the beauty of nature so easily to wide audiences through social media. Before this course I had never thought of using art forms to interpret nature. Now, I plan to use my own artistic talents to interpret nature.

Dear Board of Directors

On behalf of the Wonders of the Wild Interpretation Centre, we ask you to please reconsider your decision to close this beloved nature interpretation center. We believe that environmental education and nature interpretation are extremely important for all individuals involved, especially the countless visitors we welcome each year.

Today, we are constantly reminded about how a modern, technological life can result in people becoming out of touch and disconnected with nature (Mitchell and Ryland, 2017). Nature interpretation can play a critical role to bridge the disconnect between humans and nature, and when done well it can engage, educate, inform and inspire us (Mitchell and Ryland, 2017) Nature interpretation has great significance for the visitor, and can change them from within (Jurow, 2016). It provides an awareness of something beyond themselves and opens them up to others and to new experiences (Jurow, 2016).

One of the most important reasons to continue to ensure nature interpretation for the public is the educational benefit. Many people enjoy learning and the process of acquiring knowledge is an enjoyable and enriching experience (Beck et al. 2018). Not only does the public enjoy education but learning about nature makes it become more meaningful (Beck et al. 2018). Our Interpretation center connects with schools and has benefits to administrators, teachers and students (Beck et al. 2018). It even has many benefits to interpreters by strengthening community support for our programs (Beck et al. 2018).

Not only are there educational benefits to our center but there are many recreational and health benefits (Beck et al. 2018). We provide a place for physical exercise, relaxation and inspiration as well as a gathering place for friends and family (Beck et al. 2018). From experience I know that nature interpretation helps to heal both physically and mentally. Just spending a small amount of time in the outdoors renews my energy and allows me to continue pushing through. This effect of nature is not just for the individual but allows for a healthier society as a whole (Beck et al. 2018).

The incredible peace of nature is the perfect reason to continue funding our center

Nature interpretation has long term effects on communities and the environment. Our programs educate the children, youth and adults on processes such as climate change, invasive species and extinction. Interpretation plays an important role in awareness and protection of endangered species and conservation of resources (Beck et al. 2018) Education in the environment around us prepares and guides individuals and communities to take on environmental action (Ardoin et al. 2020). It can result in direct benefits to the environment and securely addresses conservation issues (Ardoin et al. 2020). I know that funding the Wonders of the Wild Interpretation Centre will help conserve our beautiful planet for the next generation.

I ask you to please reconsider closing our Interpretation center. It provides people of all ages with education, inspiration, health and empowerment that they can find no where else.

Thank you

Wonders of the Wild Interpretation Centre

References

Ardoin, N. M., Bowers, A. W., & Gaillard, E. (2020). Environmental education outcomes for conservation: A systematic review. Biological Conservation, 241, 108224. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108224

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

Jurow, K. (2016). Making Meaning Together: The role of interpretation during a short-term nature excursion (Master’s thesis, Antioch University, 2016) (pp. 1-210). New England: Antioch University. doi:https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/289/

Your letter is beautifully written and very persuasive. If I were on the Board of Directors reading this letter, I would find a way to provide you with the funding you need for the Wonders of Wildlife Interpretation Center!

It sounds like Wonders of Wildlife Interpretation Center would be a great venue for an interpreter to provide visitors with a sense of place (Beck et al, 2018). The nature surrounding this center looks very peaceful and beautiful. I can envision this being a place where students, teachers, and other visitors could develop a relationship with nature away from technology and other distractions. I understand why classes often visit this center for school trips!

It is wonderful to hear about the educational benefits of this center as education is so important in interpretation when helping others to develop an admiration for and an emotional attachment to nature (Beck et al, 2018). I am happy complex issues in our world, such as climate change, can be explained through interpretation at this center for the students that visit (Beck et al, 2018). Understanding issues like climate change can give students a reason to take care of our environment, which is much needed in our society.

In conclusion, I would love to know what inspired you to write about the Wonders of Wild Interpretation Center this week. Is this a place you have visited many times in the past or a newfound place celebrating nature that you have grown a liking to?

References

           Interpretation has a special place in my heart. From when I first got exposed to the concept of interpretation through wildlife shows and demonstrations to now, I’ve learned that interpretation is a special activity that allows people to come together in appreciation of various things. What I know for certain, is nature interpretation has allowed me to connect with so many people. Without interpretation, I would have never been able to develop myself into an outgoing human being, ready to experience the joys of learning with others. Amidst the pandemic, this course has welcomed a community of interpreters to come together and build connections based on our experiences. I know for certain that if it wasn’t for this welcoming community, I would have never been able to grow my skills or practice my abilities. The people are just as important as the subject, and I’m thankful to be surrounded by such kind and enthusiastic learners.

           What I still wonder is how I can I continue making interpretation a positive experience for others. I find that there’s often a huge disconnect between our inner perceptions and the outside world. Thus, even though I may think that I’m doing a good job sometimes, I can never really know how others perceive my ability to interpret. I guess my insecurity kind of drives me, but I find it really motivating to try and improve so that I can offer a good experience to others. Even though my insecurity may fuel my drive, I take a lot of pride in my ability to do a good job. I just need to figure out what I need to do to become a top-notch interpreter and do it in a way that fits me.

           I find inspiration by observing people perform. Whether that’s through music or speech, the ability to captivate and evoke feelings is skill I find incredible. There is nothing like watching a dramatic scene and being at the edge of your seat, and I hope to captivate others in the same way. Inspiration lights way for passion, and I ignite passion by supplying a purpose. Nothing is any good without purpose. Whether its telling stories to incite joy or sharing experiences to build support, having a purpose leaves people with something to look forward to, in other words, a goal. If I want others to be passionate and care, I have to be that and more for those I interact with. Thus, I need to find a purpose that fulfills a goal within myself, which I can then motivate others to appreciate.

           All in all, a lot goes into being a touching and successful interpreter, but this all starts with you and the people that surround you. I hope you enjoyed!

I enjoyed reading your post. I agree it’s amazing that we’ve gotten the opportunity in this course to connect with other interpreters as this has become quite difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. I especially liked getting the chance to work on the podcast as it gave us a chance to talk with a professional interpreter and improve our own interpretation abilities with a group of interpreters.

As a perfectionist I understand your insecurity in not being able to know whether you are inspiring others in your work. I think it’s admirable how you use your insecurities to drive you to do better. I wish you the best in your journey to become a top-notch interpreter!

Personally, I’ve found getting feedback in this course on both our podcast and blog posts to be helpful in improving my nature interpretation work so I can inspire people. I find the feedback helps to bridge that disconnect between my inner perception and the outer world so that I can be reassured of my successes and identify my failures. It’s important for an interpreter to have strong communication skills (Beck et al, 2018). I believe it’s these skills that help them to bring out other’s emotions. I’ve been using this feedback to help improve my communication skills to become a better interpreter so that I can become sure of my ability to inspire others (Beck et al, 2018).

How do you hope to use what you’ve learned in this course in your future?

Reference

For this weeks prompt, I reviewed the podcast titled “Salty Situations”. My first impression of this podcast from the beginning was that it was extremely appropriate for the age group of the audience and that it was very well thought out! The group members used loud, engaging voices as well as humour to engage their young audience. It is essential to entice audiences by getting them intellectually and emotionally involved (Beck, Cable,& Knudson, 2018). I loved this podcast topic as well because I actually conducted an experiment testing road salt, its effects on road side plants, and the effects of alternatives (including beet juice and sand!) in the Greenhouse my second year at University of Guelph. It was very cool to see this topic catered to a young audience to make a change from old habits. 

Figure 1: This is my poster project for testing road salt from a previous course (ENVS*2230). It is safe to conclude that road salt is harsh and that there are other effective alternatives!

The first lesson this podcast offered me is to directly tell a young audience to educate their parents on environmental issues. Children are very impressionable and what they learn indirectly influences the adults in their lives (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018). However, it might not be enough to hope that children will educate the adults in their lives, so it was great that the members of this group influenced this action directly by telling them that you were going to tell your parents to stop using road salt and switch to an alternative right away. 

Another lesson I learned from this podcast is how they took their influence to the next level. As adults, we want to influence our younger generations to make better decisions. How can we get children to get involved in the community, past educating their families? Write an email to the Mayor! Encouraging actions like these is what influences our younger generations to be confident in taking bigger action. It is true that different regions of Canada and different nations already use road salt alternatives, so why can’t we? I really appreciated introducing taking big steps of action to an impressionable audience and encourages me to influence young children I know to be brave and share their voices. 

The third thing I learned from this podcast was the influence of road salt on marine life. I was aware of the damage that road salt had on vegetation, or even dog paws, but it is logical that road salt will travel to our surrounding waters. To introduce this topic from a marine organism gives life to the information being presented. This allows the audience to construct their own thoughts and beliefs that guide them towards processes of knowing themselves and the life around them (Gallavan, 2005). If they care about marine life like fish (which most children do because animals are fascinating), then they will be able to interpret the effects of road salt on this species, triggering emotional responses. 

One tool that this group absolutely excelled at is sound effects. The sound effects were persistent, engaging, and humorous. It was evident that this podcast use art-based environmental education to engage their audience about natural phenomenon in unfamiliar ways to introduce them (van Boeckel, 2015). The sound effects used reminded me of children’s cartoons, movies, and shows which would make children think that the podcast they are listening to is familiarly fun and interesting. I will definitely focus on sound effects for the next podcast assignment to add life and a story to the topics being discussed. It also aids in influencing emotional responses from the audiences which we want as presenters to ignite a passion for environmental issues. 

Figure 2: You used a sound effect of the noise we associate with a light bulb going off in our heads. It makes me imagine the sound effects visually like this!

Overall, this group did an amazing job presenting their topic, interpreting it through art, and teaching an important lesson about road salt and how we, as environmental stewards, can make a change for our future.

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018) Chapter 7: Serving Diverse Audiences. In Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage For A Better World (pp. 146-161). Urbana, IL: Sagamore-Venture Publishing LLC.

Gallavan, N. P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their “invisible knapsacks”. Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36.

You did a great job debriefing “Salty Situations”! If I hadn’t listened to this podcast beforehand, reading your reflection would have given me a great summary of the strengths of this groups podcast. It also would’ve given me a good idea of what it was about and what I could learn from it. Good debriefs are important for nature interpreters as they help them to continue to improve their programs (A.L. Hooykaas, 2020).

It was interesting to see the results of the study you did on rock salt in ENVS*2230! I especially appreciated the picture of barley growth with rock salt in your poster presentation as it gave me a clear visual of rock salt’s effects on plants. I’m curious, if you were to use an alternative for rock salt that you studied on ice, what would you pick?

I also chose to reflect on “Salty Situations” for my original blog post. I really enjoyed learning about the impact of rock salt on the environment because I didn’t know much about rock salt before listening to this podcast. I also enjoyed the sound effects in “Salty Situations” and I’m going to try to use more sound effects in my next podcast to make it more imaginative and fun for listeners.

The water sound effect used in this podcast was one of my favourites. It was used when the hosts were talking about the sand at the beach and at that time, I envisioned this visual in my head.

Reference

I think the most amazing thing about nature is its connection to humans. My mood almost always depends on the weather outside. If I wake up and it’s dark and gloomy outside, I can almost never just get out of bed right away. My friends and I always talk about this because they feel the same. I think in general, majority if not all students would agree with me when I say that if it’s dark outside when I wake up, then I am going back to bed. The dark and gloomy days are almost always my least productive days as well. I always feel low on energy, motivation and inspiration on those days. However, when the sun is out then I’m always up and ready to go. The sunny days always go by great for me, and are always my most productive days too. Another example is seasonal depression. Seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a kind of depression that is related to seasonal changes. Seasonal depression has sort of become an ongoing joke amongst students and although we all joke about it, I know the jokes come from a place that understands the depths of the disorder. Obviously not every student is diagnosed with actual seasonal affective disorder, but I know we all at least share similar feelings of sadness that come from the darker and colder days in the winter. The winters are really tough as students, and I can vouch for that. 

I don’t know the exact moment I made the correlation between my mood and the weather because for as long as I can remember I’ve been associating the two. However, I do remember this conversation I had with my grandmother, when I was younger. I got in trouble for running around my grandma’s flowers with my soccer ball and cleats. I tripped and scraped my knees, and while I was crying about my knee, it began pouring rain outside. My grandmother was obviously annoyed about her garden, so she said “look you even made mother nature upset and now she’s crying!” Instantly I felt bad, and so I stopped crying and made a note to be extra careful around my grandma’s garden. The comment to my grandma was nothing other than a trick to get me to stop crying, but to me, it left a hefty mark on my little 6 year old brain. After that moment, any time it would rain, I would wonder why mother nature was sad, and the fact that she was sad made me sad too. As a little delusional 6 year old, I really thought me and mother nature had some kind of bond. Another very vivid memory I have, is of me walking home from the school bus on a half day. I was in the 7th grade, and our school did half days occasionally, so I was walking back from my bus stop and I wasn’t feeling the greatest. The whole day was kind of gloomy and occasionally it would sprinkle rain, so I guess it really impacted my mood too. I made it to my house and no one was answering the door, so I sat on the porch playing on my iPod touch, waiting for my mom to get home. The rain began to pick up so I decided to let myself in through the garage door. I got inside and usually I would turn the TV on, but I was still very sad for some reason and now since it was raining, I just felt the need to cry. I cried for a while and eventually got myself together and was making myself a snack when the phone rang. It was my mom so I picked up and she began apologizing saying she forgot it was a half day, and she had to rush somewhere urgently and she would be home in a few hours. She wasn’t telling me where she was, but I kept asking over and over, so she finally broke and told me that my uncle had just passed away and she was in the hospital. My uncle had been fighting cancer for two years at that point, and it looked like he was winning the battle, up until we got the news of his sudden passing. Suddenly, everything made sense to me, I was sad because somewhere downtown in the hospital my uncle was taking his last breaths, and as always mother nature was crying with me. 

These two memories have been some of my core memories as a child, and I think they dictated my relationship with nature. I’m a lot older now, more wise and definitely not the same little delusional 6 year old, but I still feel like nature is tied to all of our emotions and wellness, just as I thought it was back then. This is what is amazing about nature to me.

References:

You did a great job of capturing the experiences you’ve had with Mother Nature throughout your interpretive blog writing (Hooykaas, 2020). I found a quote from Albert Einstein that I believe relates very well to your experiences, it says “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” (2020). It’s amazing how you looked into nature to better understand your experiences growing up. It seems Mother Nature’s rain was a support to you growing up through difficult times and that you cared for her as well. A person’s connection to nature is very important and it’s wonderful that you let yours blossom.

While you were fascinated with weather growing up, I was fascinated with wildlife and this has never changed for me. I still explore and try to find wildlife anytime I’m in nature.

A dragonfly that I found when exploring near a lake.

I agree that one thing about nature that never changes is that it’s tied to our wellness and emotions. I also have always found that weather changes my mood. I find on sunny, beautiful fall days where the leaves are multiple colours I am quite happy and able to be productive. On those days, going on a walk helps me to clear my mind. Like you, I find it’s harder to motivate myself to be productive on those dark and gloomier days. It’s quite amazing how although we grow up and become wiser, some things about our relationship with nature never change.

References

Albert Einstein Quotes. (2020). Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/albert_einstein_106912

This blog was weirdly hard for me to write this week because I don’t quite know who I am to interpret nature through art. I have never considered myself to be artistically inclined in any regard but in reading about the many forms of art used in interpretation I was surprised and happy to see that storytelling and poetry were included. Words have always resonated more with me than anything else and my favourite part of travelling has always been listening to local stories and legends about different places. Nature is something that has long been used in poetry and the urge to describe the natural world has made nature poetry a popular genre. The haiku poetry form was originally developed as a short meditation on the natural world and uses a word to indicate the season such as this spring haiku by Takahama Kyoshi;

In the bamboo grove The yellow spring sunlight, I look up at it.

Poetry uses nature as its subject and inspiration, but it too can be used by nature. The textbook states that using the arts helps to convey messages and create richer experiences. This can be seen through the poetry walk offered by the Olympic National Park where poems by contemporary poets such as Mary Oliver were featured on signs along the trails to invoke deeper emotional engagement from the guests. 

                                  Image by ADD from Pixabay

This is a photograph of seagrass I found and I’m not sure what it is about it but it feels incredibly enchanting. 

In interpreting nature through art, I think the goal is to establish a connection, to make people care. In Nirupa Rao’s ted talk, she blends wonderful storytelling and her artistic talent to share a message of becoming aware of a kingdom hidden in plain sight by invoking an emotional connection with her audience. She was able to maintain scientific accuracy in her illustrations by working alongside conservationists. In terms of interpreting nature through art, I want to be a bridge between science and art, just like Nirupa and the conservationists she worked with. Scientists are often too logical and technical in communicating their messages and in trying to make people care. As someone who aspires to work in science communication, I understand the importance of integrating art when communicating our messages, no scientific integrity needs to be lost in the process and we are able to reach much wider audiences by appealing to emotion.  To quote Rita Cantu, “we are catalysts sparking relationships between something without and something within”. I think personally as much as I may not be artistically inclined, I am still able to appreciate art because it speaks to a deeper part of ourselves that is hard to describe. I’m also now able to understand why I find nature documentaries so powerful and I think that’s because they are able to blend various forms of art: storytelling, videography, music etc., to communicate a message, and more than appealing to our senses, it appeals to our emotions. 

References:

It’s awesome that you chose to talk about storytelling and poetry in your blog post. I find when people think of art they often think of music, theatre, and visual art. They often overlook many other impactful forms of art, such as writing. I believe one of the most powerful things about writing is how it’s able to keep the attention of many readers with differing ages (Beck et al., 2018). When I read, the imagery in a piece of writing is often so powerful that I am able to visualize a story or poem in my head (Beck et al., 2018). The visuals in my head are what has made information in writing pieces truly memorable for me (Beck et al., 2018).

Another idea in your post that was of interest to me is how you talked about the integration of art and science. I agree with you that it is important to utilize art to convey scientific messages in a more appealing way to society. Science is very factual and a necessity in providing an intellectual component to learning, but art draws in a larger audience as it is emotional and allows empaths to better understand scientific situations using a more appealing format (Beck et al., 2018). The blog posts in this course have taught me how to use the art of writing to interpret nature and this is going to help me to use art when explaining scientific concepts in the future (A.L. Hooykaas, 2020).

Reference

As of recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how dissatisfied I am with the music industry.  Now to be fair, I think about this off and on for most of my waking hours, which I’ll admit is a tad hyperbolic, but I’ve given this subject much more than I usually do.   Recently, the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, made a statement that in order for bands to stay relevant on the platform, they must release new material at least every 3-4 months.  

Hearing this, honestly upset me.  In the past few years or so, it seems as though artists are putting much more work into their singles, rather than albums as a whole.  With this new expectation for the continuous release of new content, I fear that the music scene is going to be composed of even fewer great albums, and even more boring carbon copied singles.       

Nowhere to me is this more evident, then when listening to the radio.  I don’t know if it’s just me, but anytime I don’t have an aux chord and I’m forced to turn on the radio, every radio station I turn to cycles through the same 10 generic singles.  It almost seems as though whether a song is good or not holds no value when a station is deciding what new songs to play.  What now seems to be the most important attribute, is whether a song is catchy or not.  Furthermore, I don’t think I’ve heard someone talk about “the album of the summer” or anything else along those lines, these days, it’s all about new songs that can be added to a playlist.  

For me, this is a terrible shift, as I’m someone who loves the album format.  They just make sense!  In my opinion they give songs a sort of place.  Whether that’s in the form of a seamless transition from one song to the next, or reoccurring themes that take place throughout the album.  This level of cohesion creates an experience similar to that of a movies soundtrack.

Now forgive me if this sounds too pretentious, but as someone who’s been playing and writing music for over a decade, the thought and ingenuity an artist puts into an album or song is something I appreciate greatly about an album or song. 

My band from high school playing one of our first gigs back in 2013.

All that being said, although the music industry is diluted with all sorts of not so great music, there are still many bands putting out great albums.  They may not get as much recognition or exposure as other artists, but in the long run, the effort they put into their craft will be remembered.

Okay, rant over.  What are some of your guys favourite albums or artists?  It may not be your cup of tea but a really interesting jazz/metal band called “Imperial Triumphant” put out a pretty stellar album called “Alphaville” this year and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it.

With cool costumes like these, how could you not want to check them out?!

At my summer job I spent a lot of time listening to the radio and I have to agree that it is quite disappointing how stations repeatedly play the same few songs. Growing up buying and listening to CDs is what helped me to appreciate the album format of music. I am glad that I grew up listening to albums as I find nowadays when people look for new hit singles to add to their playlists they often overlook a lot of great melodies and stories that aren’t quite as popular.

I didn’t know that artists are now pressured into releasing albums every few months, that’s awful. I think artists should be relevant based off their quality of music, not how often they release it.  

That’s really neat that you write music! I’ve grown up singing, and playing music on the piano and trumpet, but I’ve never finished writing a song of my own that I’m satisfied with. What genre of music do you write? Have you written an album of your own?

An alternative/indie album that I have been listening to a lot lately is Melophobia by Cage the Elephant. One reason I really like this album is that the band’s goal with it was to be authentic, rather than focusing on projecting a likeable image to society (Gentile, 2013). Not sure if this is a style of music you’re into, but if it is I definitely recommend giving it a listen.

Album cover of Melophobia.

Reference

Gentile, J. (2013, October 07). Cage the Elephant Battle Loneliness. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/cage-the-elephants-matt-shultz-on-melophobia-and-loneliness-104212/

Initially when I think of privilege in terms of nature interpretation, I think of the people who get the opportunity to travel the world and embrace nature from different countries and vantage points. My personal definition of privilege definitely revolves around money as the materialistic things in life that we view as valuable can be purchased with money. These things being homes, cars, electronics, brand name clothing, etcetera. However, when you think about it, there is something that is lacking in that list of things that come to my mind (and maybe others), and that thing is a connection to nature. In the way that I initially describe and define privilege it seems that those that are truly privileged have the farthest gap between them and Mother Nature. Of course having the wealth to afford incredible trips to the oceans and mountains across the world is something that I’m sure anyone would like, truly embracing nature can happen just about anywhere. A lot of the time those that are the most privileged are the ones that don’t understand the healing, energy, and comfort that can come from being outdoors. A quote from Socrates states that “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature”. Basically this quote just states how people with the least can be the most content and I truly believe this. Especially in terms of nature interpretation, having the ability to step outside, slow down and embrace the simplicity and beauty of nature is an incredibly valuable skill to have. The ability to form true connections with your surroundings and environment is a skill that many people lack more and more, which honestly shows with the increasing mental health struggles with anxiety and panic disorders. As a society we need to take away the idea that privilege comes with fancy things and lavish vacations to up beat cities, and bring back the appeal of serenity and calm. Just this past weekend I was at home enjoying the warm weekend at our local apple orchard with my mom and boyfriend. I had a moment of realization of just how amazing all of this low priced, fresh, local produce is. Small simple things like this make me personally feel privileged that I’ve been able to grow up in a small town where I can go to a farmers market like this and buy produce that was grown just down the road from me. I don’t live a lavish life by any means, and my family doesn’t take many vacations, but I do know that I am privileged to have the life style that I do, regardless of those things. I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities that I have had in my life, especially the different places that I have been able to experience nature from. 

This is a picture of just one of the many incredible sunsets that I have seen at the beach in my neighbourhood in, Bright’s Grove, Ontario. These are some of the moments when I feel so privileged to be able to experience this so easily where I live.

All the best to everyone this week!

I really appreciate how you explained that having privilege extends beyond materialistic things and involves the ability to appreciate the small things in life, including the nature around us. When I traveled to Panama to volunteer at a free medical clinic I spent time with many adults and children that had low socioeconomic status and were not able to afford medical care, yet they were some of the happiest people I’ve met in my life. Their privilege was not monetary, it was their ability to appreciate everything around them, including nature. I remember one of the locals at the clinic being so proud that he could cut down fresh grown mangoes from a tree for a few of the volunteers, including myself, to try. The locals also loved to utilize nature. For example, a group of ladies picked flowers and used them to make flower crowns to wear while performing cultural dances. I find many people in Canada aren’t able to truly appreciate the nature all around them as they are too busy being consumed by technology. In Panama, the children have the privilege of not having technology and instead spending a lot of their time playing in and enjoying the outdoors.

This is me wearing one of the flower crowns the locals made.